The Nicaraguan Canal is a proposal to connect the Carribean Sea and Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean by way of Nicaragua. Said canal would go by river until Lake Nicaragua and cross through Rivas to reach the Pacific. The idea of the construction of a canal that takes advantage of the course of the Rio San Juan dates back to the colonial period because the river begins in the lake and lets out in the Carribean.

On July 3, 2012, the National Assembly of Nicaragua approved with a wide majority a law authorizing the construction of an interoceanic canal between the Carribean and Pacific, a work that will take 10 years and cost as much as 45 billion dollars. This new canal would lead to an increase of transit of cargo ships, would help promote commerce between Latin American and European countries and between China with the Americas, Brazil and Europe by permitting better transit of cargo in less time. This will increase the commercial and navigational importance of the Pacific Ocean in the new century.

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