Total Area: 130,370 sq km
Land Area: 119,990 sq km
Water Area: 10,380 sq km
Climate description: tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
Terrain description: extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
Arable Land Use: 14.81%
Permanent Crop Land Use: 1.82%
Irrigated Land: 610 sq km (2003)
Total Renewable Water Resources: 196.7 cu km (2000)
Total Freshwater Withdrawal: 1.3 cu km/yr (15%/2%/83%)
Per Person Freshwater Withdrawal: 237 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural Hazards description: destructive earthquakes; volcanoes; landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes volcanism: significant volcanic activity; Cerro Negro (elev. 728 m), which last erupted in 1999, is one of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes; its lava flows and ash have been known to cause significant damage to farmland and buildings; other historically active volcanoes include Concepcion, Cosiguina, Las Pilas, Masaya, Momotombo, San Cristobal, and Telica
Environmental Current Issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
Total Labor Force: 2.961 million (2012 est.)
% of Labor Force in Agriculture: 28%
Agricultural Products description: coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp, lobsters