three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band
the coat of arms features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom
the banner is based on the former blue-white-blue flag of the Federal Republic of Central America
the blue bands symbolize the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, while the white band represents the land between the two bodies of water
note: similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band
also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band