Joey+Rushfield

=__Nicaragua__=

The Nicaraguan Flag [|__https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRN9_xmn0kSlQU2TmHaTK1zRpUA9l4BsEa0tLjJ7VQWAs-oXNYtAA__]



My map of Nicaragua

__Climate and Geography__
 Nicaragua is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It has a huge variety of wildlife and plants. There is a whole lot of untouched land because there have been political problems recently, so therefore, there is lots of land that hasn’t been developed because the economy has been too bad to be able to build on the land. Nicaragua has some beautiful physical features like lakes, oceans, rivers, rain forests, valleys, and mountains, which make the country even more beautiful. It has some not-so-great features, too, though, like volcanoes, hurricanes, and lots of earthquakes. One of the biggest earthquakes even destroyed Nicaragua’s capitol, Managua, almost a century ago.

 The country is divided into three parts: The Coastal plains, The Central Highlands, and the Pacific Region. The Pacific Region is a flat, narrow region that extends 50 miles inland from the western coast. Some of it is covered in natural green or yellow grasslands, and although it is mainly flat, there are also some rolling hills. The Central Highlands are wet and cool, therefore making it a less populated area of the country. The Coastal Plain is from north to south from Nicaragua’s northern border to a point south of lake Managua. In the middle, there is a long string of over 40 volcanoes. Some of the volcanoes can be found as far south as lake Nicaragua. Most of the volcanoes are dormant, although some are active. These active volcanoes are a bittersweet thing; they have hit villages many times, but over the years, the volcanoes’ ash eventually helps the soil become very good for farming and very fertile, therefore making Nicaragua a good place for farmers.

 Nicaragua is warm most of the time, so most people you meet will be wearing light clothing, and people will take part in lots of outdoor activities. When it’s not warm out, though, it’s often raining. Nicaragua has a place called the mosquito coast where there is 100-250 inches of rainfall a year, which makes Nicaragua the wettest place in the Central American countries. This is another factor that helps farmers with their crops. As you can see, the climate and geography of Nicaragua is very beautiful, natural, and diverse.

 Lake Nicaragua, the Central Americas' biggest lake.

Source of Image: https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTQTVmR1upfPuWEcGtJpE1epOSnMcWOR9O868CuIN3GEHMVzTFniQ

__Holidays, Festivals, and Religion__

 Nicaragua’s major religions are Roman Catholicism, which takes up 72.9% of the population, Evangelical Christians which takes up 15.9% of the population, and Atheists or no religion takes up 8.5% of the population.There are some small communities of Jews, Muslims, other churches, Pagans, and more.

 Some public holidays are New Year’s day, Easter, Labor Day, Independence Day, the Battle Of San Jacinto Day, Christmas, and in addition to Christmas: Griteria Day, the Feast of Immaculate Conception. Workers get a half day off on Christmas Eve so they can get home in time to spend Christmas with their family. If there is a holiday honoring a local person from your town, you celebrate that holiday longer than usual, sometimes even or up to two weeks. "Since Catholics don’t eat red meat during lent, instead a common food to eat is iguana paste or iguana in soups."

 In Nicaragua, tolerance and religious freedom is part of their constitution and is supported by the government.  “ Although the Roman Catholic church is not the official church of Nicaragua, the Church still has a close relationship with the Nicaraguan government.” The Roman Catholic Church influences the politics of Nicaragua greatly. “Many educational institutions are run by Roman Catholic bodies.”

Roman Catholicism, as shown in the picture above, is Nicaragua's most common religion.

Source of Image: [|__http://www.apsva.us/cms/lib2/VA01000586/Centricity/Domain/1955/wwwmorgan/www.meredith/Catholic%20Photo.jpg__]

__Arts and Literature__
 Nicaragua has a very diverse selection of arts and literature, so there’s always something for everyone! If you like a nice, cozy, decorated hammock, you can find plenty of those in Nicaragua; hammocks are one of the most popular artworks. Other common and popular artworks are wall hangings, straw hats, embroidered blouses, and wood carvings. Paintings have also become popular over the years, though. Artists like to work in crowded spaces so more people will see their art and maybe buy it.

 Another popular form of art is music. In Nicaragua, the national instrument is the marimba, which is usually accompanied by guitars, maracas, and traditional flutes, known as zuls. The most popular music is salsa music. At festivals, the main music played is folk music. African culture is one of the main influences for Nicaraguan music; it also influences the whole Caribbean coast.

 Some famous Nicaraguan artists and poets are Hugo Palma, Rubén Darío, and Santiago Arguëllo. Hugo Palma was a famous artist; he exhibited his artwork all over the world and won many awards. Rubén Darío was an incredibly famous and successful poet and short story author. He created a new style of Spanish writing; art for art’s sake. Santiago Arguëllo was a well known teacher and poet. Some modern artists are <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Fray <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Azarías Pallais, Alfonso Cortés, and Salomón de la Selva.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">f you want to buy artwork, a great place to go to is Masaya Market because it has a wide variety of types of art, but if you prefer ceramics, go to Somoto or Jinotega markets. These two markets specialize in unique ceramics. Jinotega’s specialty is black ceramics, while Somoto’s is white. If you are in the mood for something really different, (and expensive,) go to Mina La India, where miners mine gold which is then used to craft into sculptures. Nicaraguans express their culture in their art by using rare and local materials exclusive to their country.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"> The __marimba,__ Nicaragua's national instrument.

Source of Image: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__https://encrypted-tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSEHO75RGEYI5Ftes2KMRafeEqDLkC2ZNZrU7R_AO447dVl9JNl__]

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">__Every Day Living__
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Nicaraguans’ daily life is actually a whole lot like ours. The only big differences are the level of poverty, or the food they eat, or when they typically marry. In Nicaragua, group dating is common with young people, and some popular things to do on a date are dancing or day long beach trips. The family keeps a very watchful eye on a child who is in a courtship, which still take place. After the dating, though, when it’s time to get married, those who can afford it have a large wedding in church, but if you can’t, it stays relatively small. In some small towns, after the wedding ceremony, the newly-wedded couple walks a lap in a circle around the town. Nicaraguans typically marry between the ages of 16 and 23.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> When meeting someone for the first time in Nicaragua, it is common and polite to smile, shake hands, and say “Mucho gusto de concerle,” (glad to meet you,) or “Como esta usted,” (how are you,) and always give your complete attention. It is also considered polite to ask about the health of the person you’re meeting’s family members. Women are greeted with a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek. Family and friends are typically greeted with a pat on the back and/or a hug. People who come from a higher class have titles like Señor, Señora, or Señorita. If you have a special relationship with someone, you refer to them as don or dona.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> For Nicaraguans, neatness and cleanliness are very important factors in what you wear. Also, comfortable and lightweight clothing are important, too. What you wear depends on where you live and your wealth, for example, a male farmer may wear button down cotton shirts, jeans, boots, and sombreros.When you want to be fancy, but not //so// fancy that you're wearing a suit, you wear a guayabera. Those are semiformal button-down shirts for minor events.



Source of Image:
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">[|__https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ3jMIw1rex1jeqOlv6wBCdllnOA6031h1kfWWb2xXBdR19HO3h37J9Vt_3__]