Panama Canal - 4. Trains
Crystal Serenity Cruise Ship going through the Panama Canal - Pedro Miguel Lock & Miraflores Lock. (Dec.2005) Pancanal - www.pancanal.com Panama Canal - http Panama City - en.wikipedia.org Panama - en.wikipedia.org Map - tinyurl.com Crystal Serenity - www.crystalcruises.com Made with Sony DSC-V1 Photos on http Music: Apple & Stone - "Move To Silence" Web - www.appleandstone.com Buy www.itunes.com THE PANAMA CANAL - is a 77 km (48 mi) ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, annual traffic has risen from about 1000 ships in the canal's early days to 14702 vessels in 2008, measuring a total 309.6 million Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System (PC/UMS) tons. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the canal had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, replacing the long and treacherous route via the Drake Passage and Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America. A ship sailing from New York to San Francisco via the canal travels 9500 km (5900 mi), well under half the 22500 km (14000 mi) route around Cape Horn. The concept of a canal near Panama dates to the early 16th century. The first attempt to construct a canal began in 1880 under French leadership, but was abandoned after 21900 workers died, largely from disease (particularly malaria and yellow fever) and landslides. The United States launched a ...
