Nicaragua essays

Nicaragua essays In 1979, Managua, the capitol of Nicaragua, had its government overthrown by the leftist Sandinista rebels. Sandinista rule quickly produced its own excesses, resulting in civil war for most of the 1980s. The conflict ended in 1990. However, Sandinistas continue to maintain considerable influence in running the country, and Nicaraguans remain so divided that they are unable to resolve most economic and political issues. Nicaraguas economy has been a leading casualty of this turmoil, and for the past two decades, it has ranked as continental Middle Americas poorest (De Blij s poorest. Although not as devastated as neighboring Honduras, Nicaraguas struggle to rebuild much of the national infrastucture is yet another massive challenge piled upon its already formidable burdens (De Blij Nicaragua is one of the hemispheres poorest countries, with low per capita income, flagging socio-economic indicators, and huge external debt. Hurricane Mitch has put any hope Nicaragua had for economic reform on the back burner. Nicaragua sustained approximately $1 billion in damages. Hardest hit was the all-important agriculture sector, which is responsible for the majority of exports. As a result, the trade deficit hit roughly $900 million (Brunn, 1993). In addition, Nicaraguas unemployment hovers around 70 percent, the highest in Latin America. Nieghboring Costa Ricas per capita income is more than 10 times higher (Kaplan, 1984). Therefore, along with its position as a border country with a relatively high level of development, with respect to the rest of Central America, Costa Rica is one of the principal receptors of Nicaraguan migrations. Although the 1990 peace process diminished the armed conflict in Cent...