Guide Note

The Panama Canal is a man-made waterway that opened in 1914 and connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the canal has had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, replacing the long and treacherous route via the Drake Passage and Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America. It takes about nine hours for a ship to navigate from one end to the other. An average of 40 vessels a day make the trip. Each year more than 14,000 ships pass through the canal, carrying more than 205 million tons of cargo. By 2002 about 800,000 ships had used the canal altogether.

Fast Facts

1. Approx. 51 miles long
2. Costs to U.S. and France: $639,000,000
3. First vessel to make passage: SS Ancon
4. Concept of canal dates to 1600s
5. 14,000+ ships pass through canal yearly
6. Has 17 artificial lakes
7. Tolls are assessed according to length of vessel
8. Estimated death toll: 27,500 French and American

An earlier attempt to build a canal in 1880 by the French failed and resulted in 22,00 deaths. In 1899 the U.S. Congress created an Isthmian Canal Commission to examine the possibilities of a canal and to recommend a route. While the commission had initially considered Nicaragua as the location of the route, Panama was later chosen after lobbying efforts from William Nelson Cromwell swayed the US Congressional vote.