Tourism

Panama Canal

Panama Canal

          The panama canal had been a dream since the beginning of Spanish colony. From 1880 to 1890, a French company lead by Ferdinand de Lesseps attempted and failed to construct a sea-level canal on the site of the present Canal. In November 1903, Panama proclaimed its independence and concluded the Hay/Bunau-Varilla Treaty with the United States. The treaty granted rights to the United States "as if it were sovereign" in an are roughly 10 miles wide and 50 miles long. In that area, the U.S. would build the Panama Canal. In 1914, the United States completed the existing 52 mile-long canal, which is one of the world's greatest feats of engineering. The canal connects the Pacific ocean to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and is a valuable for shipping and commercial sea travel.