ABSTRACT
Nicaragua, largest in area of the Central American Republics, has a history marked by unfulfilled promises, frustrated hopes, and violent internal conflicts and external interventions. The United States and other nations have also been interested in Nicaragua's potential as an interoceanic canal route. From the colonial period until the present, Nicaragua has been the scene of international rivalries and conflicts. Nicaragua is the largest Central American nation in area and its economy is heavily dependent on agriculture. Both the Sandinistas and the Chamorro Administration had generally good relations with Europe and with some of the international financial institutions. Nicaragua's future, as the twenty-first century dawns, is uncertain at best. Social conditions are terrible, poverty is endemic, much of the infrastructure is inadequate and worn out, and both human and financial capital tends to seek foreign prospects. Rural areas are generally not overpopulated, and the nation has some of the best soils in the hemisphere.
