The Panama Canal

A community portal about The Panama Canal with blogs, videos, and photos. According to Wikipedia.org: The Panama Canal is a major ship canal that traverses the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific... [more]

A community portal about The Panama Canal with blogs, videos, and photos. According to Wikipedia.org: The Panama Canal is a major ship canal that traverses the Isthmus of Panama in Central America, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Construction of the canal was one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken. It has had an enormous impact on shipping between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, obviating the long and treacherous route via the Drake Passage and Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America. A ship sailing from New York to San Francisco via the canal travels 9,500 kilometres, well under half the distance of the previous 22,500 kilometre route around Cape Horn. Although the concept of a canal in Panama dates back to the early 16th century, the first attempt to construct a canal began in 1880 under French leadership. After this attempt collapsed, the work was finally completed by the United States, and the canal opened in 1914.The building of the 77 kilometre canal was plagued by problems, including disease and landslides. As many as 27,500 workers are estimated to have died during construction of the canal.