This map, published in 1899 by Julius Bien, shows in detail the project to build the Nicaragua Canal.
At the end of the 19th century, the Nicaragua Canal was one of the proposals being evaluated to connect the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. In fact, taking advantage of the course of the San Juan River and the vast expanse of Lake Cocibolca (Gran Lago de Nicaragua), this option seemed to be the most practical and reasonable at the time. Because of the geological instability of the region, mainly due to the eruption of the Momotombo volcano in 1902, this option lost momentum in favour of the Panama Canal.
On the map, you can see the route from San Juan del Norte (also called Greytown) on the Caribbean Sea, linking with the San Juan River, passing through Lake Cocibolca and finally connecting with the Pacific Ocean at Brito.
The elevation profile of the Nicaragua Canal can also be seen below, as well as the reliefs that would have to be lowered to carry out the project. As the figures show, of the 169 miles of the canal's length, only 27 miles would need to be excavated, which was estimated to be possible with 100 million dollars at the time and a project to be executed over 6 years.
This project has been attempted at least three times in recent decades, although at the present time (2026) it does not seem to have the necessary support, either financially or politically, to move it forward.
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