How The Panama Canal Almost Became The Nicaragua Canal
We almost had a long canal in Nicaragua rather than a short Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is one of the most important waterways in the world. It is also one of the most well known. But there was a time when the idea of a Panama Canal was competing with other canal projects. During the 19th century, colonial interests, businessmen, and multinational corporate groups were all interested in building a lucrative canal that would link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The Suez Canal opened in the middle part of the 19th century proving to the world that major oceans could be connected by the power of man.
Without a link between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific, ships had to sail all the way down the coast of South America and around the wretched Cape Horn. It was a long and dangerous route. A canal through Central America would link two of the world’s most important oceans and do it through calm waters. (The waters around Cape Horn are rocky, prone to disastrous weather, and poorly mapped.) The only question was where to build such a canal. There were three options under consideration, Panama, Nicaragua, and Tehuantepec.
Tehuantepec (south of Veracruz) was quickly ruled out due to cost. That left Nicaragua and Panama as the two primary options. Panama was…
