Panama Canal is a 48 mile long ship canal. It connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. It is very key to trade. It was built from 1904-1914. The annual traffic went from 1,000 to about 14,700. During the first attempt to construct a canal 22,000 people died and the job was abandoned in 1880. That was by the French. Next the U.S. tried and succeeded in 1914. We had to buy it for 40 million dollars from them.
..The Panama Canal consists of lakes, channels, and locks. The lakes and channels are artificially made. There is a buoyed entrance at the Gulf of Panama. The ships travel 8 miles up stream to the Miraflores locks and pass under the Bridge of the Americas. The Miraflores lock system is one mile long. Next is the Miraflores Lake. The last part of the ascent is the Pedro Miguel Lock at almost a mile long and 31 feet up. The Gaillard Cut slices 7 miles through the continental divide. It then passes under the Centennial Bridge. Chagres River runs west about 5 miles and merges with Lake Gatun. Lake Gatun carries vessels 15 miles across the isthmus. The Gatun Locks drop the ships back down to sea level. A two mile channel forms the locks on the Atlantic side. Limon Bay is a natural harbor where ships anchor and wait. So, the whole canal is 50 miles long.
..As you can see the set up is pretty difficult. It was seen as a shortcut between the oceans. The first idea wasto make it through Nicaragua. But we decided against that. We signed a treaty saying we would pay them 10 million dollars and 250,000 dollars an area of land across Panama.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal
US History Book E-Edition
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