Similarly, environmentalists have already expressed concerns about the impact of the canal on
Lake Nicaragua, the largest source of freshwater in the country.
More than a year since it was first announced, the project faces widespread scepticism, with questions still open about who will provide financing, how seriously it will affect
Lake Nicaragua and how much land will be expropriated for it.
In 1523 the Spanish traveler Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba ventured down the San Juan River and sailed the calm waters of Lago Cocibolca, now known as
Lake Nicaragua. After disembarking, the expedition's horses tasted the water and started to drink it.
The tarpon travel up either the Rio Colorado or San Juan River, all the way up to
Lake Nicaragua, and back again, in constant movements.
The completed canal will stretch 173 miles from Punta Gorda on the Caribbean through
Lake Nicaragua to the mouth of the Brito River on the Pacific--over three times the distance of the Panama Canal.
They occur in a geographical setting of two great lakes (
Lake Nicaragua and Lake Managua, which are occasionally connected) and a chain of nearby isolated, young crater lakes (Fig.
So what would be the implications of a 286km waterway connecting the Caribbean with the Pacific via
Lake Nicaragua.
Environmental objections would arise to using
Lake Nicaragua, the region's largest freshwater lake, for part of the route.
Despite the skepticism of industry experts and criticism from environmentalists, Wang has maintained, according to this BBC News report, that his consortium would operate "fairly, impartially and openly." The project would rely on
Lake Nicaragua, the largest freshwater lake in Central America to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The $40bn (Au25bn) plan has been criticized by environmentalists, who say cargo ships will create a permanent risk to
Lake Nicaragua.