Bluefields On-line

NICARAGUA

Official Name:
Republica de Nicaragua

Short form:
Nicaragua

International Long form:
Republic of Nicaragua

Capital City:
Managua (pop. 1 million)

Government Type:
Republic

Independence:
1821 (from Spain).

Constitution:
The 1987 Sandinista-era Constitution was changed in 1995 to provide for a more even distribution of power among the four branches of government and again in 2000 to increase the Supreme Court and the Controller General's Office and to make changes to the electoral laws.

Location:
Central America

Area:
130 688 sq. km.
(50 446 sq. mi.)

Terrain:
Extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes.

Climate:
Tropical in lowlands; cooler in highlands.

Population:
5 million.
Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed European and indigenous) 69%, white 17%, black (Jamaican origin) 9%, indigenous 5%.

THE ATLANTIC COAST OF NICARAGUA

In 1986, the new constitution established the Charter of Autonomy (limited self-government) for the former department of Zelaya, comprising the entire eastern half of the country.

The department was divided into two autonomous regions:

Región Autónoma del Atlántico Norte (Spanish for "Autonomous Region of the Northern Atlantic")

Región Autónoma del Atlántico Sur (Spanish for "Autonomous Region of the Southern Atlantic")

The Charter of Autonomy is largely based on the model used by Spain. The communities are governed by a Governor and a Regional Council. Defense, etc. is the responsibility of the Central Government in Managua.

REGION OF THE NORTHERN ATLANTIC (RAAN)

Región Autónoma del Atlántico Norte (Spanish for "Autonomous Region of the Northern Atlantic"), sometimes shortened to RAAN, is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua.

It covers an area of 32,159 km² and has a population of 249,700 (2005 census).

It is the largest autonomous region or department in Nicaragua. The capital is Puerto Cabezas.

REGION OF THE SOUTHERN ATLANTIC (RAAS)

Región Autónoma del Atlántico Sur (Spanish for "Autonomous Region of the Southern Atlantic"), sometimes shortened to RAAS, is one of two autonomous regions in Nicaragua.

It covers an area of 27,407 km² and has a population of 382,100 (2005 census). The capital is Bluefields.

EXPLORE BLUEFIELDS

LOCATION & HISTORY

Bluefields, city eastern Nicaragua, just south of the mouth of the Escondido River and inland from its outer port of El Bluff. Named after the Dutch pirate Blewfeldt, who used it as a base in the 17th century, it was the capital of the British Mosquito Coast protectorate until returned to Nicaragua in 1850. U.S. Marines were stationed there (1912–25; 1927–32) at the request of the Nicaraguan president to quell revolutionary activity. The town's populace, long-accustomed to limited local autonomy, rioted against Sandinista military control in the early 1980s.

Bluefields is the nation's most important Caribbean port, handling mainly cabinet woods, frozen fish, shrimp, lobsters, and bananas. The city is also a commercial center and has some light manufacturing. The Escondido is navigable for 60 miles (100 km) inland; from the river port of Rama a road leads westward over the central highlands to Managua, the national capital. Bluefields is also served by a domestic airline.

POPULATION

CLIMATE

Bluefields has a population of 45,547 (2005) and its inhabitants are multiethnic, multi-language and multicultural. Mestizos make up about 57% of the total population with Creoles making up 36% and Miskitos, Garifunas, and Ramas making up the remaining 7%. Spanish is the official language but English and Miskito are used in everyday conversations.

The municipality of Bluefields is composed of 19 barrios and 58 surrounding rural communities. The distribution of RAAS is 82% of the inhabitants live in the municipality of Bluefields and the other 18% are living in the surrounding communities.

The population density for this area is 8 habitants/km2. A survey taken in 1996 recorded 19,976 persons over the age of 16 and 17,955 under the age of 16. These figures are consistent with the general composition of the population of Nicaragua.

The climate for this region is tropical with the average temperature annually at 26ºC and a maximum temperature of 32ºC. The average rainfall in the RAAS is between 160 and 180 inches of rain annually. The rainy season begins in May and lasts through December with the dry season in March,April, and May but even then there is a good chance of rain. Normally it is very humid because the elevation of Bluefields is 20 feet above sea level and is located at 12º north latitude, which is just over 750 miles north of the equator.

Bluefields, Nicaragua