Editing Lake Nicaragua (section)

==Transport==
The lake was historically important for both passenger and freight shipping. During the [[California Gold Rush]] of the late 1840s a trip up the Rio San Juan, through the lake and then across the short overland stretch was one of the two preferred routes to get from the Atlantic to the Pacific (the other being the overland route through Panama) as overland travel through the continental United States prior to the construction of the transcontinental railroad was too dangerous.<ref>https://www.enriquebolanos.org/libro/La-Ruta-de-Nicaragua-El-tr%C3%A1nsito-a-Trav%C3%A9s-de-Nicaragua.-David-I-Folkman-Jr.;-Luciano-Cuadra-(Trad)</ref><ref>https://www.enriquebolanos.org/media/archivo/CCBA%20-%20SERIE%20HISTORICA%20-%2008%20-%2004.pdf</ref> 

Until the construction of [[Ometepe Airport]] the only way to reach the island was by boat. The archipelago of Solentiname is still only reachable by boat. Prior to the construction of a fully paved road to San Carlos (Rio San Juan) travel by boat from Granada via Ometepe to San Carlos was the fastest overland option to reach the [[Rio San Juan Department]].