Located in the middle of Central America, the Republic of Nicaragua is one of the most backward regions in the world with a population of 7 million living on 130,000 square kilometers.
1. A country named after a chieftain
The Republic of Nicaragua means "lake and volcano" in the Indian language, and he comes from the chieftain of an Indian tribe.
The indigenous people relied on fishing, hunting and gathering medicinal herbs until 1522, when Spanish colonists arrived, and Nicaragua became a colony.
2. Cities without house numbers
Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, is a city without a house number, and there is not even an official detailed map of the city.
If you want to mail something to people in the city, the address should be something like "City of Managua, two blocks down the city hall, in a red house."
3. Small flower balls on the temples
Nicaragua is hot and rainy all year round, and the colorful umbrellas that are decorated are a favorite item of local women.
Unmarried women here often tie flower balls between their temples to attract the pursuit of the opposite sex.
4. Nicaraguan names
Nicaraguan names usually consist of more than three sections, with the last two sections being the father's and mother's surnames, respectively.
Here you can distinguish whether two people are close or not in the form of etiquette, close people will kiss the face, and ordinary friends will only shake hands.
5. Rice dumplings made of corn
In Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, the locals love corn. They make corn into all kinds of delicacies, such as corn dumplings, corn liqueur, fried corn, etc.
6. Corn Queen
Every year, on the last weekend of September, the most important festival in Nicaragua is the Corn Festival, when thousands of farmers come together to select the largest and best quality corn, which is bought by charity merchants at a high price to encourage farmers.
Also grand is the "Corn Queen" selection activity, they pick out unmarried girls from tens of thousands of farms across the country, and finally the 24 most beautiful will be named "Corn Queen".
7. The city with the most imbalance between men and women
Managua is home to a population of 1.4 million, but has a terrifying 1:4 ratio of men to women, making it the most imbalanced city in the world. All this is inseparable from war, gangs, and malaria.
8. Pacific Lighthouse
Every volcano and lake in Nicaragua has its own legend, among which the Momotumbo volcano is famous as the "Lighthouse of the Pacific".
Legend has it that the volcano is the embodiment of the indigenous ancestors of the area, blessed the peace and happiness of his people.
9. A hierarchical class system
Nicaragua has a very strict hierarchy and is on a par with India.
The lighter-skinned ones are mostly descendants of the colonizers and have a very high social status, while the darker-skinned ones are mostly local natives and farmers, who tend to do the dirtiest and most tiring work.
10. The Grand Canal of Nicaragua
In 1570, the King of Spain proposed the construction of the Grand Canal in Nicaragua to connect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, but this was shelved due to lack of funds.
In the early twentieth century, the U.S. Congress was engaged in a heated debate over which side of the canal to dig between Nicaragua and Panama, and Nicaragua was defeated by a narrow margin of three votes.
11. Special supplements
As a tropical country, lizards are ubiquitous and a favorite ingredient of the local people. During confinement, women usually consume a large amount of lizard soup, which can help them recover quickly.
12. About the customs of marriage
In Nicaragua, newlyweds live in the woman's house for the first three days after marriage, and the mother-in-law has the old custom of guiding the couple in sexual affairs.