Where is the Panama Canal?
The Panama Canal is located in Panama City and connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Comprising a 77km long waterway, it is an important gateway for ships heading to South America, saving them over 12,875km of voyages.
Panama Canal: When was it built?
The construction of the Panama Canal was the second attempt by the United States after France failed to build its own canal in the Isthmus of Panama. The construction of the canal was decided in 1906, which required moving more than 1 million cubic yards of dirt. The job requires more than 25,000 workers to complete the construction of the building facility every day.
What is the purpose of the Panama Canal?
The Panama Canal is one of the most strategic man-made waterways in the world, providing vital services for the movement of goods. It reduces the sailing of ships by providing a passage that takes them directly to South America. This reduced travel time by more than 15,000 kilometers.
Routes to North and other South American ports also facilitate easy travel through the Panama Canal, saving more than 6,500 kilometers. On the other hand, the use of the Panama Canal reduces voyages from East Asia and Europe to Australia by 3,700 km.
What is the Panama Canal for?
Today, the Panama Canal is used for the transportation of goods, mainly in the import and export industry. It became an important gateway to different parts of the world by allowing easier routes and faster voyages.
Why is the Panama Canal important?
The importance of the Panama Canal lies in its import and export advantages as well as its international trade relations. It has commercial and military importance.
Commercial importance
The Panama Canal provided a cheaper and easier way to move cargo and commercial goods between the Pacific and Atlantic. It eliminates the need for ships to sail around Cape Horn and the southernmost tip of South America to reach their destination. From a voyage that took 67 days to cover 12,000 miles, the canal paved the way for a voyage of just 8,000 miles, which was only 8 to 10 hours.
Military importance
The Panama Canal was of military importance in the 1900s, when the United States provided money and a naval blockade to Panama for its revolution. This led to the independence of Panama, which enabled the United States to enter into a treaty with them to build the canal. In 1999, the military presence in the Panama Canal Zone was strong, especially when U.S. military bases were closed.
To this day, the Panama Canal is still used to transport military watercraft.
How did the Panama Canal affect the world?
The Panama Canal is hailed as one of the few projects that changed the face of the planet and created transoceanic shipping routes. From 1914 to the present, it is one of the most important waterways facilitating international trade and import and export.
