Facts About the Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is about 50 miles long and was completed in 1914.

It acts like a giant water elevator for ships, raising and lowering them between oceans.

By cutting through the Isthmus of Panama, it saves vessels weeks of travel time, eliminating the need to sail around South America. 

Other Panama Canal Facts

  • Tropical Engineering Feat: The canal passes through lush rainforests, so engineers had to deal with dense jungle, heavy rains, and disease-carrying mosquitoes during its construction.

  • Gatun Lake’s Key Role: Much of the canal’s fresh water supply comes from Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to help operate the locks and ensure ships can move smoothly between the Atlantic and Pacific.

  • Changing Directions: Surprisingly, traveling through the canal doesn’t always mean going perfectly east to west. Due to Panama’s shape, a ship entering from the Atlantic actually moves slightly southeast to reach the Pacific!

  • A Long Journey in Just Hours: Even though ships no longer need to sail around South America, passing through the canal still takes about 8–10 hours, thanks to the sequence of locks and careful navigation.

  • A Modern Marvel: Often considered one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century, the canal was upgraded in 2016 with bigger locks, allowing even larger ships—called “Neopanamax” vessels—to pass through.

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