Countries Of The World: Nicaragua

By National Geographic Kids, adapted by Newsela staff on 06.22.18

Word Count 471
Level 340L

Image 1: Big Corn Island is one of two that make up Nicaragua's Corn Islands in the Caribbean Sea. The second, smaller island is
called Little Corn. Photo by: Getty Images/Colors and shapes of underwater world.

Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America. It is slightly bigger than the U.S. state of
Mississippi. Nicaragua sits between two countries. Honduras is to the north. Costa Rica is to the
south. Water is to the west and east. The Pacific Ocean is to the west. The Caribbean Sea is to
the east.

Many natural disasters have hit Nicaragua. Hurricanes have wiped out farms. Earthquakes have
destroyed buildings. Nicaragua has volcanoes, too. Some are active. This means they erupt
sometimes. Eruptions have caused a lot of damage.

The east coast of Nicaragua is called the Mosquito Coast. It is not named after the insect that
bites you. The name comes from the Miskito people. They live there. The Mosquito Coast is very
wet. It gets the most rain in all of Central America.

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Nature

Lake Managua is a freshwater lake. Sometimes, bull sharks are spotted in it. They get to the lake
by swimming up a river. The river connects to the Caribbean Sea. These days, not many sharks
live in the lake. They cannot get there. The river has too much mud in it. There are many small
rocks, too. The sharks cannot pass through.

Many other animals live in Nicaragua. Toucans fly through the sky. Monkeys swing from the trees.
Sea turtles swim off the country's Caribbean coast.

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People And Culture

Nicaraguans call themselves Nicas. Most people are mestizos. This means they have both native
and Spanish ancestors.

Some Nicaraguans have ancestors who were slaves. Long ago, the British controlled parts of
Nicaragua. They brought people here from Africa. They forced the Africans to work as slaves.
They worked on farms. Over time, the British returned the land to the Nicaraguan people. The
slaves were freed. Many stayed and raised families.

Government And Economy

A president leads Nicaragua. The people elect this person every five years. In 2017, Daniel
Ortega was re-elected president. It was the third time he was elected. He has run the country for
a long time.

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Good-paying jobs are hard to find in Nicaragua. It is one of Central America's poorest countries.
Many people are farmers. They grow crops such as coffee and bananas. Other countries buy
them. This is one way the country makes money.

History

The Chibcha people were some of the first settlers of Nicaragua. They lived here thousands of
years ago. Back then, it was not called Nicaragua. It was just open land. Much later, the Nicarao
people arrived. They came from what is now Mexico.

Explorers arrived about 500 years ago. They came from the country of Spain. Spain took over the
land. They ruled over the people. This lasted for hundreds of years.

Nicaragua broke free from Spain in 1821. It became independent in 1838.

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Quiz

1 Read the section "People And Culture."

Select the detail from the section that explains WHY some Nicaraguans are called mestizo.

(A) Nicaraguans call themselves Nicas. Most people are mestizos.

(B) This means they have both native and Spanish ancestors.

(C) Some Nicaraguans have ancestors who were slaves.

(D) Over time, the British returned the land to the Nicaraguan people.

2 From where did the Nicarao people who came to Nicaragua come?

(A) Costa Rica

(B) Africa

(C) Mexico

(D) Spain

3 Why did sharks stop coming to Lake Managua?

(A) They did not like that the lake had freshwater.

(B) The lake had more little rocks than water.

(C) They liked the river better because it was muddy.

(D) The river going to the lake had too much mud.

4 Why is Nicaragua called the Mosquito Coast?

(A) It was named that because of its many volcanoes.

(B) It was named that because of its many hurricanes.

(C) It was named after the insect that likes to bite people.

(D) It was named after a group of people who lived there.

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