| Managua |
| Granada |
| Rivas |
| San Carlos |
| - |
| Lake Nicaragua |
Lake Nicaragua is the largest lake in Central America at 8264 square kilometres. It is also known by the locals as Cocibolca or Mar Dulce which means "sweet sea". There are around 400 islands in the lake, the largest being Isla de Ometepe. The lake is connected to the Caribbean by the Rio San Juan. The Spanish sailed up this route to found the city of granada in 1524. On 3 occasions over the years granada was attacked by pirates sailing up the river from the Caribbean. In the 19th Century plans were made to build a canal over the narrow strip of land separating lake Nicaragua from the Pacific Ocean and thus create an inter-oceanic route from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The plans were later abandoned in favour of the Panama Canal but have since been reconsidered on several occasions. The lake has a number of unusual species of fish, including sawfish and bull sharks, usually only found in in the oceans. It is thought that these species migrate up the Rion San Juan from the Caribbean, although some believe that the lake was once a huge bay, opening onto the Pacific ocean. Over time the lake was closed off, trapping the sharks and other species inside. Infact the lake is very like a sea in other ways. There are large waves and frequent powerful storms which make sailing on the lake at these times impossible. |
