Cultural awareness refers to how people in the society understand the differences between them and other people from other backgrounds or countries. They become aware of their cultural beliefs and values. Attitudes and values differ from one environment to the other, hence a different culture.Culture is the shared values, norms and ideas by the member of the society. When the community understands others culture, it shows a sign of respect to each other. It also helps raise effective communication between them. There are elements of culture which are different in every background. Each society, has its customs and traditions, a form of religion, social organization, economic systems, language and forms of government. All these elements differ from one country or background to the other. This discussion focuses on the significant characteristics of culture, complex terrain of Nicaragua, infrastructure, weather analysis, and ASCOPE factors in Nicaragua.
Characteristics of culture
These are the sums of different customs, attitudes, and beliefs to a diverse group of people. Firstly, culture is dynamic and hence complex. It changes all the time since it is believed to be fluid rather than static. Secondly, it is symbolic since it's centered on a shared set of symbols. These symbols add up to be the elements of culture. They include language, beliefs, norms, and values(Tomalin, 2013). Thirdly, it is integrated such that the beliefs, customs, and traditions govern and influence people behaviors. Members behave according to the standards or rules that are set and accepted in the society. Lastly, culture is shared and learned by the members of the community. Also, is transferred through languages and other cultural practices from one generation to the other. This results to the expansion of culture where the new generation benefits from experiences of the old (Tomalin, 2013).
The complex terrain of Nicaragua.
Nicaragua has a climate that is cool in the highlands and tropical in the lowlands. It also has a terrain which is typically made up of interior mountains, coastal plains, and volcanoes. Its physical geography splits this country into three major zones. They include the Pacific lowlands, the Caribbean lowlands, colder and wetter central highlands. The Pacific lowlands encompass about 75 kilometers interior from the Pacific coast. The largest area is flat except where there is the line of young volcanoes. The Caribbean lowlands form the widespread since it occupies more than 50 percent of the entire national territory. It has asparsely settled swamp which is known as Costa de Mosquitos. It is hot, and its soil is usually filtered and infertile (Banerjee, 2012).
The central highlands have relatively dry western slopes. They are protected from the humid winds of the Caribbean, by the edges of the highlands. These has resulted to settlement of the farmers from the Pacific region. They appear sparsely populated with great agriculturalists and little communities of local people. The area surrounding the lakes are fertile and significantly enriched with volcanic ash from nearby volcanoes. For this reason, the area gets to be densely populated and properly cultivated. Nicaragua has a significant aspect of the infrastructure, which is transportation. The quality of its roads varies from one location to the other. The most significant means of transport is water on the Atlantic coast. The Pacific side has a better infrastructure compared to Atlantic which has poor roads. Improvement in infrastructures has resulted to the thriving in the tourist industry. Development of seaports has promoted local and international trade. It has enhanced increased sales of processed bulk goods. Infrastructural development has led to a better value of life to all citizens and also to the tourists (Freeman, 2011).
Nicaragua has got an improved means of communication. Its cell phone system is promptly developing. Most of the people use a telephone to reach others. Calling to other countries is no longer a problem thou a bit expensive. Internet connections have rapidly increased and effective in this country. The government has contributed to this improvement due to subsidized charges. Mass media is getting used by people due to it influential nature. Televisions, newspapers and radios offer news and entertainment to its citizen. There happened to be a Contra war in Nicaragua from 1981 to 1988. The fight started as a sequence of rebellion against the Sandinista government of Nicaragua. This government overthrew the Somoza dictatorship in 1979. The rebels lost the war due to low cooperation among themselves. The Sandinistas won and remained in power. The war resulted in environmental problems,people displacement and infrastructural destruction.
Weather analysis and its effect in Nicaragua
Nicaragua has a favorable climate. It has two seasons: the rainy and dry season. The rainy season is from mid-May to mid-November. October is the wettest month. The dry season begins at mid- November up to end of May. May is the driest and hottest month. December, January, July, and August are the best months with the best weather which makes Nicaragua look beautiful. This is the best time for tourists to visit since the weather is calm. This country's climate favors those that love living in an entirely safe and pleasant country (Banerjee, 2012). There appeared a decline in corn and bean production from 34,000 to 9,000 tonnes in the year 2020. The coffee production also declined due to the outbreak of coffee leaf rust. This resulted to the losses in their industries.
ASCOPE factors in Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America, and Managua is the capital city. This country is known for its high levels in the area of biodiversity. It has a unique ecosystem and the land area of 50,336 square miles. It was recorded to have an estimated population of 5,891,199 in July 2010. It has a constitutional democracy with executive, legislative and judicial government. The president is both the head of state and government. Nicaragua has the most important natural resources which include, mineral deposits, forests, and fertile soil. Gold is the most significant mineral export. The official language stated by the constitution of Nicaragua is Spanish. There are also indigenous languages that are used and recognized by the government. Its people consume local food that shares some flavors and elements with Mexican food. Their favorite non-alcoholic drink is coffee with hot milk at breakfast. In ceremonial occasions, they take grilled steak.
Conclusion
In summary, cultural awareness is essential since it makes people in the society understand, learn and share their culture. It helps them live peacefully and with understanding since they have the beliefs and values that they share together. All these cultural values transferred from one generation to the other. Nicaragua's climate is cold in the highlands and tropical in the lowlands. It has a remarkably improved infrastructure and developed means of communication. It has a quite favorable environment with two weather seasons: rainy and dry seasons. Nicaragua is a developed country and the largest in Central America. It has mineral deposits, forests and fertile soil which creates wealth. With this developments, this country will continue growing economically and also in the other aspects.
References
Banerjee, C., " Berg E. (2012, February). Policy for implementation of Index Based Weather Insurance revisited: the case of Nicaragua. In 123 rd EAAE Seminar (pp. 1-17).
Broegaard, E., Freeman, T., " Schwensen, C. (2011). Experience from a phased mixed-methods approach to impact evaluation of Danida support to rural transport infrastructure in Nicaragua. Journal of development effectiveness, 3(1), 9-27.
Tomalin, B., " Stempleski, S. (2013). Cultural Awareness-Resource Books for Teachers. Oxford University Press.
