PEOPLE
Most Nicaraguans
are of both European and Indian ancestry, and the culture of the
country reflects the Ibero-European and Indian heritage of its
people. Only the Indians of the eastern half of the country remain
ethnically distinct and retain tribal customs and languages. A
large black minority, of Jamaican origin, is concentrated on the
Caribbean coast. In the mid-1980s, the central government divided
the eastern half of the country--the former department of Zelaya--into
two autonomous regions and granted the people of the region limited
self-rule.
Roman Catholicism is the major religion, but Evangelical Protestant groups have grown recently, and there are strong Anglican and Moravian communities on the Caribbean coast. Most Nicaraguans live in the Pacific lowlands and the adjacent interior highlands. The population is 58% urban.
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Nicaraguan(s).
Population (2005): 5.4 million.
Annual growth rate (2005): 1.7%. Density--42 per sq. km.
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed European and indigenous) 69%, white 17%, black (Jamaican origin) 9%, indigenous 5%.
Religion: Predominantly Roman Catholic, with rapidly growing percentage of Evangelical Protestants.
Languages: Spanish (official), English and indigenous languages on Caribbean coast.
Education: Years compulsory--none enforced (28% of first graders eventually finish sixth grade). Literacy--67.5%.
Health (2005): Life expectancy--70 yrs. Infant mortality rate--35.50/1,000.
Work force (2004 est.): 1.9 million.
