Before 1980, only half the country's children did. The educational system was underfunded and generally inadequate. A literacy campaign in 1980 raised the literacy rate to about 77 percent. There are three universities in Nicaragua, but the University of Nicaragua is the oldest and the largest. It was founded in 1812 and has more than 22,000 students.
Agriculture is the chief economic activity.
Cotton and Coffee are the principal export crops. The most important food crops are corn, beans, and rice. The major industries are coffee, seafood, sugar, meat, bananas, food processing, chemicals, meat products, textiles, clothing, beverages, footwear, and petroleum refining and distribution. Some major trading partners are Belgium, Luxembourg, CIS, Japan, Germany, and Venezuela.