E/CN.4/1990/46 page 31 "As far as the Protestant churches are concerned, although they first appeared in the country in the second half of the nineteenth century, most of the hundred denominations existing today all sprang up in 1960, their numbers increasing notably in the years after the triumph of the revolution. "The Protestant churches in Nicaragua have bible study and technical training centres, pre-school institutions, primary schools, secondary schools and a university (Politecnico-Upoli). The influence of the Protestant churches extends over the whole country; most of their members are in the Pacific area and they represent the dominant religion on the Atlantic coast. "Despite the introduction of a National Emergency Law as a response to military and economic aggression by the United States Government under the presidency of Mr. Ronald Reagan, the Government of Nicaragua has never restricted the effective enjoyment of freedom of thought, conscience and religion, as is shown by the following statistics for the Catholic Church and for the Protestant denominations in the country: Statistics for the Catholic Church 1979 1987 Parishes 167 178 Diocesan priests 144 166 54 83 Monks 149 264 Nuns 400 592 2 8 Religious congregations Seminaries 315 Seminarists 20 Lay movements Members of foreign religious orders: Men 149 272 Women 400 621 Statistics for the Evangelical Church in Nicaragua Number of denominations Number of pastors 1979 1987 46 100 1 500 2 000