Europe wonders
Acropolis
Alhambra
Amalfi Coast
British Museum
Canals of Venice
Cappadocia
Chambord Chateau
Chartres Cathedral
Colosseum of Rome
Delphi
Dubrovnik
Eiffel Tower
Fjords of Norway
Florence Cityscape
Hagia Sophia
Hermitage Museum
Kremlin
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Louvre Museum
Matterhorn
Mezquita of Cordoba
Mont-St-Michel
Neuschwanstein Castle
Pompeii
Portofino
Prague Old Town
Santorini
Sistine Chapel
St. Basil's Cathedral
St. Mark's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
Stonehenge
Topkapi Palace
Uffizi Gallery
Versailles
Asia
Angkor Wat
Bagan
Bali
Banaue Rice Terraces
Borobudur
Forbidden City
Golden Pavilion
Golden Temple
Great Wall of China
Hong Kong Harbour/City
Kashmir Valley
Kathmandu Valley
Ladakh
Li River Cruise
Lijiang Shargri-La
Meenakshi
Mt. Everest
Potala Palace at Lhasa
Qin Terra Cotta Warriors
Shwedagon Stupa
Taj Mahal
Temple Emerald Buddha
Varanasi/Ganges
Yangtze River Cruise
Africa & Middle East
Abu Simbel
Baalbek
Burj Al Arab
Burj Khalifa
Damascus Old City
Egyptian Museum
Jerusalem Old City
Karnak Temple
Marrakesh
Mecca
Nile River Cruise
Ngorongoro Crater
Petra
Pyramids of Egypt
Sahara Desert
Serengeti Migration
Valley of the Kings
Victoria Falls
North America
Banff National Park
Carlsbad Caverns
Chichen Itza
Grand Canyon
Metropolitan Museum
New York Skyline
Niagara Falls
San Francisco Bay/City
Teotihuacan
Yellowstone
Yosemite
South America
Amazon Rainforest
Angel Falls
Carnival in Rio
Easter Island
Galapagos Islands
Iguazu Falls
Machu Picchu
Rio Panoramic Views
Other world areas
Antarctica Cruise
Ayers Rock
Bora Bora
Great Barrier Reef
World wonders
More
Site map
About me and my credentials
About my website
Reader testimonials
Email me your opinion
Panama Canal
candid Panama tips
Why the
Panama Canal
is special
The construction in the early 20th century was an astounding engineering feat and the waterway is today a vital artery for world trade. It nautically links the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean by cutting across the Isthmus of Panama.
Panama Canal
tips & insights
Panama
Canal
history in brief
Early 16th century
Explorer Balboa crossed the isthmus and saw the Pacific.
It did not take long for his King Charles I back in Spain to dream about
creating the canal.
1889
A French company made a serious seven year attempt to build the canal, but
failed. Over 20,000 people died, mainly caused by malaria and yellow fever, not
construction accidents.
1914
An American effort succeeded. However, as before, malaria and yellow fever
caused significant casualties.
Today
The Panama Canal is run by the Panamanian government.
It
was
more difficult
to build the Panama Canal
than its Suez cousin.
Although the Suez Canal is considerably longer, it traversed a relatively flat dessert landscape. In contrast, the Central America isthmus waterway had to go up and then down a small mountain. In addition, the workers lived in a then highly risky tropical disease environment.
Transit
time & cost
Transit normally takes about nine hours and averages US $30,000 per ship, but the toll can exceed US $100,000 for very large ships.
If
the passage
never existed
Ships sailing between New York and San Francisco (or the Orient) would face an added burden. They would have to travel around the tip of South America, where perilous stormy seas are not uncommon. Moreover, the southern hemisphere route adds about 13,000 kilometers (8,000 miles) and many extra days of travel to the trip.
Locks
Part of the 80 kilometer or 51-mile long Panama Canal is occupied by three sets of gigantic locks. They are built in parallel pairs to allow two way traffic. However, sometimes ships on both sides travel in the same direction.
sponsored ad
Explore my
candid country, region
and other travel guides
Click links for tips & insights
WONDERS OF ... | WONDERS OF ... | CRUISE GUIDES | SAFARI GUIDES | WORLD'S TOP WONDERS |
| ||||
| OTHER TIPS & INSIGHTS | ||||
|
| |||
SPECIAL TOPICS | MORE | |||
| ||||
|
| |||
|
| |||
|
| |||
|
| |||
|
|
| ||
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
©2012 HQP - Hillman Quality Publications / hillmanwonders.com
