Panama Canal
- Panama Canal is a man made waterway in Panama connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
- It is 82 km long and has been constructed by digging up the Isthmus of Panama connecting North America and South America continents.
- The Panama Canal is not dug at sea level but above sea level to save on the drilling cost. Panama Canal is made up of a system of locks that raises the ship to the level of Gatun Lake (26 meters above sea level). In addition, the water that feeds our Canal is fresh, because it comes mainly from this lake, and this determines the draft along its channel.
- The Canal locks at each end lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial freshwater lake 26 m above sea level created by damming up the Chagres River and Lake Alajuela to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, and then lower the ships at the other end. An average of 200,000,000 litres of fresh water are used in a single passing of a ship.
- Note: Suez Canal has been dug at Sea level. Thus, the Suez Canal never faces the risk of drying up as it is fed by ocean water that moves in the Suez Canal at sea level.
- Panama Canal is a key conduit for international maritime trade. It has been a major thoroughfare for international trade for over 100 years, connecting nearly 2,000 ports in 170 countries.
- Drought in Panama: Since the start of 2023, traffic through the canal has slowed down due to a prolonged drought that has diminished the amount of available water used to fill the canal locks, which require 101,000 cubic metres of water to fill. The water is drawn from the nearby lakes.
