Quick Facts about NicaraguaNicaragua: the name is a mix of two words Nicarao (the Nahuatl-speaking tribe that was there before the Spanish) & aqua because of the many lakes, lagoons & rivers in the country.
The country is known for the mountains and lagoons. About 69% of the people are Mestizo, 17% European descendants, 6% Black & 5% Indigenous. Baseball is the National sport, even is considered more popular than soccer. Nicaragua had the first elected, women president in Central America & the world. Nicaragua is considered the second poorest country in Central America with El Salvador being the first. The indigenous communities live mostly in the Atlantic side of the country and include Miskito, Mayangna and Rama. Afro-descendent communities include Creoles and Gariguna. Many of these communities have their own language. |
Where is Nicaragua?Nicaragua is located between Honduras, in the north, and Costa Rica, in the south. It's green on the map above!
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The currency is called Cordobas (1US$=27.72NIO)
Where am I staying?
My main host family is in Managua but I will be spending a few days with another family in Esteli.
Managua
-Managua-
Managua is the capital & largest city in Nicaragua. Next to Guatemala City, it is the second most populated city in Central America. An earthquake in 1972 & a hurricane in 1998 destroyed most of the city and since, the city has never been rebuilt. Now, the city has expanded and new infrastructure has been built. |
Miraflor
-Miraflor-
Miraflor is located an hour or so north of Esteli. It was named a Natural Reserve by the government in 2004, but has been protected since 1991. The name is derived from the ancestors of the community going to the lagoon and seeing a reflection of flowers in the water. (mira=look & flor=flower). The community is made up of farmers that raise cattle, grow vegetables, fruit, coffee and other things. There are 230 different kinds of birds because of the abundance of fruit trees. Birds, even as far as Canada, migrate here during the winter months. There are 3 cooperatives located within Miraflor. Two mixed gendered and one all women. To learn more about the cooperative check out the blog. |
Other Travels
Laguna de Apoyo
About 40-50 minutes away from Managua there is a carter with the clearest & cleanest water I have ever seen.
Masaya
We visited the active & dead volcanoes in Mayasa, about 30-40 min from Managua.
Granada
About an hour away from Managua is one of the earliest settled towns by the Spanish in the 1500s.