Nicaragua Essays - Nicaragua, Republics, Managua,

Nicaragua Have you ever wanted to go to a place during our winter season that is warm or hot most of the year? Well, most people choose Florida, or California. But, why not go out of the country this winter and try the largest country of Central America, Nicaragua. I did lots of research on Nicaragua, and I hope you learn as much as I did. To begin my report, I will give you some brief history. The first inhabitants of Nicaragua were the Nicaro Indians. This way of life was blended with Spanish settlers when they first came. The name of this tribe was from a great Indian chief, whose name was also Nicaro. This chief was so famous that the country of Nicaragua was also gotten from his name. Next, I will tell you about the land of Nicaragua. It is located in Central America, and is the largest country there. It is on the continent of North America. Nicaragua is 50,193 square miles (130,000 square kilometers). Honduras borders Nicaragua in the north, and it is bordered by Costa Rica on the south. There are two oceans that border Nicaragua. On the east, there is the Carribean Sea and on the west is the Pacific Ocean. Nicaragua has many different types of land forms. There are mostly volcanoes, some active, behind the coastal plains and along the Pacific border. The active volcanoes cause some danger to the coastal cities, but there haven't been any serious accidents. The largest volcano in Nicaragua, the Santiago Volcano, lies south of Nicaragua's capital city. Lots of steam rises from the little holes that surround the volcanoes. East of these volcanic regions are the Central Highlands. This part of Nicaragua is rainy and has some evergreen and deciduous forests dotted around. The forest's floors are flat, not hilly like some other regions. Very few people live in this forest-like place. There are also some lakes in Nicaragua. One lake, Lake Nicaragua, is the largest one in Nicaragua and Central America. The other lake is Lake Managua. Both of the lakes are joined by the Tipatapa River. The Carribean coast is called Mosquito, or Miskito after the small Indian group who lived there. Most Nicaragu ans live there. Although most people live in the Mosquito area, the majority of Nicaraguans say that Matagalpa is the nicest and coolest place to live. Some say that this suburban region is so nice because the sun always shines, but it is less humid than the other Nicaraguan cities and towns. The hottest place in Nicaragua is in the East. It is always hot and wet, but is perfect for growing bananas. There are many rainy places in Nicaragua, and as a result, most of Nicaragua has tropical rainforests. The rainforests are homes to many types of insects and animals. There are many, but I will only name a few. Mammals such as monkeys, alligators, and snakes are the main wildlife. There are billions and billions of (no typing error, just exaggeration) insects from ?A' to ?Z', such as red ants, mosquitoes, and even a striped house fly called the zebra fly! The wild fowl, such as parrots, toucans, macaws, humming birds, and vultures fly through the air. Fur-bearing creatures like the coyote and grey and red fox, roam the evergreen forests and are even sometimes kept as pets. The least likely place you'd find any animals is the small desert area in the west. This is the driest part of Nicaragua. This place even has a dry winter and hot summer season, and the summer season is hotter of the two. As I said before, the most rain falls in the East. The average was about 100-300 inches a year. Almost all the rain that falls to make up the 100-300 average falls in the east. Now I will get away from the land (finally) and tell you some things about the people of Nicaragua. The main ethnic group in Nicaragua is the mixture of European and Indian decent, or Mestizoes. 5% are of American Indian decent, and 17% are European. 99% of the population's skin color is black. The main religion was Christianity, beginning in the early 1500's when the Spanish missionaries