Sunday, November 6, 2011

Nicaragua

Seventh graders,

For the past couple of weeks, you have been researching Nicaragua's history, politics, environment, culture, and social and economic challenges.  For this week's blog post, please include a summary of your research below.  Your commentary will be graded as your third and final draft of your research notes, so make sure that it is carefully revised and proofread before publishing.  As you type, be careful to observe typing conventions (spacing between punctuation and capitalization).  Most importantly, show us what you know.

For this week's assignment, please also read and respond to at least one of your classmates' comments.  Tell us what surprised you and what questions still remain for you as you learn about Nicaragua.

63 comments:

  1. Nicaragua Paragraph

    Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America.
    But its also the poorest country in Central America sadly. Its population is 5,666,301, and growing. The languages they speak are Spanish, English, and other indigenous languages.
    The money that they spend there is called “Gold Cordoba”. Nicaragua, has suffered, many natural disasters such as, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and powerful storms.
    Some questions I have for this country are: Why is it the most poor country in central America?
    How did they learn English if they’re mostly a Spanish country?
    And what can I expect on my trip there? (If I even go)
    Also Nicaragua houses a big amount of exotic animals and such over there, and with over 70 protected areas, the endangered species will be save and possibly recover from being endangered. Their main crops are coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, and sesame.
    Thank you for reading

    ~Johnny H.

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  2. Nicaragua Paragraph

    Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America.
    But its also the poorest country in Central America sadly. Its population is 5,666,301, and growing. The languages they speak are Spanish, English, and other indigenous languages.
    The money that they spend there is called “Gold Cordoba”. Nicaragua, has suffered, many natural disasters such as, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and powerful storms.
    Some questions I have for this country are: Why is it the most poor country in central America?
    How did they learn English if they’re mostly a Spanish country?
    And what can I expect on my trip there? (If I even go)
    Also Nicaragua houses a big amount of exotic animals and such over there, and with over 70 protected areas, the endangered species will be save and possibly recover from being endangered. Their main crops are coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, and sesame.
    Thank you for reading

    ~Johnny H.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America. In Nicaragua there is a lake called Lake Managua its the only the lake with fresh water but it also had sharks in it but there are rarely any in there now. There are many exotic animals in Nicaragua like toucans, boa constructors, monkey, wild boars, jaguars, and sloths etc. Some of the history about Nicaragua Spain had ruled Nicaragua and many other countries in Central and South America during the 16th century until the early 19th century. Nicaragua gained its independence from Spain in 1821 and became part of the Mexican empire for several years that's most of the history about Nicaragua. Well now let me tell how you how nice people are in Nicaragua most people there are really friendly, happy and family-oriented people most people there are mestizos or native and Spanish combined Granada is Nicaragua's most important city and it’s the oldest city. I think you should go to Nicaragua so you can learn all about Nicaragua even more.

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  4. Nicaragua truly is the second poorest country in Latin America after Haiti,that really is poor. Poverty in Nicaragua has been a big issue, however it has decreased over the years going from 50.3% to 45.8% They still are poor though. Unlike it is here going to school in Nicaragua is not really enforced. The children normally stay home and help out there instead of going to school. If they do go to school it might only be three days a week. The most vulnerable people are the farmers and those who live in rural area,the farmers never know how their products will grow and that sometimes cost them to suffer.Living in Nicaragua really isn't a walk in a park.

    I think that we should help the people in Nicaragua because if it were us we would want people to help us. We should just send over things that will help them it obviously works because the amount of poverty has decreased but still is fairly high. If we all got together and talked about a way that we could help Nicaragua it really could become less poor and people could really begin to enjoy life. This is what I think.

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  5. Nicaragua is a very large country. The climate can drop to as low as 21 degrees or less, but it can rise during the day. From May-October it is mostly rainy, while from December-April it's mostly dry which I find very interesting because here where we live it is often snowy during this time.

    In Nicaragua there are tropical storms, such as hurricanes. They do not really hunt in Nicaragua, because they believe carrying guns or any other hunting weapon can lead to disaster, but I think regardless of the negatives, Nicaragua can be fun, and interesting place to have an adventure and explore.

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  6. Nicaragua has traditionally relied on agriculture exports to sustain its economy. The Somoza family ruled the country with the US between 1937 and the Sandinista revolution in 1979. The revolution began because there was no flourishing democracy or obedient armed force. Nicaragua's government is a Republican. They believe that every decision that they make is for the citizens of Nicaragua and not for their own selfish use. The political challenges that they face are things like having to work extremely hard to make ends meet because of the hurricanes and volcanoes that are a big threat there. Though the US worked with Nicaragua, the US is completely different than Nicaragua. Americans have it easy compared to Nicaraguans because the US is the richest country and Nicaragua's the second poorest in the western hemisphere.

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  7. Nicaragua: Economic Issues and Living Conditions Nicaragua is the second poorest country in Latin America, and 43% of the people there live in rural areas and two out of three of them struggle to survive with a little more than 1 U.S dollar per day. It’s very hard for the people in rural areas to get water and food because of how vast and dry it is. Many of the kids in Nicaragua don’t have to attend school because they can’t afford the few cents to catch the bus. So Instead children stay home in order to take care of their siblings and the house. The students who do go to school range in age from ten-fourteen and stay in school for two hours. Most children begin their day by working in the garden so they can bring vegetables home to their families. For the rest of the day they learn how to stay healthy and avoid STD’s.They attend classes that can teach them how they can catch an STD, how to protect themselves from getting one, and the difference between different kinds of sexually transmitted diseases.

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  8. Nicaragua is developing the hour. Nicaragua has festivals, parties and some people come together to pray. but that's not the point; Nicaragua Nicaragua's main languages are Spanish and English. Nicaragua has one of the biggest FRESH WATER lakes to visit; known as Lake Nicaragua.

    Nicaragua is the biggest country in Central America also Nicaragua has one of the biggest cities in the world.Managua, this is the capital of Nicaragua and one of the biggest cities in the world. At the time of my research the population is 5,666,301 but this most likely increased. Nicaragua is very historical place; for example the museum of Anthropology and the history of Rivas. Also Nicaragua is borded by the Pacfic Ocean.

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  9. Many people in Nicaragua face a number of Social and economic problems. For example 63% of the citizens make only a little then a dollar a day. As well 12% of Nicaraguans are unemployed. Also their GDP is approximately 425 US dollars. Then there was a civil war that lasted ten years. The war killed the economy. They also have many natural disasters that increase poverty in some areas. Can you imagine only living on 425 dollars per year?

    Rural schools in Nicaragua compare to urban school in Philadelphia by how they both suffer from lager budget cuts. And that 80% of students in Nicaragua are only on a basic reading level. In Nicaragua you could see kids in the same class from the age of 10-14 years old. In Philadelphia many kids that go to an urban school don’t get a lot of support just like some kids in Nicaragua. Many schools in Nicaragua they only have about two classrooms per school. That is crazy how small some schools are in Nicaragua.

    Most people in Nicaragua are really poor. For example in 1985 about 70% of the country was to poor to get basic needs such as water and food. On the Caribbean coast 95% are to poor to afford basic needs. But they do have some similarities such as many people share the same room. And 55% of the urban house only had one bedroom. That would be terrible if your family couldn't even afford to buy water.

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  10. Emilia Fernandez
    Nicaragua Webquest
    Nicaragua is currently overcoming a revolution and civil war and has been going through hard times socially, politically, and dealing with problems about its government and economy. Politically Nicaragua isn’t very stable. For example, the current president (Mr. Daniel Ortega) was accused by critics of exhibiting dictatorial tendencies, like ordering people around. Another reason was that Mr.Ortega was breaking relationships with Colombia’s president who was helping Nicaragua, but that ended. Last but not least the judicial system isn’t very effective because the president often amends the constitution.


    Nicaragua’s government is a little bit complicated. For example with the overthrow of the Sandista’s (ending their families 42 year dictatorship) Nicaragua became under the control of a junta. Later, after eight years of civil war between the Sandista’s and the U.S founded rebels Nicaragua has started to become more peaceful. Finally, peace brought democracy. Even though Nicaragua now has democracy it still faces challenges such as poverty and corruption.


    Nicaragua’s economy isn’t too great either. Although it was never rich in the first place it is now the second poorest country in the Americas after Haiti. Still, some good came when Daniel Ortega led Nicaragua through civil war, things are changing and getting better. Socially Nicaragua isn’t very good either in the 1980’s more than 60% of Nicaragua was poor because they could not supply satisfactory basic housing needs. In conclusion Nicaragua has problems with its government and problems politically, economically, socially but is slowly getting better.

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  11. Cullan Gilroy Nicaragua Essay 10/25/11

    Nicaragua in Comparison to Philadelphia


    The people in Nicaragua face a lot of economic and social challenges. One problem they face is natural disasters. Also farmers struggle to pay of loans, while kids struggle to even go to school. A interesting fact about the economic struggles in Nicaragua is that two out of three Nicaraguans struggle to live off a dollar a day. Another big economic struggle they face is the distortion of commodity prices in the international market. A lot of Nicaraguans struggle to feed their families. Something thing that surprised me about their economic problems is that Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the world. In conclusion, the people in Nicaragua face a lot of economic and social struggles, not unlike Philadelphia.

    Rural schools in Nicaragua are very unlike urban schools in Philadelphia. For example 20% of kids can’t read and the other 80% of kids are only on a basic reading level. Unlike the urban schools in Philadelphia, the kids in Nicaragua are very respectful and do not talk in class. Also students in Nicaragua with disabilities do not have the opportunity for special treatment, unlike here. Another one of the big differences is that academic progress is not tracked in Nicaragua while it’s a very big part of school here in Philadelphia. In Philadelphia teachers are monitored and given professional development, while in Nicaragua neither of those things happen. In conclusion Rural schools in Nicaragua are very different to Philadelphia schools.

    Nicaragua's poor is much worse off than the impoverished communities here in Philadelphia. 69.4% of the people in Nicaragua are poor. I still wonder how Nicaragua stays alive with so much poor? Although some houses are small in impoverished communities here in Philadelphia, the average room in Nicaragua holds four people! Something that interested me a lot is that the number of children under five years of age suffering from malnutrition doubled, even though the country’s economy is growing. Here in Philadelphia, not many people die from malnutrition. In rural areas in Nicaragua the poverty rate is 85.9 percent, that is much worse than the rate in impoverished communities in Philadelphia. In conclusion, Philadelphia might have some impoverished communities, but its nothing compared to the poor in Nicaragua.

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  12. Nicaragua has many social and economic issues and living conditions.Many poor people have to pay very high taxes,and they aren’t able to afford them.And the houses Nicaraguans live in are very unsafe,not only for children,but for elderly people,too.Because they are so poor,they don't have enough supplies,many people are homeless and living on the streets.They're cold or hot,depending on the weather,and so lonely.Just like many people in Philly.What surprised me,kind of,was that,Nicaragua is the second poorest country.Sad,right?

    The schools in Nicaragua are not good schools,educationally and physically wise.The school building is awful.Its not constructed very well.The walls are falling apart and roof is close to collapsing.It could fall and hurt every body.The teachers would be in trouble,because the building is a hazardous place,and nobody wants their kids to go there.So the guardians will take their kids out of the school.They would fix,but they don’t have enough money to.And the education is not the best,too.The reading and math levels are down.The kids cant read,or do math well because of that.Why?Well,because of the amount of education the teachers have.So,since they have only a little,they will teach the kids only that education,and nothing else.The schools are limited and under-resourced,which makes it difficult for students to learned for teachers to provide education.

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  13. Everyday many Nicaraguans face difficult challenges, one of which is that many children can't go to school. Some stay home during the day to help raise a younger sibling or they stay home because can't afford the few cents it costs to ride the bus to get to school. Nicaragua, ranking second only to Haiti, is one of the poorest country in all of Latin America. More than half of the population lives in rural areas and 69.4% of the population is impoverished.

    There are many rural schools in Nicaragua and they are not necessarily the best schools out there. In many of these rural schools children have to partially work doing agriculture and other tasks. One thing that especially surprised me is that the schools do not keep records, meaning they don't track any academic progress and there are no reports of the students' work. Where as in Philadelphia, even in some of our worst schools, there may be some teaching and learning defects but there is nothing like this.

    When comparing Nicaragua's poor to impoverished communities in Philadelphia there are many differences. One difference would be farming. For Nicaragua's poor, agriculture is their main source of income, while in Philadelphia, there is no real farm land. In Nicaragua over half of the population is impoverished and in Philadelphia it's closer to a quarter. I still wonder how their economic growth from the Twentieth Century is continuing to help them strive today as the article I read was not quite up to date. I have learned a lot about Nicaragua and how they live there, but I still have room to learn even more.

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  14. Nicaragua is a very precious place to be. I would definitely recommend you to visit Nicaragua because there’s a lot of beautiful sites to see. First you should visit the beaches because the water looks so clear & I’m sure you’ll have loads of fun. Another reason you should visit Nicaragua is there are a lot of poor people and once you see what they’re are going through you can really see all of things that you’re thankful for . Another place you should visit is the Granada that is a huge attraction to tourist. Ometepe Island is another place you should visit. It’s the largest lake island in the world.

    There are 19 volcanoes in Nicaragua some of them are active and some are extinct. That should be another thing to see while you are in Nicaragua. They have a lot of marching bands which they use for festivals and things like that. This activity seems really fun trekking in the rain forest. Nicaragua is home to a lot of food. The food looks scrumptious. Here are some thing they eat a lot there. Tortillas, chicken, rice,beans, and the drink fresh Juice. A lot of people fish there so they could also eat the fish.

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  15. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in Latin America. So unfortunately we may think that the children may not learn, but 80%of children in Nicaragua can read at a basic level. Unfortunately most schools in Nicaragua would be considered horrible schools in Philadelphia.At school teachers are being banned and cut. As teachers teach the y hope that educated children will pass their knowledge onto their elders. Nicaragua and Philadelphia both have the same intentions to educate all possible beginning with only one person.

    “Home Sweet Home.” Not all people have “sweet” homes. houses in Nicaragua are way below living standards mostly because many Nicaraguans earn a little less than a dollar a day. Dirt floors with one room makes up an average home in Nicaragua. In Philadelphia or even in the United States that is what most call unbearable. Not only that but their average calorie intake per day is about 1,524 calories and 44 grans of protein, witch is way below the suggested amount. For us (non Nicaraguans) it seems unbearable, for Nicaraguans it is daily life.

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  16. Nicaragua is the size of New York state.It is the biggest central american country,but only has two lakes,Lago de Managua,and Lago de Nicaragua.At night the temperature could go up to about 24 degrees.The highland ranges 1,000 to 1,500 miles.That is a long distance.The lowlands of Nicaragua extend to a length of 75 kilometers.

    Nicaragua's distruction of its enviornment ended in the 1980s.Also, the contras were based across the Honduran and Costa Rican borders.They didn't hold significant territory though.Many social programs in health, education,enviornmental were established during the sandinista.However,they fell to victim to the contra war.

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  17. Nicaragua is one of the biggest country in central America. The country is to Honduras to the north and coast Rica to the south. Nicaragua has suffered disasters due to hurricanes, earth quakes. In Nicaragua they have many exotic animals that are found there. One of the biggest threats in Nicaragua are def ore station.

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  18. In 1979 a man named Anastasio Somoza was overthrown by the Sandinista’s, ending his forty-two years as dictator. Nicaragua was then thrust into a gruesome battle. For eight years the Sandista’s were fighting the US. Although there is now peace, there are consequences paid by Nicaragua. Nicaragua has always relied on its agricultural exports to sustain its economy. Now these exports only benefit the richer families. I think that it is bad that Nicaraguans face such horrible political issues. They may end up having to fight another war because of there corrupt political leaders.

    I think that Nicaragua doesn’t have a fantastic government. I think that it is hard for them to have a satisfying government because of the fact that one of their main influences over the entire country, the president, is a Sandista himself. I think that the revolution was not very good for Nicaragua socially because now they face difficulties, such as electing a president. Now it is much harder because Nicaraguans probably don’t want to elect a president who will cause war for their country. I think that although Nicaragua is in such a tough spot, they will still make it out just fine. I think this because they have made it through things much worse than a corrupt government. Things like hurricanes and war that have killed thousands of young and innocent Nicaraguans.

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  19. The Politics of Nicaragua


    Nicaragua has a rough history-- revolution, civil war, natural calamities-- all causes that created a difficult present, both economically and socially. Revolution and civil war made Nicaragua one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. After revolution and civil war, Hurricane Mitch rendered 20% homeless. The social effects of civil war and revolution include poverty, unemployment, and homelessness. They receive a GNI per capita of $1000 for a population of 5.8 million. Nicaragua’s president, Daniel Ortega, has a Marxist past, and is a left-leaning populist. Some have accused him of “dictatorial tendencies”, and he/the government are unfriendly with both the U.S. and Columbia. The U.S. didn’t agree with the idea of the Sandinistas, so they carried out attacks on Nicaragua from bases in Honduras, mined harbors, and imposed trade sanctions, and Nicaragua, whom has always relied on agricultural tradings, relies even more heavily upon it now. This is another cause for the poverty in Nicaragua.

    Questions I still have are:
    1. Why is Daniel Ortega not friendly with Columbia?
    2.What are America’s current relations with Nicaragua?

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  20. Nicaragua is a gorgeous place to visit! I think so because Nicaragua has amazing animals you would not see in the U.S. besides the zoo. The animal you would see there in Nicaragua are sloths, toucans, monkeys, wild boars, and (e.t.c). Which I think is wonderful and really pretty.

    Nicaragua is a really huge country. It’s the same size as New York. That really surprised me because New York is big. It has tons of people. Nicaragua covers a total area of 129,494 square kilometers;that’s a lot! The difference between Nicaragua and the U.S Nicaragua landscape is more tropical.


    Nicaragua natural landscape is defined by earthquakes, volcanoes,and hurricanes. That's what makes its landscape unique. Nicaragua’s landscape is different from the U.S because it’s more natural and tropical. Also it has more natural stuff and less litter. That’s why I think Nicaragua is a beautiful place to visit, and have a lot of interesting stuffand facts. I definitely think Nicaragua is a place to visit.

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  21. Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America. Sadly Nicaragua has suffered disasters due to hurricanes,earthquakes and volcanic activity.Sharks can be found in lake Managua. There are many animals in Nicaragua, and even fresh water sharks in lake Managua. Some Nicaraguans grow crops like coffee,bananas,sugar canes,cotton,rice,and sesame.Most of the Nicaraguans live in the Western part of the Pacific lowlands.The biggest threat that Nicaragua has is Lake Managua is in danger of becoming very polluted.Nicaragua has also gained Independence from Spain in 1821 and became a part of the Mexican empire of a while.Local people are Nicas but most outsiders call them Nicaraguans.The questions that I have is how do they eat tortillas everyday for breakfast ,lunch and dinner?Another question that I have is why do they have earthquakes,hurricanes,and volcanoes?My thoughts about the country is that I actually think that Nicaragua is a very beautiful place even though Ive never been there before,The pictures of Nicaragua are beautiful.
    By:Wysper

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  22. Geography :Nicaragua is they are largest country in Central America . They are slight bigger the city of New york. Nicaragua is boarded by Honduras to the north and south.
    Nature: lake Mangue is thew only body of water has only fresh water. where sharks live. bull sharks.you can enter the lake by traveling up Rio San Juan river from Atlantic ocean .



    History : the earliest setters were probably related to the Maya and Aztec people of Mexico. Spain ruled Nicaragua and many countries in central and south America during the 16th century until the Early 19 century .


    People and Culture : The local people call themselves Nicas but most outsiders refer to the people as Nicaraguans . they are friendly , happy, ,family oriented people ...

    Governments and economy : Daniel Ortega elected 2006 as president of Nicaragua . The president are elected on same ticket by popular votes for a five year term. Nicaragua is the poorest country , and has widespread unemployment .



    The time line shows what happened in Nicaragua from 500 to 2010 when Nicaragua became fully instance independent and how an earthquake in lake Managua killed5,0000 to 10,000 people.

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  23. Nicaragua is 129,494 square kilometers in size, 120,254 of which are land, and it has three main geographic zones: the Pacific lowlands, the Central highlands and the Caribbean lowlands. Most of the rainforest in Nicaragua is located on the north border with Costa Rica around the city of Ocotal. Surprisingly, the driest areas are around the capital city of Managua and the “Mosquito Coast”, which is an area located near the oceanic borders of Nicaragua. Therefore, the oceanic borders of Nicaragua have much less tropical and rainforest wildlife than in the central and northern part of the country. The landscape is actually much like the U.S., though the middle of the U.S. is plains instead of rainforest and Nicaragua is about the size of New York State.

    The average temperature during the day in Nicaragua ranges from 22 degrees Celsius to 24 degrees Celsius and temperatures can get as low as 15 degrees Celsius at night. Philadelphia’s average temperature for March(the time we will be going to Nicaragua) is 12 degrees Celsius to 23 degrees Celsius. Some of the wildlife attracted to Nicaragua’s odd up and down, tropical climate and geography are mammals, reptiles, sea turtles, sharks and a collection of exotic birds, one of them being the national bird the “Turquoise Motmot”. Even the endangered Jaguar can be seen there.

    Some of the things that are still unclear to me are how many beaches Nicaragua has, how many types of trees you can see there, and most of all, what mountain ranges there are in Nicaragua. Also, I would like to know what the other 9,240 square kilometers are composed of. Additionally, I think that since our group will be sleeping just outside of the capital city of Managua, there will be very few rainforest sites in the vicinity.

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  24. Nicaragua faces many challenges which involve teacher bashing,budget cuts,and unimpressive rankings about the schools in Nicaragua. The education in Nicaragua isn't so great. 80 percent of the students have a basic reading level because, they don't read very often. When they get home they do not read or even look at words . Kids from the age of 10-14 start their day off by working in their garden. Kids are often forced to stay home because , they can’t afford a few cents to take the bus to school. Some kids only come to school for the meals when they serve rice and beans and when they run out kids stop attending school. Nicaragua is the 2nd poorest country to in Haiti in the western hemisphere . Poverty is a big problem in Nicaragua . Some of the people in Nicaragua struggle to survive on little more than a US $1 per day. In Philadelphia there are people less fortunate,but there are also some people with good homes and good jobs.


    Well something that surprised me was how Nicaragua got to this point. I have learned we have it good here in Philadelphia. I know other countries and places have difficult times. I would like to know how kids are getting a good education there. i want to know are there any good schools? if so, where? Can Nicaragua do better? How can others help? Nicaragua needs help and i want to more about challenges they face



    ,Goodbye fellow bloggers,

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  25. Nicaragua is developing by the hour. Nicaragua has festivals,parties and some people even come together to pray. but that's not the point; Nicaragua's main languages are Spanish and English. Nicaragua has one of the biggest FRESH WATER lake to visit; known as Lake Nicaragua.
    Nicaragua is the biggest country in Central America and has one of the biggest cities in the world. That city is Managua; which is also the capital. At my time of research the population of Nicaragua was 5,666,301 but it most likely increased. Nicaragua is a very historical place, for example the museum of Anthropology and history of Rivas(AHR). Also Nicaragua is bordered by the Pacific Ocean.

    ~Justin Perez

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  26. Never rich in the first place, Nicaragua is striving to overcome the after effects of civil war and revolution, making it one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. Revolution and civil war have affected Nicaragua by causing poverty, unemployment, housing shortages, malnutrition and poor health care. In addition, diseases such as malaria and dense fever have become common. Also, crimes such as kidnapping, have increased rapidly. The civil war and revolution have reduced the access to clean water and plumbing for the citizens of Nicaragua. Nicaragua’s economy is poor, and they are selling their industry, agriculture, and exports to countries like the US for money. This includes chemicals, textiles, coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, shrimp, lobster, tobacco, beef and veal.

    Some of the many political challenges that Nicaragua faces, is more even distribution of power among the four branches of their government, and an increase in size of their supreme court. Also, their government will make changes to the electoral laws to avoid a second round of voting. I was surprised to find that Nicaragua was one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere, next to Haiti. Also, their government style is very similar to that of the US. That is, having multiple branches and a leader, or president.

    Some questions that I continue to have about Nicaragua are the following: -Do farmers fight for each others land? -Do neighbors rob each others cattle? -Do the poorest of the farmers go to the cities and towns to beg for food, water and clothes? -How does trading work in Nicaragua? -Do all genders, including female, have the right to vote? -Does the amount of money you have effect your ability to vote? -What age do you have to be to have the right to vote? Nicaragua is facing severe poverty and many political challenges, as the unwanted after effects of civil war and revolution in their past. For example, there are many unemployed, and the government is making many changes to electoral laws.

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  27. Anikah i really like the information you posted and how long has Nicaragua been poor like this/ do you have any other info to share please do .
    Tanae

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  28. Nicaragua started off as a perfect country with no worries, then the civil war started. After Daniel Ortega came out of house in 1990 after bringing his country through a civil war and a revolution, businessman Juan Jose Arevalo took over. Years later in 2006, Daniel Ortega ran again and won the presidency once more. Since then, under Ortega’s leadership Nicaragua has been the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Nicaragua has also been anti-US, and has had close ties with Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez, as well as relations with Columbia’s president Alvaro Uribe. Through the tough and the miserable times, Nicaragua is still a very proud country.

    Nicaragua is one of the most anti-US countries there are. Rebels have attacked Nicaragua causing other little fights with the US. There have also been multiple violent words used explaining their opinion on how they feel on how the US manages their country. Equally important, Nicaragua has not agreed with the US taking their most prized posessions like food and water. In fact they say that the US never gives anything back to the Nicaraguans. Major problems in Nicaragua are poverty and corruption two very serious matters all over the world. To sum it up, Nicaragua has had some trouble being friendly with richer countries like the US.

    The economy in Nicaragua after a civil war and revolution has been very difficult. The industry has very little to give to not only Nicaragua but other countries as well. The list is more microscopic than in previous years in Nicaragua’s history, for example, food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, and textiles are all the industry has. Nicaragua’s agriculture has also been sufering, with not enough to give to all the Nicaraguans whom need help. They can only grow so much. For example, coffee, bananas, sugar cane, cotton, beef, and veal. The most important thing to which Nicaragua’s suffering are exports. This list is much, much smaller than what it was years ago, the list only holds six things: coffee, shrimp, lobster, cotton, tobacco, and bananas. Not so much for a country. We all hope that Nicaragua will be able to get out of this deep hole of poverty after such a terrible thing like a civil war.

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  29. Elinor, I like your "Home Sweet Home" comment. I think it was a very interesting thing to put in your essay, but I really liked it :) Good job.

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  30. Do you want to go to get out of the city or town and go to a beautiful relaxing place? Well go to Nicaragua! It has beautiful places that you can be visited. Nicaragua is the biggest country in Central America. Nicaragua is home to nice rainforest's and beautiful waterfalls. Did you know that Nicaragua is bigger than New York? There are sharks in a lake called Managua. Nicaragua has one of the world’s largest fresh water and lakes.

    Do you want to know what kind of food they eat? Well don’t stop reading. The Nicaragua people eat rice and beans. They also eat tacos with beef tongue and fried chicken. Nicaragua’s people eat a-lot of rice and steak.

    Nicaragua has many important festivals. On February !, is air force day. On July 19, is Revolution day. On August 1, is Fiesta day, i think you should go to Nicaragua before August 1 because on Fiesta day no one goes to work or school. Instead they party which means its the time to be with your family. On September 15, is independence day. So are you thinking of going to Nicaragua?

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  31. The population in Nicaragua is about 5,891,199 and the capital of Nicaragua is Mangua. The bordering countries are: Costa Rica and Honduras. The land area is 50,336 square miles. The coastline is 565 miles and most of Nicaragua is a rain forest.

    Nicaragua has one of the best rain forests in Central America. The climate in Nicaragua is like a tropical climate. In Nicaragua there are only two seasons the dry and the rainy season. Nicaragua is like a home to the volcanoes that’s there. There are more different types of rain forests too like the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve which is in the Southeastern part of Nicaragua and there’s another rain forest called the Bosawas Biosphere Reserve which is in the Northeastern part of Nicaragua.

    Two mammals that are found in Nicaragua are Richmond’s Squirrel and the Nicaraguan Rice Rat. There are also different types of Salamanders and frogs there. There are many famous snakes in Nicaragua which is the: Boa Constrictor, the Rattle Snake, and the Coral snake. It’s plenty of insects there like the insects we have in the United States. It has fresh water for the fish in Nicaragua because it’s has an nice lake there.

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  32. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in Latin America, behind Haiti. Poverty in Nicaragua has decreased from 50.3% in 1993 to 45.8% in 2001. Usually, the people who are poor are landless, rural farm workers. Most them live in the dry, vast, central regions of the country and rely on sorghum and maize in the lowlands and beans and vegetables in the highlands.

    Schools in Nicaragua are very different from schools in Philadelphia. They are much smaller. The schools usually have a garden from which the students take home vegetables for them and their families. Most students take the community bus home from their school. Also, the government sends three months worth of food for the schools in need. This is why schools in Nicaragua are different from schools in Philadelphia.

    There are many economic challenges that Nicaraguans face. One is fact that most of the citizens cannot afford a simple bus into the city. In addition, it is very hard to find employment in Nicaragua. Additionally, 67% of rural homes consist of only one room and half lack drinking water and plumbing. Some people think this many people are poor because they are unable to satisfy their basic needs. This means that these people do not bathe or eat often. These are some of the economic challenges Nicaraguans face.

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  33. Nicaragua Webquest

    A lot of Nicaraguans are poor. In fact Nicaragua is the second poorest country in Latin America. In Nicaragua the people have faced many natural disasters like Hurricane Mitch. Because of a change of prices in the world market more people have become poor. Low incomes and a limited number of jobs affect many people. Two out of three poor Nicaraguans have to live with around 1 US dollar a day. Lack of public services and electric supplies is also a problem. Earlier there was a civil war. all of these problems have led to a economic crisis and collapse.

    School enrollment in Nicaragua is not enforced and not mandated but in Philadelphia children are required to attend school. Comparatively, children in Nicaragua have to work and take care of siblings. Sometimes children can’t attend school because they can’t afford the bus to go to school. The children who go to school are around 10-14, but here in Philadelphia you start at around 5 and finish around 18. In Nicaragua about 80% of the students have basic reading skills but in Philadelphia everyone has to learn how to read when they go to school. The poor in Nicaragua mostly live in dry and vast regions. If you are homeless in Philadelphia there are places you can go. The poorest are mostly under 15. indigenous, or farmers and are vulnerable. There are no farmers in Philadelphia but there are poor children.

    When I read that Nicaragua was the 2nd poorest country in Latin America I was surprised. I was also surprised when I read that some of the children can’t afford to go to school. How do the children feel about missing school? Do they feel the same way about school as children in the US? In conclusion, the poor in Nicaragua have differences and similarities to the poor in Philadelphia. They face lots of economic, social, and educational challenges, and our schools are different with the way you learn, the level of learning, and age of the students.

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  34. Do you know anything about Nicaragua? Did you know that Nicaragua is the second poorest country in Latin America? Do you know anything about Nicaragua? Did you know that Nicaragua is the second poorest country in Latin America? The Sandinista revolution left 30,000-50,000 people dead, a whole lot of people homeless, several cities got devastated by government bombing, and damages to the economy. Also, remittances are an important source of income for 1/5 Nicaraguans. Things that surprised me was that 2 out of 3
    The Sandinista revolution left 30,000-50,000 people dead, a whole lot of people homeless, several cities got devastated by government bombing, and damages to the economy. Also, remittances are an important source of income for 1/5 Nicaraguans. Things that surprised me was that 2 out of 3 (2 out of 3= 66%) of people (68%) struggle to live on a little over $1 everyday. Most rural people live where resources are limited, so growing crops is difficult. Also, while many Nicaraguans get poorer, their country is getting richer.

    From my notes, I learned a lot of things about Nicaragua, like their population in 2009 was 5,742800.0 people, rural people depend on their crops for food and money but the recent droughts that happened is causing them harm, In the mid-1980’s, 55% of urban houses and 67% of rural houses had only 1 room, and peasant were driven out of their land because of Agroexport production expanded, to the Pacific lowland and central highland. Some questions I have about my research include: Are students in Nicaragua getting a good education? I wonder if Nicaragua has any type of pollution and if they do, what kinds of pollution is there? What’s the population in Nicaragua now in 2011?

    In conclusion, Nicaragua is a country that has a lot of things going on in it. They had a war in it and that really destroyed it. I know that rural people struggle to survive every single day. Every home including rural people’s homes have 1 room. That is a very bad thing for them because, they wouldn’t have any living space. This would make sure you wouldn’t want to have many kids because, you probably wouldn’t have enough space for all of them to live with you. The most important thing I learned was that peasants got driven out of their homes because Argo-export production expanded over a wide radius.

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  35. Revolution and Civil War has affected Nicaragua greatly. Nicaragua is now the second poorest country in the western hemisphere next to Haiti. Natrual disasters have made their impact too, many people have died due to the collapse of buildings during earthquakes. As a result tourists have stopped coming which stopped a lot of money from coming into the country. Now many people rely on selling food for money. Nicaragua’s government is not put together very well either, it used to be a dictatorship but in1979 their president was over thrown and a democracy was created, but there are still some flaws. Nicaraguans face many political challenges such as poverty, corruption, and lower employment rates.
    I was surprised to find Nicaragua is a poor country with a poor government. With a name like that you’d think its got everything. Some questions I still have are do they use US currency in Nicaragua or do they have their own form of money? What is the life expectancy in Nicaragua? Do they know who Kanye West is?Where would they want to go one day?
    Hey Kevin! I read your essay and I liked it. I didn't know Nicaragua had 19 volcanoes and all the food that you mentioned made me hungry.

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  36. I am little surprised that Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America. Also I am surprised there are only 2 lakes. One question I have is: why was there a civil war?

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  37. @7th grade: Wonderful comments so far. I love reading about the landscape in Nicaragua. I wish we had volcanoes here in Philly!

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  38. In Nicaragua back in 1937 the Somoza family ruled the country with the US by its side. In 1979 the Sandinista revolution started. In addition, Sandinista made a great progress of education and health. They again won a decisive victory in the 1984 elections. Washington armed thousands of rebels or Contras, in order to attack on Nicaragua.

    In 1990 the Sandinista were defeated in elections held a peace agreement. The peace agreement brought economic growth. Also it brought lower inflation and lower unemployment. But this was more then corrupted by the damage of Hurricane Mitch caused in 1998. Hurricane Mitch killed thousands, rendered 20% of the population homeless, and caused billions of dollars worth of damage.

    The current president of Nicaragua is Daniel Ortega. Daniel Ortega ran again and won for 2011 elections. He has been in office since July 18, 1979 through January 10, 1985. Ortega resumed his post since January 10, 2007. The Vice president is Jamie Morals Carazo. I would like to know why did Daniel Ortega take a break from office? Also, is Nicaragua still grieving from the Hurricane?

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  39. In Nicaragua there are a lot of poor people, and everyday they struggle to survive. The reason why Nicaragua is the second poorest country is, because due to the ten years of the civil war between 1980 and 1990, and an economic crisis that began in 1987 that caused the collapse of the country's economy. Natural disasters have also devastated in certain areas like hurricane Mitch which happened in November 1998. Poverty in Nicaragua has decreased inrecent years dropping from 50.3% to 45%

    During the mid 1980's, 55% of urban houses and 67% of rural houses consisted of a single room; nearly half lacked drinking water and plumbing. 420,600 units (estimated) houses had major deficits for example maybe the house was no in good shape. In 1995, the government study classified 64.4% of the population as poor because they were unable to satisfy one or more of their basic needs. Conditions in Nicaragua are increasing with the economic and political upheavals of recent decades. In three decades ending in 1980, the urban population expanded from 35% to 53% of the population

    Lastly, instead of 5 days of school Nicaraguan kids went to school for 3 day because of local and if there were 5 days of school it would probably be half days. 80% of Nicaragua kids have basic reading skills,and they learn about sexual transmitted diseases all day because i guess in Nicaragua people have STD's and i think they just want to teach kids that so they won't get them

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  40. NICARAGUA LANDSCAPE



    Nicaragua is approximately the size of the state of New Your. For this reason, it is the largest country in Central America. It is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and the north Pacific Sea. In Nicaragua, it is usually 30° c to 33° c during the day time. Although at nighttime, the temperature drops down to 15° c to 21° c.

    There are a lot of freshwater lakes in Nicaragua including Lake Apana’s, Lake Managua, and Lake Nicaragua. There are also many rainforests there, but they stopped the destruction of them in the 1980s. The Caribbean lowlands are the wettest section of Central America, receiving between 2,500 and 6,500 millimeters of rain each year.

    There are a lot of monkeys in Nicaragua. One of the species there is the Geoffroy’s Spider Monkey. Another animal that Nicaragua is known for is birds including the Great Green Macaw. Nicaragua is a nesting home to Sea Turtles including the Hawsbill Sea Turtle and the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle. There are bull sharks in Lake Nicaragua and the San Juan River. All of these species, however, are endangered.

    Nicaragua’s landscape is a beautiful and unique.Its animals are amazing too.

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  41. Tired of boring old vacations?I would be too.Take a visit to Nicaragua.Granada is a beautiful place.Granada is the fourth most populous city.Granada’s estimated population in 2003 was 110,326.Granada is probably a good place to start you vacation.


    Interested in learning about history? Visit Leon.It is the place to be to learn history.Leon’s history is very interesting.Granada is historically one of Nicaragua’s most important cities both econimally and politically.It has a rich colonial heritage , seen in its architecure & layout.


    There are many types of food to try , for exampl food like Indio Viego , Quesillo , Sopa de Mondongo and Tres Leches.One of the most well known foods is Nactamale.Nactamales are sered during special occasions.Nactamales aren’t only from Nicaragua ; in fact , Nactamales are very famous and eaten/made in many hispanic countries.A Nactamale is like a tamale but it is different,it is mostly made up of corn , it contains pork meat , rice , a slice of potato , bell pepper , tomato , onion , olives , cilantro and/or spearmint springs.Nicaragua’s weather is an attraction.It is cold but with warm winds. Nicaragua is an awesome place to visit.So...Get Packing! (:

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  42. In my research i found a lot of effects on Nicaragua due to the revolution. So lets go back in history. in 1979 Anastacio Somoza was over thrown by the Sandinistas, a socialist, political party in Nicaragua. Being overthrown ended Anastacio’s family forty-two year dictatorship. Later came the civil war against the Sandinistas and the U.S. funded rebels that lasted for eight years. In the end, the Sandinistas were overthrown by losing the elections.

    Even though the civil war brought democracy to Nicaragua, poverty and corruption are still major issues. Nicaragua is the 2nd poorest country in the world. for money they depend on exporting material such as coffee, shrimp, lobster, cotton, tobacco, and bananas. Sadly, the exporting business has only benefited the very few elite families. In my own opinion, I think that it’s incredibly unfair that only elite families benefit from the exporting business when the country is in such poor condition. i don’t think it should go to the elite families whom already have money, it should be vice-versa. Hopefully their economy will improve in the next couple of years.

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  43. 11/02/11 Aya Albasti

    The Political Theory of
    Nicaragua



    Nicaragua has been through a lot. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Americas! Nicaragua was never rich, but after the war, it then became very poor. Did you know that now the average amount of money a Nicaraguan makes is very low compared to what they made before? Also, 15% of the money that Nicaragua makes is from remittances! Nicaragua was even poorly developed and then the war and the revolution made it less developed! Not only did the war and the revolution affect Nicaragua’s economy, they also affected it socially. Can you believe there are still landmines left from the war? Sadly, the war and the revolution caused around 78,000 deaths. Lots of people had land, but it was useless because of the war and the revolution because if they have food that they grow from the land, it would probably be really hard to get the food to the people to sell it to them. Plus, the military increased and there was a draft! Though the war and the revolution caused all of these problems, something good did come out of it. Nicaragua was awarded several times because of their success in their literacy campaigns.

    There are five words that describe Nicaragua’s government: unitarian, democratic, independent, republic, and sovereign. The president of Nicaragua may be forgetting some of this. President Ortega acts more like a dictator than the head of a republican region! However, the president is still allowed to stand for re-election! The US doesn’t like Ortega and Nicaragua’s relationship with Columbia isn’t very wonderful either. The biggest political challenge Nicaragua faces, besides their president, is, of course, the global financial crisis.

    A lot of things surprised me from what I learned about Nicaragua. For example, I had no idea that there were still landmines in Nicaragua! Also, it surprised me that Nicaragua won awards because of their success in literacy campaigns?! Plus, I didn’t know that Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Americas! I do still have some questions about Nicaragua. For starters, is Nicaragua the second poorest country in the world, as well as the Americas? Additionally, why can’t other places help Nicaragua, even though some don’t like the president, or even if they have a not-so-amazing relationship with the country? I have learned a lot about Nicaragua, a country that has an interesting story and is now going through a challenging time.

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  44. @Isabel M.: I can't believe that the children who attend school are 10-14 years old! That is really surprising! Did you already know that before you did your research?

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  45. The revolution in 1978 and 1979 has caused Nicaragua to be one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. Nicaragua is the second poorest nation after Haiti. It now relies on growing and selling food to support it’s economy. Unfortunately, war and natural disasters have destroyed many buildings, roads and killed many people. This caused the tourists to stop visiting this once beautiful country. The lack of tourists support has had a negative effect on the economy.
    I would describe Nicaragua’s government as fragile. It used to be a dictatorship but in 1979 Anastasio Somoza was overthrown. A democracy was finally established after forty-two years of dictatorship. When dictatorship was abolished, peace brought democracy. However, it brought something else too. Poverty and corruption are now problems Nicaraguans face.
    While poverty and corruption continue to cause strife, there has been some economic growth. Not enough growth however, because there are still lower employment rates than ever. The tourist industry collapsed by 1990 which stopped money from coming into the country.
    Over all, Nicaragua has achieved many great things such as democracy and economic growth, but there are still some problems they will be striving to fix. Some of the things they will work on are government corruption. Poverty is another issue they will work on. The tourist industry has been building back up in the last few years and will only pick up in the years to come.

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  46. Lots of political events have shaped Nicaragua over the years, and most of the things I learned were wrong, and unfair to the Nicaraguan citizens. Nicaragua has changed economically and socially through out the years. Dictatorship, civil war, and natural calamites have made Nicaragua one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. For many years, Nicaragua has relied on agricultural exports to sustain its economy. These benefited some elite families of Spanish descent. For example the Samoza family, they ruled Nicaragua with United States backing between 1937 and the Sandinista revolution in 1979 (the Sandinista revolution ended in 1984). The revolution and civil war also affected Nicaragua socially by making Nicaragua a poor country (although Nicaragua was never a rich country, they were always poor). In all the country, there are 20% of people who are homeless, and lots of people are unemployed. When Hurricane Mitch happend in 1998, thousands of people died and there was billions of dollars worth of damage. Obviously, Nicaragua couldn’t pay all that money to construct new homes, and new buildings because they’re such a poor country.

    I think the government is the reason why Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries, because they’re not really doing anything. Because of them, 20% of Nicaraguans are poor and unemployed. The president, is Daniel Ortega, he has been a leading player in the guerilla war against dictator Anastasio Samoza, who was imprisoned several times. The Sandinistas won a decisive victory in 1984 elections, but their leftist orientation also attracted U.S. hostility. This drove them to turn to the USSR and Cuba. In 1990 the Sandinistas were finally defeated in the elections, held as a part of a peace agreement. The political challenges Nicaraguans face everyday are mostly because of Daniel Ortega. He led Nicaragua through revolution and civil war before he got voted out in 1990 and made his political comeback in November 2006 elections, when he took office again in 2007. The global financial crisis prompted him to declare that capitalism was in its “death thrones”. The Supreme Court amended the constitution letting Mr.Ortega stand for re-election in 2011. His political opponents have said that this was a dangerous move.

    Being president isn’t that easy. You are able to be president for five years, and then the country re-elects a new one. But you can still stay as president if the country re-elects you for president again. In this case, Mr.Ortega has been elected two times already which means he has been president for 10 years. If he is re-elected again, then that would make him president for fifteen years. I’m left with the question: why do people keep on re-electing him if he is the problem of Nicaragua’s struggling and poverty.

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  47. tourism in bureau



    You should come and visit Nicaragua. It’s one of the largest countries in south America. I’d recommend visiting Nicaragua because it has one of the largest fresh water lakes in the world. Also there are many active volcano's in Nicaragua,as well as one of the worlds largest fresh water supplier.


    In Nicaragua they eat : beef tongue , gallo pinto which is rice and beans fried together. As well as carne asad,which is thin sliced beef with salad.For holidays we do not celebrate are : Jul 19th revolution day, Sep 14 san Jacinto day, Sep 15 is independence day. All of August is fiesta month. For wild life you can posibly see:toucans,boa constrictors,jaguars,monkeys and wild boars. If you go to lake Managua and you’re lucky you’ll you might encounter a bull shark!



    sounds like fun huh come down and visit

    have fun!!!!

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  48. Nicaragua’s Recent Political History----------- Kia (Political Theorist)


    Nicaragua’s recent political history is a complicated tale of betrayal, corruption, and shifting alliances. Some important people in this tale are Agosto Cesar Sandino, Anastacio Somoza, his son Anastacio Somoza Ⅱ, Eden Pastora, and Daniel Ortega. Events that should be acknowledged are Sindino’s assasination in 1934, Somoza’s death in 1956 when his son Somoza Ⅱ took over as dictator, the 70’s civil war between the Sandinistas and Somoza Ⅱ, and the 1990 elections.

    In 1934 the rebel Agusto Cesar Sandino was assasinated by the national guard. After that Anastacio Somoza became dictator without many problems until his death in 1956. It shocked me how bloodthirsty and heartless Somoza was during his regime. He had thousands killed to feed his family’s hunger for power. After he was assasinated, his son Somoza Ⅱ took over as dictator and he was just as bloodthirsty as his father, maybe worse. With him as dictator, many events, that would shape Nicaragua’s future, took place.

    During the 70’s young rebels that called themselves Sandinistas, in honor of Sandino, started a revolution against the Somoza regime. Two of the leaders were Daniel Ortega and Eden Pastora. While at first they were friends, after the Sandinista victory in 1979, Pastora became frusturated and eventually joined his former enemies and U.S. sponsored rebels to fight against the Sandinistas. He said the reason for this was because they had become corrupt and were doing things that were similar to what the Somozas did. Another reason he said he was fighting against them was for elections, which he wanted but the Sandinistas didn’t want. His wish was granted with the 1990 elections, held as part of a peace agreement, in which the Sandinistas were defeated by Violeta Chamorro, whose husband had been killed by Somoza Ⅱ. I still have questions though. What would Nicaragua’s history have been like without so much conflict? Are things better for the people than they were in 1934? Why did Pastora really switch? Some of these answers I’ll never know... Like I said, Nicaragua’s history is a tangle of corruption, conflict, and switching sides.

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  49. Nicaragua’s Politics

    “In 1979 Anastasio Somoza got overthrown and ending his family’s 42 year dictatorship by Sandinistas.” That means that Anastasio ended all of the years that his family dictated since 1937 to 1979. The Sandinistas took his place in dictating. After the Sandinistas took over, they began distributing property and improved health and education. Sadly though the U.S did not agree with the “Nicaragua went through 8 years of evil war between the Sandinistas regime and U.S. funded rebels.” “The U.S. sponsored a counter-revolution because they didn’t like the leftist government in Nicaragua.” So because the U.S. didn’t like the type of government Nicaragua had the decided to sponsor a counter –revolution. In 1990 the Sandinistas were defeated in the elections and were held as a part of a peace agreement. This is what happened during the revolution of Nicaragua.

    Nicaragua no is still recovering from the revolution it had and is dealing with economical and social problems. The politics are not very good either the current president which is Daniel Ortega (who used to be an active Sandinista) still helps but “his critics have accused him of exhibiting dictatorial tendencies.” Also he has strained his relationship with Colombia’s president Alvaro Uribe. The The only question I have is how has the revolution changed the way people think about Nicaragua?

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  50. Aaron Watson-Sharer
    Nicaragua Web Quest
    November 3, 2011


    My profession is a geographer and my area of expertise is Nicaragua. Nicaragua is unique. Did you know Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America? It is 124,494 square kilometers or about 50,000 square miles. To the north is Honduras and to the south is Costa Rica. Within its borders are volcanoes, huge lakes, many rivers, rain forests, savannas and mountains. On its west is the Pacific Ocean with terrific waves and on its east is the Atlantic Ocean with gentle waves, and many small islands. The climate is tropical with dry, hot weather on the Pacific side and sticky, damp weather on the Atlantic side. In the mountains it is cooler, but Nicaragua never has snow.

    Nicaragua is famous for its “biodiversity.” Rain forests cover 20,000 square kilometers or 7,722 square miles on the Atlantic Coast. There are jaguars and cougars, many insects, and a lot of different plants. Other animals, birds and reptiles in Nicaragua are boars, frogs, sloths, geckos, and toucans. Along the rivers on the Atlantic Coast, there are small farms that grow bananas, pineapple, mangoes, breadfruit, “pears” (avocados), and other fruit. In the center of Nicaragua, there are a lot of cattle farms. In the north, they grow coffee. People fish for shrimp and lobster off the Atlantic Coast.

    Despite all of its natural riches and lively, diverse cultures and languages, Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. There is not a skyline in the capitol, Managua, and there are few multi-stories homes. The capitol has many government buildings but the city also is filled with the ruins from the 1972 earthquake. A few people live in large houses with high gates and walls. However, most people live in simple, small homes, including row homes, and some people live in shacks along highways. On the Atlantic Coast, people live in cement or wooden homes. The wooden homes are off of the ground and most have tin roofs. There is a lot of unemployment so many people depend on relatives that “ship out” or work outside of Nicaragua to send them money.

    My own research question is about regions. Nicaragua is divided into districts. The two largest regions are on the Atlantic Coast – the RAAS (Southern Autonomous Region) and the RAAN (Northern Autonomous Region). Who created the official boundaries for the regions? In Nicaraguan cities and town there are barrios or neighborhoods. Who decided the boundaries for neighborhoods? Can people change the boundaries?

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  51. Luke Watson-Sharer
    10/27/11
    Nicaragua Web Quest


    I am a geographer who is an expert on Nicaragua. Nicaragua is the largest Central American country. It is 1,231 kilometers long and its total area is 130,688 square kilometers. Nicaragua has a Pacific and Atlantic Coast on the west and east. Its northern border, 922 kilometers, is with Honduras. The southern border, 309 kilometers, is with Costa Rica. There are three main regions: the Pacific lowlands, the central highlands and the Caribbean lowlands. There are also two large fresh water lakes and volcanoes that crop up amongst the flat land in the Pacific Lowlands. The temperature is usually between 24 to 33 degrees C. A “rugged mountain terrain” with oak and pine forests dominates the Central Highlands. The temperature is usually between 27 degrees to 15 degrees C; it is dry with very few rivers on the western side and a rain forest on the eastern side. The Caribbean lowlands dominate more than 50% of Nicaragua. There are many rivers, and pine and palm savannas, or rain forests. This area is the wettest part of Nicaragua. There are many different animals and plants throughout Nicaragua. Important animals and reptiles found in Nicaragua include jaguars, sea turtles, and sharks. The national bird is the turquoise motmot.

    Nicaragua’s landscape is similar to, but also different from the U.S. For instance, both have a Pacific and Atlantic Coast and flat land and hills. However, the U.S. does not have a rain forest, and Nicaragua does not have a dessert. Both countries get rain but Nicaragua does not get any snow. Nicaragua is different from Philadelphia; Nicaragua is a country and Philadelphia is a city. Philadelphia has four seasons and Nicaragua has only two (rainy and dry). Philadelphia is mostly flat with a few hills and a river on its east; Nicaragua has much higher mountains and has ocean coasts on the east and west. Both Nicaraguans and Philadelphians love their baseball teams, but Philadelphians also enjoy U.S. football and hockey which are not popular in Nicaragua. Finally, Philadelphia and Nicaragua have different histories but both have had revolutions.

    A research question of my own is on movement. How do people in Philadelphia and Nicaragua move from place to place? How concentrated are people in Philadelphia and Nicaragua?

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  52. Do you think that visiting other countries is boring? Well not anymore You could go to Central America, not even. You could go to Nicaragua! Watch how they survive natural disasters like volcanic activity, earthquakes, and even hurricanes! Watch our locals in Nicaraguan festivals based on folklore, religion, and history. Nicaraguan holidays offer perfect opportunities to enjoy some parades. Come to our beautiful cities such as Leon, Rivals, Blue fields and Granada. Learn the history, the culture, and eat some exotic food. Also see some exotic animals that you probably wouldn't find in a zoo, like toucans , boa constrictors monkeys, wild boars, jaguars, and sloths. So come and stay in Nicaragua, for the exotic experiences that you cannot find anywhere else.

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  53. I would and I think some people would love to visit Nicaragua because some people never got on a plane before and also people never went to a different country before. I also recommend visiting Nicaragua because it should and will be very interesting to me and others. Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America. It would be very decent if I and others go.

    Nicaragua has festivals,different foods that are not to be missed.Some festivals they have are the Fisherman’s Feast and the Saint Anthony’s Feast and last but not least is Palo de Mayo. They are very big festivals in Nicaragua. In Nicaragua people favorite dishes are rice, beans, juice and fresh fruit and for lunch people favorite dishes are rice, and beans. It would be a great experience to taste what their food tastes like and see what it looks like.

    “Owwwh boy when we are in Nicaragua you will expect to see to see a volcanoes. If I see one I would be very very scared. What if lava comes out,the what? Things get destroyed such as houses, cars, buildings and more. They can get destroyed by hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic activity. If i was there and that happen to me I would of pee my pants and at the same time it would of will be very fun.

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  54. Nicaragua is a country in need of much luck. At one point dictatorship and civil war was present and caused many problems and cost much money.
    Not a rich country to begin with, Nicaragua suffered both economically and socially. Now, Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere. The people are poor and some even are homeless, but in 1998, a hurricane struck and left a stunning 20% of it’s population homeless. In turn, the government is very poor with a budget of a little over $400 a year.
    The government now seems to be heading in the right direction, but that will become more apparent in the next few years. With a high demand for tobacco and coffee, the agriculture is thriving and I think that will be the reason Nicaragua improves economically.

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  55. Nicaragua Web Quest



    Nicaragua is a very poor country. Most of the people there live a life of poverty and don’t have the privileges that we do. Nicaragua is the second poorest county in the western hemisphere. In conclusion Nicaragua at the present time does not have a good economy.

    The schools in Nicaragua are financially damaged as well. They have a much lower budget than us which leads to them having fewer supplies such as textbooks, regular books, and craft stuff such as glue, paper, and scissors. Most of their days consists of garden work. If a student does not have the proper gardening supplies they might have to go home and back just to get their own. When they do have a learning lesson they are not that attentive.

    Nicaragua’s poor live in the rural area. They have hardly enough money to support them self's let alone a family.

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  56. Revolution and Civil War affected Nicaragua’s economy in many ways. For example, now in Nicaragua there is a lot of poverty and corruption. Also there is a lot of unemployment and underemployment. However, not everything about there economy is bad, because of Civil War and revolution it also brought democracy.

    Nicaragua’s government is similar to ours. For instance, they have a constitutional democracy. Which means that the citizens choose the presidents and other officials. In Nicaragua, the government is broken up into four different branches.

    What surprised me about Nicaragua’s government is that it’s a constitutional democracy. A question I still have is what the 4 branches are? and what they each control.

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  57. Nicaragua has a very interesting government and politics. Nicaragua has faced eighty, it brought poverty and corruption, but after the eighty years, peace came and it brought democracy. Nicaragua became one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. After revolution and civil war Hurricane Mitch caused Nicaragua to have 20% homeless. Although Nicaragua was never wealthy in the first place. Another result of revolution and civil war was that Nicaragua came under control of a military-led government which is called a junta, this happened right after the civil war

    The president of Nicaragua is Daniel Ortega, who was a leading player in the guerrilla. He is now running for office for the third time. He maintains close ties with with socialist leaders in the region, in general Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez. But he does not share very close friendships with the U.S and Colombia.

    Some things I still wonder about Nicaragua, such as why the president isn't very friends with Colombia and U.S. Another question I have is what does Nicaragua look like after eighty years of civil war. I would also like to know how they got them self's into eighty years of civil war.

    I have learned many thing do this research. I learned about the president and about how the country went through eighty years of civil war. This research gave me ideas for my Take A Flight and got me very interested in Nicaragua's history. In conclusion, Nicaragua has a vast and interesting government.

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  58. The country of Nicaragua covers a total area of 129,494 square kilometers about the size of New York. Most of the land is flat, except for a line of young volcanoes many of which are still active. Since Nicaragua is where two major tectonic plates collide they have many earthquakes and volcanic eruptions every year.

    The two biggest lakes in Central America are in Nicaragua including the “Lago de Managua”, which is 56 kilometers long and 24 kilometers wide, and the “Lago de Nicaragua” which is 160 kilometers long and 75 kilometers wide. The wettest part of Nicaragua gets 2,500 to 6,500 millimeters of rain annually. In Nicaragua the average temperature for daytime ranges from 30 to 33 degrees Celsius [86 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit] and at night the average temperature ranges from 21 to 24 degrees Celsius [70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit].

    I think that when the the take flight travellers go to Nicaragua they will be surprised by how different the land will be from the US. For example, at the beaches the water will be much bluer and the trees will look different because the branches will look like big leaves because the leaves are banana shaped and they come out all around it and the bark will be more like paper. The land is more spread out. When you look around there will be volcanoes in the distance.

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  59. Nicaragua Findings
    Did you know that, after revolution and civil war, Nicaragua's infrastructure was in tatters? The war even brought about unemployment. Something that truly surprised me is the fact that it eventually caused them to rely on their agricultural exports, like their bananas , coffee and sugar. which helped sustain their economy. Unbelievably though the per Capita in Nicaragua had plummeted. It is now the lowest in the entire continent. In conclusion, both revolution and civil war have made Nicaragua's economy take a turn for the worse.
    Nicaragua was really socially affected by revolution and civil war. For one, it caused them to become a very poor country. It even destroyed many houses, work places and factories. One thing that surprised is that with, poverty and war, came many awful things like diseases. What’s more is that there there were even some diverted resources that were not being used properly. They could have been used to lower the rate of poverty. But it wasn't. In general, I would say it left a pretty big mess.

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  60. What do you know about Nicaragua? Here are a little bit of information, you should know about Nicaragua before you go. Nicaragua haves some favorite/main dishes that they serve with all there meals. Rice,Beans,Tortillas,Chicken and Rice soup, and Fruit juice are some of there main foods and drinks that they have with every meal; Lunch, Breakfast, and Dinner.

    You might not want miss out on there marching bands and special holiday festivals.
    You can expect to see all the following. Volcano eruptions or just a volcano just there. That probably erupted already or one that is soon to be erupting. You may also see damage to buildings or houses. Because of Hurricanes,Earthquakes, and Volcano activity. You’ll also see and find out that people that live in Nicaragua have alot of farm animals for example Hens, Roosters, and Chickens. You will also see that people will have alot of house pets.

    The reason why i recommend you to visit Nicaragua because. Its a whole different life style from over at the U.S. Your daily life is going to be totally different. People in Nicaragua do some stuff like us. But some stuff they do different then us.I really recommend you to go to Nicaragua because it will be a wonderful experience for people that never been there. Nicaragua seems very fun and seems like you can learn a lot there.

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  61. Charles Miller
    11/8/11

    The Wonders of Nicaragua

    Nicaragua has many physical and natural landscapes. For example, Nicaragua has lowlands and is cooler than other places. Also this country has lots of plants, trees and animals. Some plants they have Nicaragua are: coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, and sesame plants. Also, Nicaragua has many land animals and sea creatures such as toucans, boa constrictors, monkeys, boars, jaguars, and sloths, and also manatees, sea turtles and green turtles. One piece of information that really surprised me about Nicaragua is that it’s the size pf New York and it covers a total of about 129,494 kilo!!! (120,254 is land areas) Can you believe that? In conclusion, Nicaragua is very beautiful because of its natural characteristics, and plants, and animals.
    Nicaragua’s landscape is very different from that of the U.S. For example, Nicaragua has many volcanoes, more trees, and even has rain forests! Also, the U.S. doesn’t have as big of a fresh water supply as Nicaragua. Philadelphia is very different from Nicaragua. For instance: Nicaragua has beaches and Philly doesn't, and we don’t have that many lakes compared to them. In conclusion, Nicaragua has many differences from the U.S. and Philadelphia. One question I have after doing this research is why is Nicaragua such a poor country if they have so many fresh resources?

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  62. Amber Walker

    Nicaragua’s landscape and animal and plant life
    When I researched about Nicaragua I got so excited because the country is so tropical and pretty. Who wouldn’t enjoy researching it? Nicaragua is approximately 129,494 km big. On the other hand I also found out that there is many volcanoes and massive bodies of water and t thousands of volcanoes. One specific volcano in Central America is Cerro Negro the youngest volcano.
    Nicaragua has many different animals and plant life in Nicaragua. To be specific there is sea turtles, monkeys but to be specific spider monkeys. Also, many tropical birds such as the scarlet macaw and blue blacked parrot. Also, in Nicaragua there’s 19,137 km of highways there. I wonder if its really dry or moist there? Also, are they suffering from poverty or are they doing good financial wise? I have all theses different questions running through my head is that why didn’t I apply to take flight because Nicaragua sounds amazing

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  63. Nicaragua seems like a beautiful country.
    It is big and about the size of New York. It is the biggest country in Central America. Totaling is about 50, 446 square miles long. Nicaragua’s natural landscape has both Pacific lowlands and Caribbean lowlands. There are also young volcanoes and tropical forests . The Lake of Nicaragua contains freshwater and also some freshwater sharks swimming there too!

    Nicaragua has lots of interesting animals like swinging monkeys and colorful exotic birds. Nicaragua has a high population of reptiles like turtles and lizards. There are also sloths a tropical animals that is unusual to find. Nicaragua and Philadelphia are different in some ways.
    Philadelphia is much smaller than Nicaragua because it’s a city. Nicaragua ‘s landscape is different . Nicaragua has volcanoes and Philadelphia does not and Philadelphia does not pacific and carribbean lowlands.Food can be different too,like rice and beans is a common food in Nicaragua , some food we have here is hard to get or they just don’t have the food we have here.

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