Nicaragua
is making efforts to develop tourism, but with limited results. In 1997
Nicaragua received 350,000 foreign visitors and took in $65 million from
tourism. Major tourist sites include the Volcan Masaya National Park
(an active volcano), and
the Islands in Lake Nicaragua, including Las Isletas, a cluster of small,
tropical islands of Granada. In Managua, an important attraction is the
Footprints of Acahualinca, the marks of humans and animals fleeing a
volcanic eruption about 4000 BC that were preserved in the volcanic ash.
Beach
at Majagual near San Juan del Sur. Picture provided by Jennifer Herrin
Natural
Resources
Nicaragua's
major resources are its excellent soil and its potential as a canal
route. In addition to gold and silver it has unexploited mineral
resources, including copper. Hydroelectric potential is limited, but
volcanoes provide a potential source for generating more geothermal
energy. Timber reserves are extensive but are being depleted rapidly to
provide lumber and more land for agriculture. Some 20.2 percent of the
land is farmed, and 46 percent is forested.