Panama Canal History and Significance

The Panama Canal

• Connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, crossing the Isthmus of Panama
• Allows ships to pass from one ocean to the other, improving world trade
• Guaranteed to remain open to all nations' vessels, with no right of war or hostility exercised within

Panama's Sovereignty and US Control

• Panama has sovereignty over the Canal, but grants the US exclusive control and use of a 10-mile-wide zone

Canal Specifications

• 51 miles long from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean
• Approximately 30 ships pass through the Canal daily
• 50 million gallons of water are required to lift a ship over the high point in the Canal

Locks and Gates

• Gatun Lake, a dam, supplies water for the Canal locks
• 46 pairs of gates, each with two leaves, 7 feet thick, 65 feet wide, and 74-82 feet high
• Leaves weigh enormous amounts, but 25-horsepower motors can open them in 2 minutes
• Lower half of each gate has a water-tight compartment, making it buoyant

Construction Challenges

• The lowest route found required ships to go up 312 feet
• 8 miles of rock had to be cut down to 85 feet below sea level
• The Culebra Cut, the biggest man-made cut on earth, was made
• A 140-foot hill was leveled to sea level to prevent landslides

History of the Canal

• The concept of a canal was first proposed to Charles V of Spain, but deemed impossible
• The French attempted to build the Canal twice, failing miserably
• The US government spent $380,000,000 on the original construction
• Today, the Panama Canal is considered one of the seven wonders of the modern world