Panama Canal

Prelims – maps 

• It is a constructed waterwaythat connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across the Isthmus of Panama.

• It is one of the two most strategic artificial waterways in the world, the other being the Suez Canal. 
• It is approximately 80 kilometers long.
• The canal was built by the United States between 1904 and 1914, and it was officially opened on August 15, 1914.
• It is owned and administered by the Republic of Panama since the oversight of the Canal was transferred from the United States to Panama in 1999.

The Panama Canal consists of a series of locks that raise and lower the water level to facilitate the passage of ships through the continental divide.