It is believed that Lake Nicaragua, together with to the northwest, origi.... lake san

It is believed that Lake Nicaragua, together with to the northwest, originally formed part of an ocean bay that, as a result of volcanic eruption, became an inland basin containing the two lakes, which are linked by the Tipitapa River. Lake Nicaragua is the only freshwater lake containing oceanic animal life, including sharks, swordfish, and tarpon. The (R San Juan) drains out of the lake, following a 112-mile course that runs from the southeastern shore of the lake through a densely forested region to empty into the Caribbean Sea. Due to the chemical composition of the volcanic rocks forming parts of the lake's bed and shores, the lake waters contain high proportions of dissolved magnesium and potassium salts. There are over 400 islands in the lake, of which 300 are within 5 mi of the city of Granada on the northwest lake shore. (A third volcano associated with the lake is Mombacho, 4,413 ft high, which stands on the western shore.) Ometepe Island is the preeminent site in ! Nicaragua for pre-Columbian examples of statuary, ceramics, and other archaeological remains, some of which, it is believed, represent vestiges of ancient South American, as well as North American, civilizations. Lake steamers based at visit small lakeside towns, such as San Jorge and La Virgen on the west shore; C enas and San Carlos on the southern shore; San Ubaldo, Puerto D , San Miguelito, and El Morrito on the eastern shore. From the time of the ending of Spanish rule in the 1820s, the possibility of constructing a transoceanic canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific, which would run up the San Juan River, cross the lake, and be completed by a channel dug through the Rivas Isthmus, has been mooted. lake san