19 July: Nicaragua Revolution Day

Nicaragua Revolution Day is today. So here are ten things you might not know about this country:

1. Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American isthmus. It's uniquely placed so that it has a coastline on both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
2. The country was named by the Spanish colonists, who named it for Nicarao, a local tribal chief, and incorporating indigenous words meaning "here at the lake".
3. There are many lakes and lagoons here, so many that the country has been nicknamed "the land of lakes and volcanoes". The largest lake in Central America is here - Lake Nicaragua, which covers an area of 8,264 sq km and has more than 430 volcanic islands. There are some unique species of fish living in this lake, including the world's only freshwater Sharks.
4. There are 50 volcanoes, seven of which are active. Nicaragua has the world's only "dual volcano", which is fed by two different magma flows.
5. Nicaragua's capital, Managua, is the third-largest city in Central America.
6. The second largest city is León. Visitors asking for directions in this city may find themselves confused by a local tendency to use upstairs and downstairs rather than east and west, referring to the Sun rising and descending.
7. The best known city, and one of the oldest, is probably Granada. It was founded in 1524 by Hernandez de Cordoba. He is also known for having the country's currency, the Cordoba, named for him.
8. The national Flag includes the coat of arms in the centre, which depicts five volcanoes representing the five states, the Cap of Liberty, which represents national freedom, the rays of the sun and a rainbow which are symbolic of the bright future. The inclusion of the Rainbow makes Nicaragua's flag the only flag of a sovereign state to include the colour violet.
9. Nicaragua had the first elected woman president of any central America country. Violeta Chamorro served from 1991 to 1997.
10. The national dish of Nicaragua is “gallo pinto” that is a combination of cooked red beans and white Rice.