Panama Canal
The canal changed global shipping routes and Central America’s economic position. Its history also encompasses foreign power, Panamanian sovereignty and the continuing tension between shipping, water availability and nature.
Photo: Thoroe · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Facts
- Place
- Gatún, Panama (representative location)
- Civilisation / patron
- French canal companies and the United States, with an international workforce
- Built
- 1881 – 1914
- Status
- Still standing
- Seven Wonders of the Modern World (ASCE)
History
The Panama Canal links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through locks, an artificial lake and excavated channels. A French attempt began in 1881, after which the United States took over the project and opened the canal in 1914. Construction required enormous earthworks and cost many workers their lives through disease and dangerous working conditions. Panama assumed full control at the end of 1999; an expansion with larger locks opened in 2016.
More from: Modern era
Sources: Wikipedia — Panamakanaal