Nicaragua

[ nik-uh-rah-gwuh ]

noun

1. a republic in Central America. 57,143 sq. mi. (148,000 sq. km). : Managua.
2. Lake. Spanish Lago de Nicaragua. a lake in SW Nicaragua. 92 miles (148 km) long; 34 miles (55 km) wide; 3,060 sq. mi. (7,925 sq. km).

Nicaragua

/ nikaˈraɣwa; ˌnɪkəˈræɡjʊə; -ɡwə /

noun

1. a republic in Central America, on the Caribbean and the Pacific: colonized by the Spanish from the 1520s; gained independence in 1821 and was annexed by Mexico, becoming a republic in 1838. Official language: Spanish. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: córdoba. Capital: Managua. Pop: 5 788 531 (2013 est). Area: 131 812 sq km (50 893 sq miles)
2. Lake Nicaragua
   a lake in SW Nicaragua, separated from the Pacific by an isthmus 19 km (12 miles) wide: the largest lake in Central America. Area: 8264 sq km (3191 sq miles)

Nicaragua

1. Republic in Central America , bordered by Honduras to the northwest and north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Its capital and largest city is Managua.

Notes

After fifty years of guerrilla warfare , the Marxist Sandinistas launched a civil war and assumed power in 1979.

General Anastasio Somoza established a military dictatorship in 1933. He was assassinated in 1956, but his sons continued the Somoza regime until 1979.

During the 1980s, the United States backed anti-Sandinista guerrillas called Contras ( see Iran-Contra Affair ). In 1990, the Sandinistas were defeated in free elections. In 1995, and again in 2001, opponents of the Sandinistas won elections to the nation's presidency.

Other Words From

• Nica·raguan noun adjective

Example Sentences

Immigrants from other countries, including El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, have been eligible for TPS for more than 20 years, a fact that fuels program critics' concerns that the status can run indefinitely.

From Salon

Joao Morales, 29, moved to Los Angeles from Nicaragua in August 2023 under the Biden administration’s program offering legal entry and temporary work permits to immigrants from certain countries who obtained financial sponsors.

From Los Angeles Times

This scheme allows vetted migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to live and work in the US legally - if they have a US sponsor.

From BBC

Liberation theology became particularly controversial when priests who followed a radical strand of liberation theology joined revolutionary movements such as the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, who overthrew the dictatorial government of the Somoza family.

From BBC

Trump and Harris align in their opposition to the autocratic governments in Venezuela and Nicaragua.

From Los Angeles Times