A Man in Nicaragua

Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and is considered a “recovering economy.”  This is due to a series of both natural and man-made disasters.  Natural disasters that have disabled the economy include a devastating earthquake in 1972 .  Man made disasters, the Nicaraguan Civil war and the years of political instability,  (and what is war, if not a disaster?), have also broken and weakened the economy of Nicaragua.

As a recovering economy, Nicaragua suffers from large foreign debt, high unemployment and low per capita income.  The Nicaraguan GDP is also set at a very low figure.  Some of Nicaragua’s debt has been reduced with help from the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries program.  Almost half of the people of Nicaragua live under the poverty line, earning less than $2.00 a day.  Almost half of the Nicaraguan population is underemployed.

Women and indigenous people also suffer.  Many women are head of the household in Nicaragua and live under the poverty line.  Indigenous people also suffer, most living on less than a dollar a day.  Think, next time, when you are in a market in Nicaragua, about bargaining for a couple of dollars off that souvenir you want to buy.  A few dollars won’t make much difference to you, but to the person who sells the souvenir, a couple of dollars make a big difference in their lives.

For Nicaragua, the future is bright because there is hope in peace and political stability.  Tourism in Nicaragua is expected to grow and play a large part in the recovering economy.  Other industries where future growth is seen include export manufacturing, mining, agriculture, energy generation and construction.  The sale of consumer goods is also expected to rise in large ticket items such as cars and computers.

I wanted to make this site a site about Nicaragua travel, but I also want to give a bit of background about the country my readers plan to visit or have visited.  Nicaragua holds much promise as the new tourist destination in Central America.

What inspired me to write a brief description of the economy of Nicaragua was this photograph I took of a man in Nicaragua.  It was late in the afternoon, the air was heavy with the heat of the day and the humidity when I took this photograph.  I thought of him resting his weary soul on his front door step, I thought that probably he did not have a job.  Perhaps, he is waiting for something to change in this beautiful country of his.  The Nicaraguan economy continues to grow and tourism in Nicaragua will fuel that economic growth and recovery.  Visit Nicaragua and say Ola! Nicaragua.  Nicaragua, a beautiful surprise.  That is my slogan for Nicaragua.