History of the United States (1865–1918) in the context of "Nicaraguan Canal"

Attempts to build a canal across Nicaragua to connect the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean stretch back to the early colonial era. Construction of such a shipping route—using the San Juan River as an access route to Lake Nicaragua—was first proposed then. Napoleon III wrote an article about its feasibility in the middle of the 19th century. The United States abandoned plans to construct a waterway in Nicaragua in the early 20th century after it purchased the French interests in the Panama Canal, which has served as the main connecting route across Central America since its completion.

Because the steady increase in global shipping may eventually make the project economically feasible, speculation on a new shipping route has continued. In June 2013, Nicaragua's National Assembly approved a bill to grant a 50-year concession to the HK Nicaragua Canal Development Investment (HKND) to manage the Nicaraguan Canal and Development Project to build the canal, but little development took place, and the concession to HKND was cancelled in May 2024.

The Nicaraguan Canal and Development Project, informally the Nicaragua Canal (Spanish: Canal de Nicaragua, also referred to as the Nicaragua Grand Canal, or the Grand Interoceanic Canal) was a proposed shipping route through Nicaragua to connect the Caribbean Sea (and therefore the Atlantic Ocean) with the Pacific Ocean. Scientists were concerned about the project's environmental impact, as Lake Nicaragua is Central America's key freshwater reservoir while the project's viability was questioned by shipping experts and engineers.

Construction of a canal using the San Juan River as an access route to Lake Nicaragua was first proposed in the early colonial era. After the United States purchased the French interests in the Panama Canal in the early 20th century, it decided not to build in Nicaragua, but it secured rights and conducted studies for such a canal as a supplement.

The 19th century in the United States refers to the period in the United States from 1801 through 1900 in the Gregorian calendar. For information on this period, see:

• History of the United States series:
  • History of the United States (1789–1849)
  • History of the United States (1849–1865)
  • History of the United States (1865–1918)
• Historical eras:
  • Jeffersonian era
  • Era of Good Feelings
  • Jacksonian era
  • American Civil War
  • Reconstruction era
  • Gilded Age
  • Progressive Era