Before the construction of the Panama Canal, early plans called for a canal to be constructed across Nicaragua.
Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America. Nicaragua is named after an Indian chief, Nicarao, who ruled the region at the end of the fifteenth century.
The United States maintained troops in Nicaragua from 1912 to 1933.
After Haiti, Nicaragua is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.
In 1998, Hurricane Mitch killed 9,000 people and did $10 billion in damage in Nicaragua.
In 2002, former Nicaraguan president Arnoldo Alemán was sentenced to 20 years in prison for fraud and corruption.
Freshwater Lake Nicaragua is home to species of sharks and tuna which have adapted to fresh water.