Nicaraguan culture has strong folklore, music and religious traditions, deeply influenced by European culture but enriched with Amerindian sounds and flavors. The most populous city in the country is the capital city, Managua.

The majority of the Nicaraguan population, (86% or approximately 5.06 million people), is either Mestizo or White. Mestizos and Whites mainly reside in the western region of the country.

An African-Nicaraguan

The Pacific coast was colonized by Spain and has a similar culture to other Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. The indigenous groups that historically inhabited the Pacific coast have largely been assimilated into the mestizo culture.

About 9% of Nicaragua’s population are black, and mainly reside on the country’s sparsely populated Caribbean or Atlantic coast. The black population is mostly composed of black English-speaking Creoles who are the descendents of escaped or shipwrecked slaves.

The Caribbean coast of the country was once a British protectorate. English is still predominant in this region and spoken domestically along with Spanish and indigenous languages. Its culture is similar to that of Caribbean nations that were or are British possessions, such as Jamaica, Belize, the Cayman Islands, etc. Unlike on the west coast, the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean coast have maintained distinct identities, and some still speak their native languages as first languages.