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Economy

Nicaragua is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and heavily dependent on foreign aid. Three-fourths of the population lives on less than $ 2 per day and 600,000 people suffer from malnutrition.

Agriculture is the base of Nicaraguan economy and the sector occupies approximately 45% of the active population but tourism gain in importance to the Nicaraguan economy. The most important product is coffee that is produced on 100,000 hectares of land. It employs 200,000 people or 13% of the total work force. Nevertheless it is a riskful business dependent on weather conditions and concurrence from other countries, such as Vietnam, that sometimes drop the prices to a bottom level. Other important products are cotton, bananas, rice, sugar, sugarcane, beans and oranges. Nicaragua is as well one of the most important cattle breeding countries in Central America and export seafood to the United States and Europe.

General Information | History | Population | Politics and government
Geography | Climate | Economy | Culture | Gastronomy