Nicaragua: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:57, 30 December 2005

Revision as of 21:24, 30 December 2005

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==Demographics==

{{main|Demographics of Nicaragua}}

Ethnically, Nicaragua is a relatively homogeneous country. In 1993 some 86 percent of Nicaraguans were ladinos--people of European or mixed European and indigenous descent, who shared a national Hispanic culture. In the nineteenth century, there hadwas beenstill a substantial indigenous minority, but this group waslargely alsohas largelybeen assimilated culturally into the Hispanic mainstream. PrimarilyThey inare mostly of [[Spanish people|Spanish]] descent, but the 19th century, Nicaragua saw several small waves of immigration from other European-Mediterranean nationscountries. In particular the northern cities of Esteli and Matagalpa have significant 4th generation [[German people|German]] communities. Most of the Mestizo and European population live in the western regions of the country asand especially in the cities of Managua, Granada, Leon and ChinandegaGranada. [http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-9224.html]

Nicaragua has an estimated population of 5.5 million as of November 2005.

About 9 percent of Nicaragua's population is considered [[black]] or afronicaragüense, andwith mainlythe black population residesconcentrated inon the country's sparesely populated eastern or Atlantic coast. The black population is mostly of [[West Indies|West Indian]] (Antillean) origin, the descendents of indentured labourers brought mostly from [[Jamaica]] and [[Haiti]] when the region was a British [[protectorate]]. As the largest country in the region, Nicaragua also has the second largest black population in [[Central America]] after [[Panama]]. There is also a smaller number of [[Garifuna]], a people of mixed [[Carib]], [[Angola]]n, [[Congo]]lese and [[Arawak]] descent.

Nicaraguans of European or Mestizo (to varying degrees) stock make up a combined 86% of the population, and effectively the largest majority. Although there are not always clear lines of differentiation due to the large and varying caucasoid composition accross this group, the segment can be divided for the most part along the lines of 69% [[Mestizos]] and 17% [[European]] (mostly Spanish, German and Italian).

In the nineteenth century, there had been a substantial indigenous minority, but this group was also largely assimilated culturally into the Hispanic mainstream. Primarily in the 19th century, Nicaragua saw several waves of immigration from other European nations. In particular the northern cities of Esteli and Matagalpa have significant 4th generation [[German people|German]] communities. Most of the Mestizo and European population live in the western regions of the country as in the cities of Managua, Granada, Leon and Chinandega. [http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-9224.html]

About 9 percent of Nicaragua's population is considered [[black]] or afronicaragüense, and mainly resides in the country's sparesely populated eastern or Atlantic coast. The black population is mostly of [[West Indies|West Indian]] (Antillean) origin, the descendents of indentured labourers brought mostly from [[Jamaica]] and [[Haiti]] when the region was a British [[protectorate]]. As the largest country in the region, Nicaragua also has the second largest black population in [[Central America]] after [[Panama]]. There is also a smaller number of [[Garifuna]], a people of mixed [[Carib]], [[Angola]]n, [[Congo]]lese and [[Arawak]] descent.

[[Image:Nicaragua_lake.JPG|left|300px|thumb|Nicaragua lake]]

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[[Image:Nicaraguan children.jpg|thumb|right|100px|Nicaraguan indigenous on a ferry to Ometepe Island]]

Spanish is spoken by about 90% of the country's population; Nicaraguans speak standard Iberoamerican Spanish with some similarities to [[Galician]] Spanish—structurally similar to [[Rioplatense Spanish|Argentinian Spanish]] which uses "vos" instead of "tu" along with the "[[Voseo|vos]]" conjugation, but with a different intonation. The black population of the east coast region has [[English language|English]] as its first language. Several indigenous peoples of the east still use their original languages.

[[Roman Catholicism]] is the major religion, but [[evangelism|evangelical]] [[Protestant]] groups have grown recently, and there are strong [[Anglican]] and [[Moravian (religion)|Moravian]] communities on the Caribbean coast.