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Nicaragua gives Chinese firm contract to build alternative to Panama Canal
- otoburb 13y ago>>According to a bill submitted to congress last year, Nicaragua's canal will be 22 metres deep and 286 km (178 miles) long - bigger than Panama and Suez in all dimensions. The wording is interesting. It's a plus that Nicaragua's planned canal will be deeper, but you don't really want ot be bragging that a new alternative is going to be longer. If I was a stakeholder in this project, I'd much rather that the government did everything possible to make the new canal deeper, wider and shorter than existing alternatives.
- qbrass 13y agoI'd probably try and downplay the length, but Panama was chosen because it was the narrowest point. It was really important when you had to dig it by hand. A canal in Nicaragua can't be shorter than the Panama canal, but it does have the advantage of being further north. If spending more time going through this canal is still quicker than heading down to Panama and back, you're at a net gain.
- userulluipeste 13y agoI suppose the comparisons are to emphasize the new construction as technical achievement. That's consistent with other of the PRC's ways.