Take me out to the ball game...

Baseball is the number one most popular sport in Nicaragua. Yep, you heard right, not soccer, but baseball. Nicaragua won fourth place in the Olympics of 1996 in Atlanta, even. Baseball in Nicaragua started when an American businessman convinced two of the local cricket teams to switch to baseball. After that, more and more switched, and local competitions were held, and then Nicaragua started participating in international tournaments. That history has influence today in how Nicaragua plays its games.

The Nicaraguan Government

Nicaragua's government is made up almost exactly like the United State's. There are Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, each working together to pass laws and run the country. Their current president is Arnoldo Aleman Lacoyo.

Nicaraguan Cuisine

Nicaraguan food varies from region to region, as they each have different favored foods. One of the most common ones is Gallo Pinto. It is eaten almost every day by all the citizens of Nicaragua. It's like a national symbol, sort of. It's composed of a mixture of fried rice with onion and sweet pepper, red beans boiled with garlic. All of this is fried together.

Momotombo Volcano!

This nearly perfectly cone shaped volcano is one of the more famous volcanoes of Nicaragua, and one of its most prominent landmarks. It can be seen from nearly 400 kilometers away! It has erupted more than once over the past thousand years, but has been quiet so far, since 1905, the last recorded eruption. Some parts of it still do reach 500 degrees celsius.
Some people try to climb this volcano, but it's no easy task. There's no trail, and parts near the top of the mountain get really steep, with no shade.

Liberation Day/Sandinista Revolution Day

Liberation day is celebrated on a national level in Nicaragua on the 19th of July, which is the day that the National Liberation army toppled the Somoze dictatorship. Like most holidays that aren't formal, Liberation day is loud, colorful, and has fireworks filling the sky. There's dancing in the streets and parks and other public places, and plenty of fun and laughter.