From the air, it looks like any other river in Panama. From a boat, it still looks like any other river in Panama, but taking a trip through the Panama Canal is not just any other trip. The landmark that put Panama on the map was constructed and ready for operation in 1914. The French began the massive project in the late 1800s, and turned it over to the Americans sometime later because of the high death toll plaguing the Frenchmen. This transition brought a large American populace and its influence to Panama, which became home to all of the Canal workers. Upon completion of the Canal, the Americans maintained control of the Canal and continued to have a major influence in Panama. Although the Canal is now run by the country of Panama, there is still a large American presence felt in Panama, with many of the restaurants and businesses having American roots and a great portion of the Panamanian society speaking at least some English.
Cruising through the Panama Canal on a ten passenger motor boat is an experience one would not want to miss while visiting Panama. If you are lucky enough to cruise by one of the large vessels transiting the canal, you will be awed at the size of these floating warehouses. These ship passing through the canal are inexplicably enormous, but are not even the largest ones roaming the blue seas; the “big" vessels are still required to trek the extra several thousand miles around the southern tip of the Americas due to size limitations of the canal. The increasing size of ocean vessels has brought about a plan for an expansion of the Canal which will double its capacity, so that these bigger ships can take advantage of its intended purpose as do their smaller companions. This 6.2 billion dollar expansion project is estimated to take a full 20 years to complete, but will bring Panama a hefty increase in revenues once completed. The payoff to Panama once the expansion is complete will make the project well worth the wait and laborious effort put in by the Canal workers.
The most unique feature of the Canal that is not talked about very often is the fact that it is freshwater floating these boats across the tiny Isthmus of Panama. The man made Lake Gatun and the Canal connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific are filled with freshwater by rainfall and runoff from the rainforests lining the banks of the Canal. The international combination of people and products that travel through the Canal each year ensure Panama a consistent income to support its budding economy. The toll to transit the Canal and its locks is quite inexpensive for a small tourist boat and will leave you fascinated at this incredible creation found in the tiny country of Panama.
The Panama Canal is a man-made transoceanic route that was first constructed by the French and completed by the Americans in 1914. It was made to shorten the travel time needed by ships needing to get to the Atlantic from the Pacific, and vice versa. Its two ends are at the Gulf of Panama, and the Caribbean.
The United States previously controlled the Panama Canal Zone, but it was turned over to the Panama Canal Authority on December 31, 1999. For more information about Panama and real estate options, visit PanaEstate.
How the Canal Came to Be
The idea to build a canal in the Gulf of Panama was the brainchild of Charles V of Spain, the Holy Roman Emperor, who suggested in 1532 that the passage would ease shipping for the Spain-Peru route. The suggestion was then studied by explorer Alessandro Malaspina during a voyage in 1788-1793. Malaspina even came up with construction plans.
It was not until the 19th century that construction of the Canal was initiated. Before that, however, Scotland has tried to initiate trade links between the Atlantic and the Pacific through the Darien scheme, an attempt to establish a colony on the Isthmus of Panama. The scheme was ill-fated, however, which caused high numbers of deaths in the ranks of the colonists due to the inhospitable conditions of the isthmus and England's refusal to support the effort.
Finally, the US$8-million Panama Railway was established by the United States. Opened in 1855, the overland trans-oceanic link was able to facilitate easier and speedier trade between the two oceans. However, some people still think that an all-water route would be more effective and ideal.
The French Attempt at Building the Canal
On January 1, 1880, the French decided to start constructing the canal at sea level through Panama, then a province of Colombia. The project was as ill-fated as the Darien scheme, because the French did not make any studies as to the geology and the conditions of the water in the region. Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and yellow fever struck mercilessly on the French work-force, resulting to a high mortality rate among them. At that time, nobody suspected mosquitoes of being capable of carrying deadly diseases.
The high mortality was compounded by the hospitals instead of helping, because the wards in which the sick workers were confined had no screens. The hospitals were also breeding grounds for mosquitoes because health officials had no idea about the mosquito's role in disease transmission.
The working conditions were not the only factors in the failure of the French attempt. Other factors included the lack of field experience by the French, and the difficulty of the concept itself.
During the 8 years that the French spent on their attempt -- from 1881-1889 -- they had lost as much as 22,000 workers due to the work conditions of the canal.
The Americans Take Over
The American idea was to build a canal across Nicaragua, and not Panama as was attempted by the French. In a bid to realize their own plans, Philippe Bunau Varilla of the French Canal Syndicate tapped the services of William Nelson Cromwell to convince the United States Congress to build the canal across Panama instead.
Cromwell then took advantage in 1902 of an erroneous 10-cent Nicaraguan postal stamp made by the US American Bank Note Company, which showed the Momotombo volcano fuming with smoke and about to erupt. It was also the part of the year in which the Caribbean experiences high volcanic activity, something that Cromwell also took advantage of. Cromwell used the opportunity to make a false story about Momotombo erupting and causing seismic shocks, and published it in the New York Sun. He also sent leaflets with the Nicaraguan stamps to all senators.
In reality, Momotombo was a nearly dormant volcano that is also 100 miles from the proposed Nicaraguan canal. However, Cromwell's efforts paid off and the U.S. legislative assembly voted to build the canal in Panama.
The rest is history. The United States started building the Panama Canal on May 4, 1904 after gaining Panama's graces by helping it achieve independence from Colombia. The U.S. this time took careful attention for extensive sanitation and control of mosquitoes, something the French failed to do which resulted in the deaths of its workers. Because of this, the Americans had a lower death toll although the toll did reach 5,609 workers from the 10-year construction period. The canal was completed on 1914, and was opened on August 15 of that year.
Article Source :
About Author
Both Jon Ashurov & Attila Jancsina are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jon Ashurov has sinced written about articles on various topics from The Ocean Beach, Travel and Leisure and Research and Science. About the Author: Laurie Cooper, of Cpanama Real Estate Corp., is an expert on . For more information, please visit. Jon Ashurov's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.
Attila Jancsina has sinced written about articles on various topics from Culture, Credit Cards and Entertainment Guide. Attila Z Jancsina is a freelance copy writer. He occasionally writes for . Website offers Free FSBO advertisement.. Attila Jancsina's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.