Lake Nicaragua or Cocibolca or Granada ( Spanish : Lago de Nicaragua , Lago Cocibolca, Mar Dulce, Gran Lago, Gran Lago Dulce , or Lago de Granada ) is a freshwater lake in Nicaragua . Of tectonic origin and with an area of 8,264 km (3,191 sq mi), it is the largest fresh water lake in Central America , the 19th largest lake in the world (by area) and the tenth largest in the Americas , slightly smaller than Lake Titicaca . With an elevation of 32.7 metres (107 ft) above sea level, the lake reaches a depth of 26 metres (85 ft) . The intermittent Tipitapa River feeds Lake Nicaragua when Lake Managua has high water. Lake Cocibolca is between two other bodies of water, on top is Lake Xolotlán and below is the San Juan River. These body of waters complete the largest International Drainage Basin in Central America.
21-632: The lake drains via the San Juan River flowing east to the Caribbean Sea , historically making the city Granada on the northwest shore an Atlantic port, although Granada (as well as the entire lake) is closer to the Pacific Ocean geographically. The Pacific is near enough to be seen from the mountains of the largest island in the lake, Ometepe . The lake has a history of Caribbean pirates who assaulted Granada on three occasions. Before construction of
42-473: A canal across Nicaragua at a cost of US$ 40 billion, with construction expected to begin in December 2014 and complete in 2019. Protests against the ecological and social effects of the canal as well as questions about financing led to doubts about the project, and in the end construction never began. Lake Nicaragua, despite being a freshwater lake, has sawfish , tarpon , and sharks . Initially, scientists thought
63-729: A canal along this route in the Bryan–Chamorro Treaty of 1916. However, since this treaty was mutually rescinded by the United States and Nicaragua in 1970, the idea of another canal in Nicaragua still periodically resurfaced, such as the Ecocanal proposal . In 2014, the government of Nicaragua offered a 50-year concession to the Hong Kong Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Company (HKND) to build
84-664: A sewage treatment plant because of the financial costs involved. Recently a treatment plant has been completed and the sewer network is being constructed. In 1982, MARENA established seasonal hunting bans for 26 endangered species of mammals and 4 species of reptiles. This was in response to Nicaragua being a world leader in the export of rare and endangered species such as White-lipped peccaries , White-tailed deer , hawksbill turtles , freshwater otters , jaguars , ocelots , and margays . Educational campaigns were initiated by MARENA, along with marketplace and roadside inspections. By 1985, however, many of these bans were lifted because of
105-693: A wide array of marine life and biodiversity . Before the Panama Canal , the San Juan River was frequently used as a major part of the route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Many people, including African slaves, were transported via this route . During the California Gold Rush , many people from all over the world traveled to California to mine for gold. Tens of thousands took a steamboat that
126-417: Is a 192-kilometre (119 mi) river that flows east out of Lake Nicaragua into the Caribbean Sea . A large section of the border between Nicaragua and Costa Rica runs on the southern bank of the river. It was part, with the lake, of a proposed route for a Nicaragua Canal in the 19th century. The idea of the project has been revived in the last decade, including the possibility of other routes within
147-592: The archipelago of the Solentiname Islands . The lake has a reputation for periodically powerful storms. In the past 37 years, considerable concern has been expressed about the ecological condition of Lake Nicaragua. In 1981 the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARENA) conducted an environmental assessment study and found that half of the water sources sampled were seriously polluted by sewage . It
168-580: The Environment and Natural Resources ( MARENA ), is in charge of environmental protection and of the study, planning, and management of the Nicaragua 's natural resources . It was formerly known as the Nicaraguan Institute of Natural Resources and the Environment ( IRENA ). The ministry was created in 1979 by the Government of Nicaragua . In 1976, a group of Nicaraguan environmentalists proposed that
189-585: The Panama Canal, a stagecoach line owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt 's Accessory Transit Company connected the lake with the Pacific across the low hills of the narrow Isthmus of Rivas . Plans were made to take advantage of this route to build an Interoceanic Canal , the Nicaragua Canal , but the Panama Canal was built instead. In order to quell competition with the Panama Canal, the U.S. secured all rights to
210-405: The conservation of genetic diversity. In 1981, MARENA found that half of water sources they sampled were seriously polluted by sewage and that 70,000 pounds of raw sewage was released into Lake Managua each day. Scores of industrial plants located on the lake's shore had freely dumped there for over a decade. The worst polluter was Pennwalt Corporation. MARENA could not afford, however, to build
231-524: The country. The Ecocanal project has obtained a Concession from the National Assembly of Nicaragua to re-open the San Juan River to commercial barge traffic. The Cañas–Jerez Treaty states that Nicaragua owns the waters of the river and that Costa Rica can only use it for commercial navigation on certain parts of the river at Nicaragua's discretion. The San Juan River is home to freshwater bull sharks that also go into Lake Nicaragua in addition to
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#1733084617109252-539: The government create a Ministry of Natural Resources. The president at the time, Anastasio Somoza Debayle , rejected the idea and threatened the group with harsh reprisals if they met again. Some took to the forests and mountains to join the Sandinista guerrillas who were fomenting revolution against the Somoza government. Less than a week after the Somoza regime was overthrown and Sandinista government became known as MARENA. By
273-476: The growing economic crisis in the country. In 1983, MARENA targeted nearly one-fifth of Nicaragua's territory for national parks. This project was never realized, however, because the Contras had militarized much of the wilderness. To address deforestation , MARENA directed major tree planting projects. Two million trees were grown annually in nurseries until 1986, when civil war and economic difficulties slowed
294-471: The lake in 2014; the Nicaraguan government recommended citizens to raise and eat iguanas over chickens to reduce water consumption. Also, plans for the Nicaragua Canal through the lake could lead to saltwater and other contamination during construction and operation of the canal. San Juan River (Nicaragua) The San Juan River ( Spanish : Río San Juan ), also known as El Desaguadero ("the drain"),
315-404: The lake, including at least 16 cichlids that are endemic to the general region. None of these are strictly endemic to Lake Nicaragua, although Amphilophus labiatus is native only to Lake Nicaragua and Lake Managua . A non-native cichlid, a tilapia , is used widely in aquaculture within the lake. Owing to the large amount of waste they produce, and the risk of introducing diseases to which
336-474: The late 1960s, when it was discovered that they were able to jump along the rapids of the San Juan River — which connects Lake Nicaragua with the Caribbean Sea — almost like salmon . As evidence of these movements, bull sharks tagged inside the lake have later been caught in the open ocean (and vice versa), with some taking as little as 7–11 days to complete the journey. Numerous other species of fish live in
357-651: The mid-1980s, MARENA received aid and advice from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Soviet Union, France, the Netherlands, Cuba , Mexico , the Organization of American States , the United Nations Environment Programme , and individual United States citizens. MARENA initiates and manages programs in reforestation , watershed management, pollution control, wildlife conservation , national parks , and
378-514: The native fish species have no resistance , they are potentially a serious threat to the lake's ecosystem . The nation's largest source of freshwater, Nicaraguans call it Lago Cocibolca or Mar Dulce (literally "Sweet Sea"; in Spanish, "freshwater" is agua dulce ). The lake has sizeable waves driven by the easterly winds blowing west to the Pacific Ocean . The lake holds Ometepe and Zapatera , which are both volcanic islands , as well as
399-457: The sharks in the lake were an endemic species, the Lake Nicaragua shark ( Carcharhinus nicaraguensis ). In 1961, following comparisons of specimens , it was synonymized with the widespread bull shark ( C. leucas ), a species also known for entering freshwater elsewhere around the world. It had been presumed that the sharks were trapped within the lake, but this was found to be incorrect in
420-469: Was found that 32 tons (70,000 pounds) of raw sewage were being released into Lake Nicaragua daily. Industry located along the lake's shore had been dumping effluent for an extended period of time. Pennwalt Chemical Corporation was found to be the worst polluter. Nicaragua's economic situation has hampered the building of treatment facilities nationwide (see: Water supply and sanitation in Nicaragua ). The country's worst drought in 32 years took its toll on
441-498: Was operated by the Accessory Transit Company and was directed by Cornelius Vanderbilt . The boat travelled up the San Juan River and across Lake Nicaragua; a stagecoach completed the connection to the Pacific coast. As one travels upstream from the Caribbean Sea to Lake Nicaragua, one encounters the following sets of rapids: Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Nicaragua) The Ministry of
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