Mr. But at the turn of the 20th century, if it were not for some eleventh hour political maneuvering, and perhaps a very persuasive postage stamp, perhaps the famous canal would have been built not in Panama, but in Nicaragua. Supporters say it could lift country out of poverty, but opponents point to potential for environment and rights abuses. Here’s the short version: it’s because of this guy - not an American but a Frenchman, “le Grande Français,” Ferdinand Marie, Vicomte de Lesseps. A Chinese-built canal through the jungles of Nicaragua could realign the world's trade routes or become one of history's costliest boondoggles—and an environmental disaster. This is a direct quote form Smithsonian: "The new canal and its infrastructure, from roads to pipelines to power plants, will destroy or alter nearly one million acres of rainforest and wetlands. A canal across Nicaragua was first suggested in 1567, when King Felipe II of Spain ordered a survey. But critics have concerns. In Nicaragua, Ellis was interested in the transoceanic canal being built there. Critics have also questioned President Enrique Bolanos's assertion that the 277km-long (173 miles) canal could be built in 12 years, and raised concerns over the cost to the environment and Nicaragua's indigenous people. Nicaragua was almost the place for the U.S.-built canal until, for a … In 1902, Panama beat out Nicaragua for the American-built canal route, when the U.S. Senate voted for the smaller, more southerly nation by a mere eight votes. The Nicaraguan canal is a delusion, but human rights abuses and land grabs in the project’s name are all too real. The plan is to build a canal through Lake Nicaragua and connect the Pacific and Caribbean coasts to provide passage for ships too big to fit through the Panama Canal. The Americas Dec 17th 2014 edition. And that doesn’t include Lake Nicaragua, a beloved 3,191-square-mile inland reservoir that provides most Nicaraguans with drinking water. Nicaragua’s planned $50bn interoceanic canal will be good for people and the environment if it is built and managed properly, but the government and the Chinese developer must start doing things differently if serious harm is to be avoided, the project’s consultants have warned. In 1902, Nicaragua came in second to Panama as the site for an American-built canal. If built, the Nicaragua Canal would be longer, wider, and deeper than the 51-mile Panama Canal to the south. Nicaragua’s canal Digging for truth. Editors' note: Work on Nicaragua's canal began today, December 22, 2014. Challenge: Have the Panama or Nicaragua Canal get built without foreign investment [CHALLENGE] Bonus challenge: Get it up and running by 1914 (when the Panama Canal was opened in OTL) or earlier. On July 3, 2012, with the story that Nicaragua would advance on a definitive route to “defeat the poverty inherited from the neoliberal past”, the Ley del Régimen Jurídico del proyecto del Gran Canal (Law of the Legal Regime of the Grand Canal project) and the establishment of the Grand Canal Authority was approved to form the legal basis of the failed attempt. In the early 1900s, American politicians wanted to build a canal to bridge the distance between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but they were divided on where to build it – in Panama, or in Nicaragua. Finally, in September 2013, the parliament of Nicaragua passed the laws necessary to launch the construction of the canal. In Nicaragua, Ellis was interested in the transoceanic canal being built there. It could, in fact, be the largest excavation in human history: While a canal built in Central America would significantly cut down on travel time, it was not always inevitable that this canal was going to be built in Panama. The possibility of a transoceanic canal through Nicaragua has been discussed for almost 400 years. Introduction. The prospects offered by … For over one hundred years, the Panama Canal has been a world-renowned marvel of engineering, creating a vital shipping link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Unlike the Panama Canal, a canal cutting across Nicaragua could theoretically be built at sea level, without locks, but there is a problem with the tides at either end. A storm like Hurricane Mitch, which killed 3,800 people in Nicaragua in 1998, would probably cause the canal to flood, triggering mudslides that would breach locks and dams. The project is financed by a wealthy Chinese businessman, Wang Jing. lease on a new canal to be built across Nicaragua to compete with the Panama Canal. The $40bn canal project dividing Nicaragua. The New Nicaragua Canal: China Barges In. A Chinese plan to build a $50 billion canal across Nicaragua could modernize one of the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nations. Kamilo Lara, a member of the Nicaragua Canal Commission, a group appointed by the government to oversee the project, said many critics of the project were political opportunists. Updated February 2015. In 1902, Panama beat out Nicaragua for the American-built canal route, when the U.S. Senate voted for the smaller, more southerly nation by a mere eight votes. In December 2014, workers broke ground on the Nicaragua Grand Canal, a planned 175-mile-long canal through Nicaragua. The deal was, in a sense, the fulfillment of a longtime national dream. The idea of a canal across Nicaragua is nothing new going back to colonial Spanish times. Nicaragua canal route: Atlantic-Pacific link unveiled. Published 8 July 2014. It was billed as the biggest earth-moving operation in history: the creation of a 170-mile canal across Nicaragua, linking the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.The Grand Interoceanic Canal Ego-driven Nicaragua's Congress votes in favour of a Chinese plan to built a waterway between the Caribbean and the Pacific, to rival the Panama Canal. Nicaragua canal construction 'will not begin until 2015' Published 5 January 2014. Canal proponents say the waterway could create 40,000 construction jobs and double the per-capita gross domestic product of Nicaragua, one of the poorest countries in Latin America. A proposed canal in Nicaragua, built by China, is a tangible signal that the United States can’t set the terms of the world … Nicaragua’s interoceanic canal: will the benefits outweigh the risks? 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