As the second poorest country in the Western hemisphere, Nicaragua has been economically and politically unstable for decades. Since its beginnings Nicaragua has been a battle ground for political leaders and whole nations. As its capitol, Managua has been the center of it all.
Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America and is divided into three regions. The Caribbean Lowlands or the eastern region covers about 1/2 of the country and is mostly tropical rainforests and pine savannas with many rivers curving through. The Pacific Lowlands or the western region is mostly flat terrain broken by a line of active volcanoes. Amid these volcanoes lie Lakes Managua and Nicaragua as well as the city of Managua. This area contains most of the countries population, cities and industry. The Central Highlands are the third region and are sparsely inhabited and mostly survives on agriculture.
Most of Nicaragua is urban with the majority of the people being mestizos - a mix of European Spanish and American Indian. Some black Creoles inhabit the Caribbean lowlands. Spanish is the official language although English is widely known and used. Being the second poorest country in the Western hemisphere 75% of the people live in poverty, there is 65% unemployment rate, 30% of the population is illiterate and 33% of urban homes lack potable water and 70% of the rural homes.
Nicaragua was first settled in 10th century AD by Indian migrants from Mexico and Mesoamerica. From this time until about 1502, Nicaragua was pretty calm with its scattered settlements and stable relations. Then in 1502 the Spanish came. Columbus landed in Eastern Nicaragua and rapidly established the settlements of Granada and Leon both located in the western interior. From their inception these two cities developed an intense rivalry. Leon became the provincial capital and developed into a liberal, intellectual center, whereas Granada developed as an agricultural center with a more conservative population.
The early 1800s for Nicaragua was a struggle to win independence from Spain. In 1826, Nicaragua became a part of the United Provinces of Central America and in 1838 left this federation. Through the middle to late 1800s gold prospectors going to California would be transported through Nicaragua by steamship up the San Juan River. During one of these trips a man from Tennessee decided to stay and established himself as President of Nicaragua in 1856. He only lasted a year when he was overthrown by five Central American republics.
In 1838 Nicaragua gained its independence. During the first century or so of its existence the politics were dominated by competition for power between the Liberals of Leon and the Conservatives of Granada. These two cities argued and shifted the capital back and forth until 1857 when a compromise was made that Managua, a place equidistant between the two cities, would be named the capital. Unlike most major cities Managua was established for one purpose and one purpose only, to be its capital.
This did not end the political turmoil though. From 1857-1893 the Conservatives had control of Managua and persecuted and oppressed the Liberals. In 1893 the Liberals finally gained control but only until 1909 when, under pressure from the US, the re-installation of a conservative government happened. To back up the newly installed Nicaraguan government the US sent a small fleet of marines into the country. The US withdrew in 1925 but came back immediately in 1927 when civil war broke out between the two parties. In 1928 and 1932 two US supervised elections took place and Liberals were elected both times. In this time frame aside from the political upheaval, Managua was destroyed by an earthquake and fire. The unstable politics of this time led to the poor rebuilding and development of Managua. In 1933 the US marines withdrew after carefully training the Nicaraguan National Guard on how to maintain order in the country. This involvement of the US was just the beginning of the US-Nicaragua relations to come.
With all of this taking place in Managua in 1934, the head of the National Guard, Anastasio Somoza Garcia, called for the assassination of the Liberal rebel leader Cesar Augusto Sandino. In 1936 Somoza ran for president without opposition. This is the beginning of the Somoza dictatorship that held Nicaragua captive for 44 years and what has made Managua the city that it is today. Anastasio ran Nicaragua with an iron fist. There was considerable economic development during this time but the benefits were unequally distributed in favor of the Somoza Family and their supporters. Somoza was assassinated in 1956 by rebel leaders and was succeeded by his son Luis Somoza Debayle until his death in 1967. He was followed by his brother Anastasio.
During this time of political oppression and turmoil a guerrilla movement opposed to the Somoza regime had been established and named the Sandinistas after their assassinated hero Cesar Augusto Sandino. During the 60s and 70s a continual battle is fought between the Sandinistas and the Somozas. On top of all of the political turmoil that the country and city were in, in 1972 once again Managua was destroyed by yet another earthquake. This time 6,000 lives were lost and 300,000 people were left homeless. Hatred for the Somozas intensified at this time because government aid that was slated for helping the earthquake victims was intercepted and rerouted by Somoza to his own family. Again lack of political structure led to the poor development and restructuring of Managua. Finally in 1979 the Sandinistas joined forces with the liberal and middle-class opponents to successfully overthrow Somoza. However, the political and economic turmoil was not even close to ending.
From 1981-1982 the US suspended all foreign aid to the US in opposition to the Sandinistas. The US attempts to destabilize the government by funding anti-government rebels with weapons and resources to overthrow the government. This created a continuous low key civil war until 1990 when the Sandinistas were defeated and the UNO party took over. By this time though the US and its rebel allies had done so much damage to the country and its people that it is still trying to recover.
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