Did You Know

Interesting Facts about Nicaragua

Trivia, oddities, and curious tidbits about Nicaragua.

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15 curious facts about Nicaragua.

Nicaragua is named for one of its original inhabitants, Chief Nicarao, who ruled part of the area at the time the Spanish arrived in Central America.
The coat of arms of Nicaragua is a triangle in which there are five mountains, representing the five countries of Central America, a rainbow representing peace, and a red cap of the style worn by revolutionaries in the French Revolution, which symbolizes freedom.
Volcán Masaya is an important national park. It is home to Crater Santiago, the only Central American crater where you can see molten lava. Even though the crater emits strong sulphuric fumes, green parakeets nest and roost on its walls.
The only freshwater sharks in the world live in Lake Nicaragua. They are thought to be the descendants of saltwater sharks that were trapped there when the lake separated from the ocean, and that evolved to survive in a freshwater environment.

During the California gold rush, millionaire Cornelius Vanderbilt transported people by steamship from New York to Lake Nicaragua, then by stagecoach to the Pacific, and by steamship again to California.
Although Nicaragua is a predominantly Roman Catholic country, many couples do not go through a church or civil wedding ceremony. Couples in these common-law unions have the same status as those who have civil marriages.
Cacao seeds, from which chocolate is made, were used as money by pre-Columbian cultures in Central America.
Nearly half of all Nicaraguans are under 15, and more than a quarter are between the ages of 15 and 29. Only a quarter of the population is over 30. Poverty-related diseases and long-term warfare kill many people before they get old.
Nicaragua has one of the lowest voting ages in the world: 16 year olds can vote in Nicaraguan elections, and have been able to since the 1979 revolution.
In the early 1980s, about 81,000 volunteer teachers were trained and sent all over the country. Many people who had never before had access to education learned to read and write.