Nicaragua has been plagued
by poverty, civil unrest, and poor leadership for the better part of
the last century. Civil disenchantment with the government of
Anastasio Somoza (who's family had been in control of the country for
more than 50 years) even led to the Nicaraguan Revolution of
1979. With a population of just over 5 million people, the costs
of war and missed industrialization opportunities because of
instability have made Nicaragua the second poorest country in the
hemisphere (Haiti is the poorest). Unfortunately, Nicaragua has
been unable to gain the confidence of foreign investors, and the
tourism
industry has also been unable to grow, especially compared to
Nicaragua's neighbor to the south, Costa Rica.
Much of the population still
lives in rural areas, and emigration,
especially to Costa Rica is high. The consistently rising number
of Nicas in Costa Rica has increased tensions between the two countries
and discrimination is a problem.
