Nicaragua: Flag and Facts
Nicaragua's flag runs blue, white, and blue from top to bottom, with a coat of arms in the center showing a triangle circled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA and AMERICA CENTRAL.
- Official name
- Republic of Nicaragua
- Capital
- Managua
- Region
- Central America
- Population
- 6.7 million (2025)
- Languages
- Spanish
- Currency
- Nicaraguan córdoba
- Area
- 130,373 km² (50,337 sq mi)
- People
- Nicaraguan
- Calling code
- +505
- Highest point
- Mogoton 2,085 m
- Independence
- 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
- National symbols
- turquoise-browed motmot (bird)
- Borders
- Costa Rica, Honduras
About Nicaragua
Read the stripes like a cross section of the country. The upper blue band is one ocean, the Pacific, and the lower one the Caribbean, with the white band as the land squeezed between them. The pattern borrows from the banner once flown by the Federal Republic of Central America.
Spain colonized the Pacific side in the early 16th century. Nicaragua declared independence in 1821 and stood alone as a republic from 1838. Britain held the Caribbean coast for part of the 19th century before slowly handing it back. A short civil war ended in 1979 with Sandinista rebels led by Daniel Ortega in power, and the US backed Contra fighters against them through the 1980s. Ortega returned as president in 2006. The east has wide coastal plains, mountains fill the middle, and a string of volcanoes breaks up the narrow Pacific plain.
Did you know?
- The turquoise-browed motmot, a colorful bird, is Nicaragua's national symbol.
- Nicaragua is a little bigger than Pennsylvania but a little smaller than New York State.
- Mogoton, at 2,085 meters, is the tallest peak in Nicaragua.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Nicaragua
What is the capital of Nicaragua?
Managua, where roughly 1.1 million people live.
What money is used in Nicaragua?
The Nicaraguan cordoba, marked C$.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.