Population: 4,918,393 (July 2001 est.)

Languages: Spanish (official)

Background: Settled as a colony of Spain in the 1520s, Nicaragua gained its independence in 1821. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist...

Currency: gold cordoba (NIO, No information)

Data from CIA World Factbook. Click on CIA link for more. Click on map or flag for larger images.