Marvelous Mondays The Panama Canal is a 77.1-kilometre (48 mi) ship canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The water passage cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. A civil Engineering marvel, it has locks at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 26 meters above sea level. The idea to construct a water passage to connect the two great oceans in order to save the travel time dates back to 15th century. The Actual construction started in late 18th Century when France began work on the canal in 1881, but had to stop because of engineering problems and high mortality due to disease. The United States took over the project in 1904, and took a decade to complete the canal, and finally on August 15, 1914 the canal was officially opened. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduced the amount of time taken for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, enabling them to avoid the lengthy, hazardous Cape Horn route around the southernmost tip of South America via the Drake Passage or Strait of Magellan. The shorter, faster, and safer route to the U.S. West Coast and to nations in and around the Pacific Ocean allowed those places to become more integrated with the world economy. The approximate time to traverse the canal is between 20 and 30 hours. #Civil #Engineering #Monday #Civitech #Construction #Panama #Canal #Modern
Posted on: Mon, 19 May 2014 06:07:19 +0000
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