Nicaraguan assembly OKs $40 bln Chinese canal to rival Panama's

[Judi Lynn]

5. A glance at the history of plans to build a canal across Nicaragua

A glance at the history of plans to build a canal across Nicaragua
Article by: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated: June 13, 2013 - 4:25 PM

For hundreds of years, explorers and governments have dreamed of a waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific. Proposed routes have ranged from Mexico to Colombia, but many have focused on Nicaragua. A few key moments:

— 1524: Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes writes that a canal across Central America would "be worth more than the conquest of Mexico."

— 1825: The Republic of Central America asks U.S. help in building a canal across Nicaragua and signs a deal with a New York businessman. The project soon fails.

— 1849 : Nicaragua gives Cornelius Vanderbilt's Accessory Transit Company the right to build a canal within 12 years. It builds a land transit route, but abandons it after years of local political turmoil.

— 1872: U.S. government begins another survey of Nicaragua canal route.

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http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/211443671.html