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		NICARAGUA Most Nicaraguans have both European and Indian ancestry, and the culture of the country reflects the Ibero-European and Indian heritage of its people. Only the Indians of the eastern half of the country remain ethnically distinct and retain tribal customs and languages. A large black minority (of Jamaican origin) is concentrated on the Caribbean coast. In the mid-1980s, the central government divided the eastern half of the country--the former department of Zelaya--into two autonomous regions and granted the people of the region limited self-rule. The 1995 constitutional reform guaranteed the integrity of the regions' several unique cultures, and gave the inhabitants a say in the use of the area's natural resources. POPULATION GRAPH Population: 5,023,818 (July 2002 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.3% (male 980,621; female 945,386) 15-64 years: 58.7% (male 1,464,468; female 1,483,082) 65 years and over: 3% (male 65,610; female 84,651) (2002 est.) Population growth rate: 2.09% (2002 est.) Birth rate: 26.98 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) Death rate: 4.76 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) Net migration rate: -1.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2002 est.) Infant mortality rate: 32.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.37 years female: 71.44 years (2002 est.) male: 67.39 years Total fertility rate: 3.09 children born/woman (2002 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.2% (2000/01 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 4,800 (2000/01 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 360 (1999 est.) Nationality: noun: Nicaraguan(s) adjective: Nicaraguan Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5% Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant Languages: Spanish (official) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 68.2% (1999) male: 67.1% female: 70.5% (2000 est.)