hey, all. an alternative to the Panama Canal through Nicaragua, running along preexisting rivers to Lake Nicaragua and through to the Atlantic/Pacific, is well-known in both OTL and ATL history. but what exactly would be the consequences of its construction (potentially alongside the existence of the Panama Canal, either before or after)? obviously, it would allow passage from the Caribbean to the Pacific just like the Panama Canal, and conceivably alleviate some of the traffic from the Panama Canal (thus increasing the volume of overseas trade that can pass through the Central American canals), but one thing that i wonder about more is what the existence of the canal would do to Nicaraguan ecology.
freshwater Lake Nicaragua is already home to a number of saltwater species, so they probably wouldn't be as affected by a (relatively) sudden change in the lake's salt content, but what about the rest of the lake's species, and its people? and pollution from ships passing through?
freshwater Lake Nicaragua is already home to a number of saltwater species, so they probably wouldn't be as affected by a (relatively) sudden change in the lake's salt content, but what about the rest of the lake's species, and its people? and pollution from ships passing through?
