The Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a 48 mile ship canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. The Panama Canal is used alot for international trading. The ships travel through the canal to import and export items. The process of the building of the canal started in 1904-1914, and the canal has seen the traffic of the canal rise from 1,000 ships to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6 billion tons in 2008. If you total up all the ships that have been through the canal it would be 815,000 vessels. The canal has been named one of the "seven modern wonders of the world" by the American Society of Civil Engingeers.
The Panama Canal was one of the most hardest and largest projects ever to be done. The canal had an huge impact on the shipping industry. The Panama Canal replaced the long and treacherous route via either the Strait of Magellan at the tip of South America. A ship sailing from New York to San Francisco via the canal was 5,900 miles compared to the Strait of Magellan that would have taken 14,000 miles.
The Panama Canal is the most highly travelled waterway system in the entire world. The Canal handles over 12,000 ships a year passing through. It takes 9 hours to get through thee entire canal.
I think that the canal has made a huge different in the world. It is so much easier to import and export goods by taking an easier route to the final destintation. If they would have no built the canal it would take over twice the miles then going the long way.
Sources:
http://http://www.eclipse.co.uk/~sl5763/panama.htm
http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal
http://http://geography.about.com/od/specificplacesofinterest/a/panamacanal.htm
Comments
Good job!