Nicaragua

Costa Rica is located south of Nicaragua and north of Panama.

Nicaragua is considered the safest country in Central America. When I go there I stay at least six weeks. Prior to 2008 I never had any problems, my last trip there was quite different. If walking during the evening I always had at least one person with me (a local), you learn to observe - hear - monitor everything around you. This time I was with a friend from Costa Rica born in Managua, always watching our backs and in a barrio (neighbor hood) of friends/family - couldn't be better. Growing up in a dark side of Los Angeles (I'm 55) I've never been "Jumped On" with out seeing it coming, knowing what was about to happen. Walking in Bello Horizante, still light out I was hit like two 'Line backers' from a football team, on the ground getting a real good 'Axyzss Whoop'n' end in a matter of two minutes or less they had my two cell phones a lap top, my wallet and even the money in my socks - BOTH! socks. During my superb beating they had a gun at my friends head. There were seven or more ages 14 to 24 - What bugs me to this day is that we didn't see it coming, whoosh, zap, pow and BAM! And off they ran - two minutes & cracked ribs. Professionalism, quick, smooth, expertise at it's best, I give them credit. Nicaragua is not a safe as it was before, it is understandable though. Their electric rates had gone up ten fold and water bills tripled all within one month. Poverty, the poorest of the poor were expected to handle these cost increases? Water and electricity are still turned off before 11:00 AM, most homes have ten or more living in em, there's no work, few opportunity's if any ....... As it has always been, for decades, a century or more. Nicaragua lost just as many people during their Revolution as we US did in Viet Nam, 40 to 50,000 dead, Population in Nica at the time was near 4 Million, US population 30 years ago was just over 200 Million. % wise Nica lost a lot of their own, and for us here who can recall how Viet Nam took it's toll on this country, Nicaragua is tired of war and extreme poverty but how can a government take something from someone who has absolutely nothing, nada...? Wal-Mart, Citi Bank and Harley Davidson recently opened up their business's there, for a reason but the question; Safe to Travel? Don't travel alone, go with a local, put your cell in your pocket and don't show any signs of 'Bling' - wealth. Truly wonderful people and an interesting culture. I say go but don't drink the water. "Chele' de la Bolsa", Safe Travels.

Clara Isabel Alegría Vides is a Nicaraguan poet who received the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2006. The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is widely considered to be the most prestigious international literary prize after the Nobel Prize for Literature

Communist Party of Vietnam was created on 1930-02-03.

Nicaragua is famous for having many volcanoes, it has 2 big lakes! one's name is Lago Cocibolca, and the other is Lago Xolotlan. Nicaragua is also famous for the beauty of the caribbean coast, it has a very beautiful island named Corn Island. Actually, there is two Little and Big Corn Island. Nicaragua has very enjoyable places where one can go to learn a little bit about the Nicaraguan culture, such as Leon, Granada, Masaya, etc.

Punta Is The Major Type Of Music Hondureans Hear And Dance.

The name for the groups is the "Contras," from the Spanish word contra meaning against or opposing.

Political issues.
The most common reason for emigration from anywhere is to escape war, but many people specifically come to America for an opportunity to enjoy a better life.

It became an independent republic on 09-15/16-1821

Nicaragua was seen as a battlefield in the Cold War. There's some history to consider:

In 1912, the US invaded and occupied Nicaragua, and left in 1933 as part of FDR's "Good Neighbor Policy", where he vowed to stop messing with other countries in Central America (which had been happening a lot in the early 1900's). The Somoza family stepped in and took control in 1936, forming a family dynasty of corrupt, brutal dictators (FDR once referred to the first Somoza dictator as "our son of a bitch", because while he was a terrible dictator, he was also a non-communist and aligned with the US).

In the 1960's, a group calling itself the Sandinistas (named after a Robin Hood-like folk hero named Sandino who fought against the US occupation) formed in opposition to the Somozas. In 1972, there was a huge earthquake but the Somoza government and military stole most of the money and supplies sent by other countries to assist. The Sandinistas grew more powerful and began attacking the government; the government responded with censorship, violence and torture, which caused powerful countries like the US to stop supporting it. By 1979, the last Somoza dictator was forced to flee (and he was assassinated a year later).

The Sandinistas (who were leftist/socialist) tried to form a new government with right-leaning business leaders, but the attempt failed and the Sandinistas took control on their own. They instituted many socialist reforms and became very popular, but ex-Somoza supporters, soldiers who served in Somoza's military and other Nicaraguans who happened to oppose the Sandinista regime began forming guerrilla groups which became known as "Contras" ("Contra" means "Against" in Spanish) and a long, bloody civil war began.

When Ronald Reagan became president of the US in 1981, one of the first things he did was began giving support to these Contras. He assumed that the Sandinistas, under their leader Daniel Ortega, were planning on turning their country into a Cuba-style Communist state (the Sandinistas did in fact have some ties to Castro), and Reagan did not want to let it happen. He ended all aid to the Ortega government and began giving weapons and CIA support to the Contras, who were based in Nicaragua's neighboring countries like Honduras. Like the Somozas, the Contras were brutal and committed numerous atrocities, but Reagan considered them "our guys" because they opposed Ortega.

Then the US Congress passed a law called the Boland Amendment, which significantly cut funding for the Contras. However, Reagan's government found another way to continue supporting them. The Reagan administration began secretly selling weapons to Iran (even though Iran was considered an enemy to the US), and used the money to continue funding the Contras. Eventually this "Iran-Contra affair" was revealed to the public- several high ranking Reagan officials were fired and indicted, but President George H.W. Bush pardoned most of them so they never went to trial. Additionally, it was revealed that the CIA and Contras had participated in narcotics smuggling, including that the rapid rise of crack cocaine use in the US in the mid 1980's was linked to the groups.

After the Iran-Contra Affair, the US government was only allowed to provide non-military assistance to the Contras, which it did. American money poured to political parties opposing Ortega and the Sandinistas, and the US government announced that if Ortega won the 1990 election, they would continue funding the Contras, thereby continuing the war. In the 1990 elections, a coalition of mostly right-leaning parties led by Violeta Chamorro won, ending Ortega's tenure. The Contras disbanded, the war ended, and Chamorro wisely kept in place some of Ortega's reforms while rolling back others, trying to strike a balance to keep the war from restarting. The US ended its embargo on Nicaragua and began sending aid to rebuild the wartorn country.

Interestingly, Ortega would remain in politics, and became president of Nicaragua again in 2006. The US did not renew the support for the Contras at that time.

First, in 1925 Coolidge withdrew the marines from Nicaragua but then sent them back on 1927 to counter a revolution.

The GREAT General Anastasio Somoza Debayle

The president of Costa Rica is able to serve a four year term. After that, he or she must wait four years before being eligible for reelection.

The website lined below lists all police departments numbers in Nicaragua including a number for the Chief Commissioner (National Chief of Police) Aminta Granera

As far as my research shows, Ecuador does have an extradition treaty with the US. There is a link to a PDF describing that treaty in the related links.

Because of Somoza's response to the Sandinista rebels

The head of the government of Nicaragua is the president of the country. The laws are made by the national assembly. All of them are elected by voters.

Nicaragua keeps trying to pull left so more of their people can have a decent life. The "higher classes" and their ally,the US keeps pushing to the right so the pro-USA class will stay in power. And just like here in the USA, the police are keeping their masters in power.

The major jungles in Nicaragua are Bosawás Biosphere Reserve, Indio Maíz Biological Reserve, and San Juan del Sur Reserve. These areas are known for their rich biodiversity and tropical rainforest ecosystems.

Proxy wars were a big part of the Cold War. The United States and Soviet Union hosted a number of them throughout the world in order to vie for influence in these regions, and prevent the other side from gaining influence.

In the case of El Salvador, Reagan did not support a rebellion but a democratic government elected in 1984.

Most of the time it is (wrongfully) known as Central America, but Mexico belongs to the North American subcontinent.

Nicaragua

Cody