ocessing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles,
clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear,
wood

Industrial production growth rate:
2.4% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
2.766 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 83.9%
hydro: 7.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 8.4% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
2.573 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
22 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
23 million kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
14,300 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
25,200 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports:
758.9 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports:
15,560 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Current account balance:
$-883 million (2006 est.)

Exports:
$1.714 billion f.o.b.; note - includes free trade zones (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts

Exports - partners:
US 34.1%, El Salvador 14.3%, Honduras 7.9%, Costa Rica 6.1%,
Guatemala 5.2%, Mexico 5.1%, Spain 4.2% (2005)

Imports:
$3.202 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum
products

Imports - partners:
US 20.1%, Venezuela 11.9%, Costa Rica 8.9%, Mexico 8.3%, Guatemala
7%, El Salvador 5.1%, Japan 4.5%, Ecuador 4.2% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$723 million (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$3.763 billion (2006 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$419.5 million (2005 est.)

Currency (code):
gold cordoba (NIO)

Currency code:
NIO

Exchange rates:
gold cordobas per US dollar - 17.5815 (2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937
(2004), 15.105 (2003), 14.251 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Nicaragua

Telephones - main lines in use:
220,900 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.119 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: inadequate system being upgraded by foreign
investment
domestic: low-capacity microwave radio relay and wire system being
expanded; connected to Central American Microwave System
international: country code - 505; satellite earth stations - 1
Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
1