2020 Travel the World - Week 19

PLEASE NOTE - Usually my Travel the World cards post on Tuesdays, but since tomorrow is the 12th, which is the day for the Hot Mess Success series to post, I'm posting my Travel the World card a day early this week.

I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.

This week's country is...

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is located on the Central America isthmus directly between Honduras and Costa Rica. 

Nicaragua consists of three definite geographical regions:  the Atlantic Lowlands, the North-Central Highlands and the Pacific Lowlands, and the latter is the most populous region of the country.

In terms of area, Nicaragua is just slightly larger than the state of New York.

Nicaragua has two coasts, each bordering a different ocean. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west of the country and the Caribbean to the east. The country has 500 miles of coastline along with five of the best surf spots in the world. Volcanoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes are constant threats to this Central American country. Nicaragua's average temperature year-round is 87 degrees Fahrenheit.

Nicaraguans are kind and welcoming. They are always willing to give a hand not only to each other but also to travelers.

Nicaragua has one of the youngest populations in the world. The median age for the country is 21 years old.

Nicaragua is the second-poorest country in the Americas, next to only Haiti. Statistics show that roughly 75% of the country's 6,000,000 people live on less than $2 per day.

Over half of the country is mestizo, a combination of Amerindian and white.

Although Nicaragua’s capital is Managua, the city of Granada is probably the most popular amongst tourists, and in fact is the oldest city on continental Latin America. It was founded in 1524 by Hernandez de Cordoba, who gave his name to the national currency – the Cordoba.

There are no street names in Nicaragua. A person's address is given by whatever major landmarks they live near.

The crowded, old buses that have been driven down from North America are the most common means of transportation in Nicaragua. They are uncomfortable and on the slow side, but they are very cheap. They go everywhere and they are great to get a picture of the local life.

All over the country, in little villages as well as big towns, the horse-drawn carriage is a part of everyday life.

Nicaragua's main exports include meat, cheese, sugar cane, textiles, and coffee. Their main imports are medicines, yarn, oils, and cars.

Much of Nicaraguan food is based on corn. Cassava, beans and chili pepper are also widely used as ingredients in different Nicaraguan dishes. One of the most common Nicaraguan dishes is Nacatamales: Cornflower dumplings boiled in plantain leaves stuffed with vegetables.

Central America’s largest lake is Lake Nicaragua, which provides the water supply for much of Nicaragua and is the country’s largest tourist attraction. This lake is enormous and contains the largest lake island in the world.

Lake Nicaragua is home to more than 430 volcanic islands. It's also home to a unique range of fish, some of which don't exist anywhere else in the world.

The only freshwater sharks known in the world can be found in Lake Nicaragua.

From most places in Nicaragua, you can look up and see one, two, or three volcano cones.

Nicaragua’s famous Dual Volcano is the only one in the world that is fed by two separate flows of magma. This makes it possible for it to erupt from two types of magma channels.

The Ruins of Leon Viejo in Nicaragua is the oldest city in all of Central America. It is over 1500 years old and is still occupied today. It was founded by the early Spanish settlers.

There are 70 protected regions of land and water in Nicaragua, which aid in saving many rare endangered species found in the country. These species include various monkeys, sloths, sea turtles and boa constrictors.

Out of a total of 88 constellations found in the night sky, 86 of them can be seen clearly in Nicaragua.

Only 29% of Nicaraguan children finish the mandated six years of schooling.

Baseball is played by almost every culture in Nicaragua. It is a favorite pastime of many citizens, and their professional baseball league thrives. Families enjoy going to baseball games and spending time together during the weekends.

Poetry is one of the most beloved and practiced arts in this country.

I decided to let this Nicaragua fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Nicaragua is home to various kinds of monkeys, sloths, jaguars and ocelots. It is also a good place to spot numerous species of birds such as the great green macaw, and the toucan. Sea turtles also nest on its coast.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamps: My Favorite Things Toucan Do It and Whipper Snapper Toucan stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Markers

Papers: Accent Opaque 120# White, Recollections Black and SU Wild Wasabi CS and DP from my scrap file

Embellishments: Eyelet Outlet Enamel Dots