This location is always a World Race favorite. It’s a country full of wonderfully warm and caring people, and participants always leave having had a powerful experience. However, hopelessness, addictions, destitution, and poverty still plague the many lives of Nicaragua. There are orphans who have grown up without knowing the love of a parent and families who get by each day by scrounging scraps from the city dump where they have made their homes. In Nicaragua, you’ll have the opportunity to bring God’s love through slum ministry, door-to-door outreach, outreach to children, and more.
Geography:
-Slightly smaller than New York
-Borders Honduras and Costa Rica
-Highest point is Mogoton (7,999 ft)
-Capital is Managua
People/Society:
-Spanish is the official language with 95.3% of the population speaking it
-Roman Catholic (58.5%), Protestant (23.2%), Jehovah’s Witnesses (0.9%), other (1.6%), and none (15.7%)
-Population is 5,848,641
-Median age is 24.2 years old
-5.7% of children under the age of 5 are underweight
-14% (223,992) of children 5-14 years old are in labor situations
Government:
-Republic, President Jose Daniel Ortega Saavedra
-Gained independence from Spain on September 15, 1821
-National symbol is turquoise-browed motmot
-The blue bands symbolize the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, while the white band represents the land between the two bodies of water.
Economy:
-Agriculture: coffee, bananas, sugarcane, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans, beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products, shrimp, lobster, cotton
-7.2% unemployment rate (2013 est.)
-42.5% live below the poverty line
-Exchange rate: 24.77 Cordobas per USD
