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The Panama Canal (Spanish: Canal de Panamá) is an artificial 82-kilometre (51-mile) waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean, cutting across the Isthmus of Panama, and is a conduit for maritime trade.
Der Panamakanal ist eine künstliche, bis zu 82 km lange Wasserstraße mit Schleusen und einer Scheitelhaltung von 26 m Höhe, die die Landenge von Panama in Mittelamerika durchschneidet, den Atlantik mit dem Pazifik für die Schifffahrt verbindet und ihr damit die Fahrt um das Kap Hoorn oder durch die Magellanstraße an der Südspitze Südamerikas ers...
- Overview
- The canal
The Panama Canal is a constructed waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across the Isthmus of Panama. It is owned and administered by Panama, and it is 40 miles long from shoreline to shoreline. Ships can cross going in either direction, and it takes about 10 hours to get from one side to the other. Ships from any country are treated equally with respect to conditions of passage and tolls.
Why is the Panama Canal important?
Before the Panama Canal was built, ships traveling between the east and west coasts of the American continents had to go around Cape Horn in South America, a voyage that was some 8,000 nautical miles longer then going through the canal and that took about two months to complete. All journeys between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans are shortened by thousands of nautical miles by going through the canal.
How was the Panama Canal made?
The Panama Canal was made by building dams on the Chagres River to create Gatun Lake and Lake Madden, digging the Gaillard Cut from the river between the two lakes and over the Continental Divide, building locks between the Atlantic Ocean and Gatun Lake to lift boats to the lake and another set of locks at the end of the Gaillard Cut to lower ships, and digging a channel to the Pacific Ocean.
Why does the Panama Canal need locks?
The Panama Canal lies at a latitude of 9° N, at a point where the North American Continental Divide dips to one of its lowest points. The canal does not, as is generally supposed, cross the isthmus from east to west. It runs due south from its entrance at Colón on the Atlantic side through the Gatún Locks to a point in the widest portion of Gatún Lake; it then turns sharply toward the east and follows a course generally to the southeast until it reaches the Bay of Panama, on the Pacific side. Its terminus near Balboa is some 25 miles (40 km) east of its terminus near Colón. Parallel to the canal are the Panama Canal Railway and the Boyd-Roosevelt Highway.
In passing from the Atlantic to the Pacific, vessels enter the approach channel in Limón Bay, which extends a distance of about 7 miles (11 km) to the Gatún Locks. At Gatún a series of three locks lifts vessels 85 feet (26 metres) to Gatún Lake. The lake, formed by Gatún Dam on the Chagres River and supplemented by waters from Alajuela Lake (Lake Madden; formed by the Madden Dam), covers an area of 166 square miles (430 square km). The channel through the lake varies in depth from 46 to 85 feet (14 to 26 metres) and extends for about 23 miles (37 km) to Gamboa. Gaillard (Culebra) Cut begins at Gamboa and passes through the Continental Divide. The channel through the cut has an average depth of about 43 feet (13 metres) and extends some 8 miles (13 km) to the Pedro Miguel Locks. The locks lower vessels 30 feet (9 metres) to Miraflores Lake, at an elevation of 52 feet (16 metres) above sea level. Vessels then pass through a channel almost 1.2 miles (2 km) long to the two-stepped locks at Miraflores, where they are lowered to sea level. The final segment of the canal is a dredged approach passage 7 miles long through which ships pass into the Pacific. Throughout its length the canal has a minimum bottom width of 500 feet (150 metres); in Gatún Lake the width of the channel varies between 500 and 1,000 feet (150 and 300 metres), and in Miraflores Lake the width is 740 feet (225 metres).
Britannica Quiz
Water and its Varying Forms
Find out more about the workings of the Canal. Access Shipping Advisories. Canal customers will find valuable information about Panama Canal transit toll rates, booking, pilotage, and tug services and more…
4. Aug. 2015 · Learn about the construction and significance of the Panama Canal, a water passage that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Explore the challenges, innovations and controversies of this engineering marvel that opened in 1914.
15. Aug. 2014 · By Katy Watson. BBC South America business reporter. The Panama Canal opened 100 years ago. It was a feat of engineering that revolutionised global trade. More than a million ships have passed...
15. Aug. 2014 · Erfahren Sie mehr über die Geschichte und den Ausbau des Panama-Kanals, der als technisches Weltwunder im Dschungel gilt. Sehen Sie Fotos von der Wasserstrasse, die 100 Jahre nach der Eröffnung weiterhin wichtig für den Handel ist.
