The building of the Panama Canal took 34 years from the initial effort in 1880 to actually opening the canal in The building of the canal is considered one of the greatest engineering feats in history.

To sail from Atlantic to Pacific, ships navigated around Cape Horn, the treacherous southern extremity of South America. A New York to San Francisco journey measured some 13,000 miles and took months.

1.Political Problems 2.Geographical Problems 3.Other Natural Problems

In the 1820s, at the time of initial American interest in the Panama Canal, Panama was part of Gran Colombia. In 1902, Panama was still a province of Colombia President Roosevelt offered Colombia $10 million in cash and $250,00 a year in rent to allow the United States to build a canal through Panama Many Colombians were against the idea of an American controlled canal because of the permanent control they would have over Colombian territory. Others believed the land was much more valuable than what the United States was offering. Panama

There was a segment of the population in Panama that was against Colombian rule. President Roosevelt knew of this anti- Colombian sentiment. He let them know that if they claimed independence from Colombia, the United States would help protect them. On November 3,1903, a revolt took place among the Colombian rebels. The United States had gunboats stationed in the harbor near Panama to provide support for the rebels U.S. Marines landed in Panama to prevent Colombian troops from reaching Panama City

On November 6,1903, newly independent Panama signed a treaty with the United States. The treaty gave the United States the same deal with Panama that it had originally offered Colombia. Many Americans were disturbed by Roosevelt’s role in the revolt, criticizing his “gunboat diplomacy”

Three major geographical problems: 1. complex mountain range formation; 2. tropical jungles; and 3. complex topography

Describe two reasons why the President Roosevelt wanted to build a canal through Panama?  American builders faced difficult problems that threatened to derail the project such as tropical diseases like Malaria and Yellow Fever.

Dr. William Gorgas, was hired to eradicate yellow fever, like he had in Havana years before. He was able to accomplish his goal by killing the mosquitoes that carried the diseases. Workers: 1.Drained swamps, swept drainage ditches, paved roads and installed plumbing. 2.Sprayed pesticides by the ton. 3.Entire towns rose from the jungle, complete with housing, schools, churches, commissaries, and social halls.

U.S President Theodore Roosevelt Visiting the canal construction site. It is estimated that over 80,000 persons took part in the construction and that over 30,000 lives were lost in both French and American efforts.

1909 Lock Construction The American expenditures from 1904 to 1914 totaled $352,000,000, far more than the cost of anything built by the United States Government up to that time. In today’s money it would cost $7,448,028,707.72

Panama Canal TR in Panama (Construction begins in 1904)

By August 15, 1914 the Panama Canal was officially opened by the passing of the SS Ancon.

Upon the Canal’s completion, a ship traveling from New York to San Francisco saved 7,872 miles by using the Panama Canal instead of going around South America. The average time spent in transit from port to port is approx hours.

By 2006, the Panama Canal was maxed out. In October, the country's voters approved a $5.25 billion plan to expand and modernize the canal. The project will include: two new sets of single- lane, three-step locks — one set at the Atlantic entrance and one at the Pacific; two new navigational channels to connect the new locks to existing channels; and deeper, wider versions of existing shipping lanes.

In the current canal locks, ships have a clearance of about 2 ft. on either side.

In all, canal crews will dredge 130 million cubic meters of rock and soil, enough to fill the Empire State Building nearly 130 times. The new traffic lane will be large enough to accommodate larger, more modern, ships and will double the canal's capacity.