Key Facts about Panama Canal

About Panama Canal:

• It is an artificial waterway that connects theAtlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean.
• The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit for maritime trade.
• It was cut through one of the narrowest saddles of the isthmus that joins North and South America.
• It is one of the two most strategic artificial waterways in the world, the other being the Suez Canal. 
• The length of the Panama Canal from shoreline to shoreline is about 40 miles (65 km), and from deep water in the Atlantic (more specifically, the Caribbean Sea) to deep water in the Pacific, about 50 miles (82 km). 
• It consists of a series of locks that raise and lower the water level to facilitate the passage of ships through the continental divide.
• History:
  • France began work on the canal in 1881, but financial troubles and diseases made the initiative fail.
  • The United States took over the project on May 4, 1904, and opened the canalon August 15, 1914, and then managed the waterway until 1999. 
  • On December 31, 1999, Panama took over full operation, administration, and maintenance of the Canal, in compliance with the Torrijos-Carter Treaties negotiated with the United States in 1977.