Nicaragua

Nicaragua country profile

BACKGROUND

The Republic of Nicaragua is a country located in the Central American isthmus, between the equatorial line and the Tropic of Cancer. It has coastlines with the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Its climate is tropical in nature, with little seasonal variation. It has two distinct seasons, a wet season from May to October and a dry season from November to April. A dry period called the ‘Canícula’ regularly interrupts the wet season during late July and early August. Nicaragua’s climate is regularly impacted by El Niño Southern Oscillation fluctuations which bring relatively warmer and drier or colder and wetter conditions during June and August, respectively.

Nicaragua is one of the lesser developed counties in the region and is one of the poorest in all of Latin America. A majority of people work in the agricultural sector, engaging almost 70 percent of the population. Food insecurity, poverty, and vulnerability to climate hazards are closely linked.

Due to its geographic location, Nicaragua is exposed to a number of events linked to natural climate variabilities, such as the El Niño and La Niña phenomenon, monsoon-related events in the Pacific, tropical waves, and hurricanes. It is also vulnerable to drought, disease outbreaks, wildfires, earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic activity. It also faces challenges associated with deforestation, soil erosion, and water pollution which then exacerbate the impact of climate hazards.

INFORM RISK INDEX (2022)    

Hazard and exposure: 4.8  |  Vulnerability: 4.0  |  Lack of coping capacity: 5.3 |  Total: 4.7 (medium)  |  Rank: 52

HAZARDS COVERED BY ANTICIPATION    

Drought

EXPERIENCE ON ANTICIPATION 

• Start Network and Start Fund have allocated financing in anticipation of drought. In 2019, Start Network reached 20,839 people through its partners.
• FAO is developing anticipatory action to mitigate the impacts of drought in Nicaragua. In 2019, forecasts of a below-average season affected by El Nino led to early action, including rehabilitation of water harvesting systems.
• In 2022, IFRC with national society partners, including the Nicaraguan Red Cross, planned for preparatory measures to be taken throughout the hurricane season. The intervention strategy proposed relied on scenario planning, trigger mechanisms, and forecasting of events to provide cash and voucher assistance (CVA), mental health support, and awareness-raising campaigns.