First generation immigrants account for less than 1% of the population of Nicaragua, or about 50,000 people. Immigrants have come from neighboring countries, Europe, Asia and elsewhere. In the past there was also an intake of African slaves. These immigrants have combine with the established European settlers and indigenous Mestizos people to give Nicaragua a wide cultural mix. Immigration into Nicaragua has recently increased after a considerable drop in the decades between 1950 and 1980.
According to data from 2020, people born in Honduras represent the largest group of immigrants in Nicaragua, with 31,09% of the total, followed by people from Costa Rica and the United States. [1]
Place | Country | 2020 |
---|---|---|
1 | Honduras | 13,110 |
2 | Costa Rica | 11,281 |
3 | United States | 3,775 |
4 | El Salvador | 2,557 |
5 | Guatemala | 1,843 |
6 | Cuba | 984 |
7 | Mexico | 885 |
8 | Spain | 480 |
9 | Colombia | 467 |
10 | Panama | 423 |
11 | Germany | 313 |
12 | Argentina | 281 |
13 | Netherlands | 278 |
14 | Canada | 262 |
15 | Peru | 237 |
16 | Russia | 202 |
17 | Italy | 198 |
18 | Senegal | 195 |
19 | Venezuela | 165 |
20 | France | 154 |
21 | China | 144 |
22 | Chile | 130 |
23 | Brazil | 126 |
24 | Antigua and Barbuda | 123 |
25 | Algeria | 117 |
26 | Ecuador | 115 |
27 | Switzerland | 86 |
27 | Bahamas | 86 |
29 | Ethiopia | 83 |
30 | Ukraine | 80 |
TOTAL | 42,167 | |
The Nicaragua immigration began with the arrival of the first conqueror Gil González de Ávila, in April 1523. after began arriving soldiers, missionaries, cures and Castilian laborers, some stayed, but the majority re-emigrated to Peru. So also came first African blacks slaves of the Europeans. The Spaniards lived in towns and villages founded for them, the Indians were forced to live in so-called Indian villages. The cities founded by the Spaniards were León, Granada, and Nueva Segovia, the towns of Santa María de la Esperanza and Villa Hermosa (both close to Nueva Segovia), New Jaen (near the Great Lake), the Villa de Nuestra Señora de Rivas and the town of El Realejo founded to assist the rapid growth of the port of Possession. All the others were Indian villages such as Sutiaba, Jalteva, Sébaco, Matagalpa, Metapa, etc. In the Caribbean, from 1640 there was a growth of zambos, because to the arrival of a Portuguese slave ship who settled in the Mosquito Coast, close to the coast of Cabo Gracias a Dios in Honduras, these slaves were mixed with some natives of the region. [2]
The first Europeans immigrants to Nicaragua began arriving in 1524 with the troops, priests and laborers who came with Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, the Spanish conqueror of Nicaragua, These were from regions near Sevilla, Puerto de Palos, and Cadiz. In the sixteenth century, some pirates from England, Holland, and France were settled in the Mosquito Coast. In the late of the seventeenth century these abandoned the pirataje and engaged in the commerce, also occurred some mixtures between these European pirates with the Indians of the Mosquito Coast. So founded the town of Blawveld (after called Bluefields by the Britons) since the seventeenth century. However, during the three centuries that lasted the Spanish colony (1524-1821) immigrants in Nicaragua were mostly originating from the Iberian Peninsula, There was a very small number of immigrants from friendly countries of Colonial Spain, from the Catholic populations in Italy, France, Ireland, Austria, and the Germans principalities of the south. [2] After the independence traders from England, France, Germany and Italy arrived to reside in Nicaragua and do business, but most moved to Matagalpa, mainly Germans since the construction of coffee fincas, while the Britons regained the Mosquito Coast after withdrawal in the early nineteenth century. [3]
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The first Chinese immigrants arrived in Nicaragua on the coast of the Central American country in the second half of the nineteenth century. As the first members of the Chinese colonies in the Americas, these immigrants came to Nicaragua to escape the chaotic situation in China for that time. The majority of them came from the province of Guangdong, which was what had relatively less control over their ports. the travelers enter to San Juan del Norte navigating the river of the same name and then the lake of Granada, to disembark at the port of La Virgen in Rivas, moving overland to San Juan del Sur, where they took another ship to California. However, the Chinese people continued to arrive, many of them illegally by bribing officials. They focused mainly on agriculture, fishing, and retail trade. In the mid-1920s, was performed a census where it was made known that Bluefields had a population of 4,000 inhabitants, of whom five hundred were pure Chinese. [4]
Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest country in Central America, comprising 130,370 km2 (50,340 sq mi). With a population of 6,850,540 as of 2021, it is the third-most populous country in Central America after Guatemala and Honduras. Nicaragua is bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean and a shared maritime border with El Salvador to the west. The country's largest city and national capital is Managua, the fourth-largest city in Central America with a population of 1,055,247 as of 2020. Nicaragua's multiethnic population includes people of mestizo, indigenous, European, and African heritage. The country's most spoken language is Spanish, though indigenous tribes on the Mosquito Coast speak their own languages and English.
The Mosquito Coast is an area along the eastern coast of present-day Nicaragua and Honduras. It was named after the local Miskito Nation and was long dominated by British interests and known as the Mosquito Kingdom. From 1860 suzerainty of the area was transferred to Nicaragua with the name Mosquito Reserve, and in November 1894 the Mosquito Coast was militarily incorporated into Nicaragua. However, in 1960, the northern part was granted to Honduras by the International Court of Justice.
The Bay Islands is a group of islands off the coast of Honduras. Collectively, the islands form one of the 18 departments of Honduras. The departmental capital is Coxen Hole, on the island of Roatán.
Nueva Segovia is a department in Nicaragua. It covers an area of 3,491 km2 and has a population of 275,291. Nueva Segovia is also home to the indigenous Chorotegas and Nahuas. The capital is Ocotal.
Bluefields is the capital of the South Caribbean Autonomous Region in Nicaragua. It was also the capital of the former Kingdom of Mosquitia, and later the Zelaya Department, which was divided into North and South Caribbean Coast Autonomous Regions. It is located on Bluefields Bay at the mouth of the Bluefields River in the municipality of the same name.
Mískito Coast Creole or Nicaraguan Creole English is an English-based creole language spoken in coastal Nicaraguan region of Mosquito Coast on the Caribbean Sea; its approximately 40,000 speakers are spread over the RACCN and RACCS regions of Nicaragua. The region, known before 1986 as the Zelaya department, is today administratively separated into two autonomous regions: North Caribbean Coast (RACCN) and South Caribbean Coast (RACCS). Mosquito is the nickname that is given to the region and earlier residents by early Europeans who visited and settled in the area. The term "Miskito" is now more commonly used to refer to both the people and the language.
Matagalpa is a city in Nicaragua which is the capital of the department of Matagalpa. The city has a population of 112,697, while the population of the department is 606,643. Matagalpa is Nicaragua's seventh largest city, the largest in the country's interior, and one of the most commercially active outside of Managua. Matagalpa is known as the "Pearl of the North" and "Land of Eternal Spring."
The Mayangna are a people who live on the eastern coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras, an area commonly known as the Mosquito Coast. Their preferred autonym is Mayangna, as the name "Sumo" is a derogatory name historically used by the Miskito people. Their culture is closer to that of the indigenous peoples of Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia than to the Mesoamerican cultures to the north. The Mayangna inhabited much of the Mosquito Coast in the 16th century. Since then, they have become more marginalized following the emergence of the Miskito as a regional power.
Central America is a subregion of the Americas formed by six Latin American countries and one (officially) Anglo-American country, Belize. As an isthmus it connects South America with the remainder of mainland North America, and comprises the following countries : Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.
Chinese Nicaraguans are Nicaraguans of Chinese ancestry who immigrated to or born in Nicaragua. They are part of the Chinese diaspora.
Tip-Top(often referred to as 'Pollo Tip-Top') is a national chain of restaurants in Nicaragua, predominantly selling chicken. It is headquartered in the country's capital city of Managua and is a franchise of Tip Top Industry.
The following is an alphabetical list of topics related to Nicaragua.
The official language of Nicaragua is Spanish; however, Nicaraguans on the Caribbean coast speak indigenous languages and also English. The communities located on the Caribbean coast also have access to education in their native languages. Additionally, Nicaragua has four extinct indigenous languages.
The western Caribbean zone is a region consisting of the Caribbean coasts of Central America and Colombia, from the Yucatán Peninsula in southern Mexico to the Caribbean region in northern Colombia, and the islands west of Jamaica are also included. The zone emerged in the late sixteenth century as the Spanish failed to completely conquer many sections of the coast, and northern European powers supported opposition to Spain, sometimes through alliances with local powers.
Afro-Nicaraguans are Nicaraguans of Sub-Saharan African descent. Five main distinct ethnic groups exist: The Creoles who descend from Anglo-Caribbean countries and many of whom still speak Nicaragua English Creole, the Miskito Sambus descendants of Spanish slaves and indigenous Central Americans who still speak Miskito and/or Miskito Coast Creole, the Garifunas descendants of Zambos expelled from St. Vincent who speak Garifuna, the Rama Cay zambos a subset of the Miskito who speak Rama Cay Creole, and the descendants of those enslaved by the Spanish.
Afro-Hondurans or Black Hondurans are Hondurans of Sub-Saharan African descent. Research by Henry Louis Gates and other sources regards their population to be around 1-2%. They descended from: enslaved Africans by the Spanish, as well as those who were enslaved from the West Indies and identify as Creole peoples, and the Garifuna who descend from exiled zambo Maroons from Saint Vincent. The Creole people were originally from Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, while the Garifuna people were originally from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Garifunas arrived in the late seventeen hundreds and the Creole peoples arrived during the eighteen hundreds. About 600,000 Hondurans are of Garífuna descent that are a mix of African and indigenous as of Afro Latin Americans. Honduras has one of the largest African community in Latin America.
Between 1665 and 1857, Caribbean pirates and filibusters operated in Lake Nicaragua and the surrounding shores. The Spanish city of Granada, located on the lake, was an important trading centre for much of its early history so it was a prime target for pirates such as Welshman Henry Morgan and freebooters like William Walker.
The arrival of the Spaniards in Guatemala began in 1524 with the conquest of the Guatemalan Highlands and neighbouring Pacific plain under the command of Pedro de Alvarado. After the conquest and the colonial era, more people came to the country not as conquerors, but to do business or daily activities.
At the 2011 census, the number of immigrants in Costa Rica totaled about 390,000 individuals, or about 9% of the country's population. Following a considerable drop from 1950 through 1980, immigration to Costa Rica has increased in recent decades.
The Spanish conquest of Nicaragua was the campaign undertaken by the Spanish conquistadores against the natives of the territory now incorporated into the modern Central American republic of Nicaragua during the colonisation of the Americas. Before European contact in the early 16th century, Nicaragua was inhabited by a number of indigenous peoples. In the west, these included Mesoamerican groups such as the Chorotega, the Nicarao, and the Subtiaba. Other groups included the Matagalpa and the Tacacho.