Answer:
The Panama Canal makes it possible for ships to travel between North America and South America.
Explanation:
The Panama Canal is a large canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the east with the Pacific Ocean to the west. Due to the s-shape of Panama, the canal's mouth in the Pacific lies southeast of the canal's mouth in the Atlantic. The construction of the canal was, for its time, a very large and complicated project. The canal shortens the ship route from New York to San Francisco to 9,500 kilometers, which is less than half the previous route around Cape Horn which is 22,500 kilometers long.
The first attempt to construct a canal was in 1880 under French leadership. After the attempt failed, the work was completed by the United States and the canal was opened in 1914. The expansion of the 77-kilometer canal was marred by many problems, including diseases (especially malaria and yellow fever) and massive landslides. It is estimated that as many as 27,500 workers died during the construction of the canal.
The canal is since the opening a key channel for international shipping. In 2006, the channel was operated by 14,194 vessels, carrying 296 million tonnes of cargo. An estimated 800,000 vessels have passed through the canal from its opening in 1914 to 2002.
Panama and the United States signed an agreement in 1903, which meant that the United States would build and manage the Panama Canal, including an eight-kilometer wide strip of land on each side of the canal, the Panama Canal Zone. The canal was then built by engineer troops from the United States Army between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, it was decided that the Panama Canal should be transferred in its entirety from US control to Panama on December 31, 1999.
