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.