Panama Canal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Panama CanalCanal de Panamá |
|
---|---|
![]() A schematic of the Panama Canal, illustrating the sequence of locks and passages
|
|
Specifications | |
Locks | 3 locks up, 3 down per transit; all three lanes (3 lanes of locks) |
Status | Open, expansion opened June 26, 2016 |
Navigation authority | Panama Canal Authority |
History | |
Original owner | Société internationale du Canal |
Principal engineer | John Findlay Wallace (1904–1905), John Frank Stevens (1905–1907), George Washington Goethals (1907–1914) |
Date of first use | August 15, 1914 |
The Panama Canal is a waterway (a canal) in the country of Panama in Central America, that connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Because of the way Panama twists, the entrance to the Pacific Ocean is farther east than the entrance to the Atlantic Ocean. This is the opposite of what one would expect.
The Panama Canal is 77 km (48 miles) long and cuts across the Isthmus of Panama. At each end it uses three pairs of locks for lifting and lowering ships on different water levels. This saves ships 15,000 km (10,000 miles) compared to going around South America. Each year, about 14,000 ships come through the canal. By 2002, around 800,000 ships came through. The biggest ships that can go through the Panama Canal are called Panamax. New locks opened in 2016 to allow ships more than twice as big, called New Panamax.
The French people tried building it in 1880, but couldn't finish it. It was finally finished in 1914 by the United States who spent ten years and 375 million dollars building it. It is such an amazing achievement that it has been named one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
Images for kids
-
The U.S.'s intentions to influence the area (especially the Panama Canal construction and control) led to the separation of Panama from Colombia in 1903
-
President Theodore Roosevelt sitting on a steam shovel at Culebra Cut, 1906
-
USS Missouri passes through the canal in 1945. The Iowa-class battleships were designed to be narrow enough to fit through.
-
Miter lock gate at Gatún
-
Lock gate at Miraflores