Pollution Essay: The Importance Of The Panama Canal

By definition, the Panama Canal is described as “an international waterway that links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.” (traveltips.usatoday.com) This definition, however, does not give the waterway the glory it deserves, as it tremendously benefitted world travel and trade. The Panama Canal helped ships save a significant amount of time, as it allowed them to cut straight through North and South America instead of going around them. Building the Canal took several attempts, starting with the French in the 1880’s, and was finally completed by the United States on August 14th, 1914. The Panama Canal should be described as one of the marvels in the history of construction not only for the many conveniences in created, but also because it became …show more content…
To begin with, the canal shaved 8,000 miles off the previous 12,000 mile trip from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. It allowed shippers to transport cargo more quickly, saving both time and money during the process. 14,000 ships carrying cargo carry tons of cargo through the canal each day, and this number would be nowhere near obtainable if the Panama Canal was not constructed. (csmonitor.com) The Canal also had considerable military importance. Theodore Roosevelt first desired the idea on a canal in Central America when the United States seized the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. After the US helped Panama take control on the land needed to build it from Columbia, Panama sold the rights of the canal them. The United States military was present in the canal until all of their bases were closed in 1999, but the Canal is still used to this day for the transportation of military water vessels. (traveltips.usatoday.com) The importance the of the Panama Canal in past and present day trade and military related travel reveals how marvelous the construction of it is in the history of