1. The Panama Canal
                                                                                                            

2. The Panama Canal shortened the trip from the Pacific to the Atlantic by 7,800 miles.

3. Most of the traffic through the Canal moves between the east coast of the U.S. and East Asia. The second major route is between Europe and the west coast of the U.S./ Canada.
The neighboring countries of Central and South America depend on the Canal to promote economic development and expand trade.

4. The French were the first to try to build the canal (1881)
The French were the first to try to build the canal (1881). They tried to build the canal all at sea level (instead of using locks).
The Frenchman in charge of building the Panama Canal had built the Suez Canal. But there, he had worked with sandy soil in flat, arid land. Panama was totally different.

5. French work on the Calebra Cut, 1898

6. http://www. halppd. com/minisite/2009/PanCal/images/pages/elevation_lg
But that was very difficult and was taking forever. They gave up in 1898 (17 years after starting).

7. In 1902, the U.S. bought the French equipment & their canal plans and planned for the U.S. to build the canal. But we faced the same challenges as the French – and some extra challenges.

8. Challenges to be Overcome
Politics
2.Geography
3. Diseases
The Panama Canal was not only an incredible “wonder of work,” its construction was also an important case study of how U.S. foreign policy was conducted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As you can see in this map, the Canal begins at the Atlantic Ocean, winds through the Isthmus of Panama and empties at the Pacific Ocean.

9. 1. Political Challenges
Panama
In the 1820s, when the U.S. was first interested in building the Panama Canal, Panama was part of Gran Colombia.
This is an original map from As you can see, Gran Columbia included much of Central America, including Panama. In the 1920s, Colombia had no interest in discussing the possibility of an U.S.-made and controlled canal in Panama.

10. (Gran Colombia is now what we call Columbia – minus Panama.)
And Gran Columbia wasn’t interested in our plans to build a canal on their land.

11. U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt sent Panama a message: If they decided to rebel against Columbia, the U.S. would send their Navy to help.

12. Panama declared independence from Columbia in1903 – as the USS Nashville stood guard.

13. And then Panama let us build the canal.

14. Panama is filled with mountains and jungle.
2. Geography Challenges
Panama is filled with mountains and jungle.
What is this type of landform (narrow strip of land w/ water on both sides) called?
Additionally, the geography of Panama created many problems for any potential canal.

15. Jungles made it hard to build roads for equipment
Jungles made it hard to build roads for equipment. And it was always hot and rainy.
Panama has an average annual rainfall of 105” (Okla’s average rainfall is 34”) and an average temperature of 80° Fahrenheit (Okla. average is 60°).
Replace this information with YOUR city’s average rainfall and temperature.

16. Mountains made it hard to dig the canal.

17. French work on the Calebra Cut, 1898
We decided not to dig as much as the French had planned.
US work begins Calbera Cut, 1904

18. Instead, we built locks so we didn’t have to dig the whole canal down to sea level.

19. There are three sets of locks on the
Atlantic side and three sets on the
Pacific side. When a ship enters
Lake Gatún, the ship has risen
85 feet altogether.
On the Pacific side of the Canal, a single lock at Pedro Miguel lowers the ship 30 feet to Miraflores Lake. At the end of this small lake, the Miraflores Locks lower the ship another 55 feet to sea level. This last distance varies depending on the tides in the Pacific Ocean, which rise and fall 12 ½ feet a day.
Kids Discover Magazine, Panama Canal, March 15, 1995, Volume 5, Issue 3

20. Culebra Cut – a long process
1898
Culebra Cut – a long process
1910
The Culebra Cut was a 9-mile cut through the mountains, and an incredible engineering challenge.

21. 1910
1913

22. 1898
 from this
1913
to this 

23. Even today, the geography keeps fighting back
Even today, the geography keeps fighting back. The canal must be constantly dredged to remove the dirt and rocks from landslides.
On the Pacific side of the Canal, a single lock at Pedro Miguel lowers the ship 30 feet to Miraflores Lake. At the end of this small lake, the Miraflores Locks lower the ship another 55 feet to sea level. This last distance varies depending on the tides in the Pacific Ocean, which rise and fall 12 ½ feet a day.
Photo by Glenda Sullivan

24. 3. Disease Challenges Disease was a huge problem
3. Disease Challenges Disease was a huge problem. About 15,000 French workers had died from tropical diseases.
This number is debated, and there are not accurate records. We only know that about 22,000 died of disease and accidents. Apparently about 10% of the workers died in the first year, and it escalated after that to 20% per year during the French project.

25. Yellow Fever (viral): High fever (up to 104 degrees) Headache, Dizziness Seizures Pain in the neck, back, and legs Nausea Vomiting Red eyes Bloody nose and/or gums Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes) Vomiting blood

26. Malaria (parasite): Fever Headache Chills / Sweats Fatigue Nausea and vomiting Dry (nonproductive) cough Muscle and/or back pain Enlarged spleen Liver or kidney failure Blockage of brain capillaries

27. Yellow fever and malaria were spread by the thousands of mosquitoes in the area. But back then, no one knew how these diseases were spread.

28. Panama was rainy and warm – perfect for mosquitoes
Panama was rainy and warm – perfect for mosquitoes. And nobody worried about all the standing water.

29. The French tried to keep bugs away from the Panama Canal hospital patients by putting cans of water under the legs of the hospital beds. So mosquitoes bred in the cans of water.
This shows out unaware the medical world was about how Yellow Fever and Malaria were contracted.

30. To cheer up patients, potted plants were kept in the hospitals.
standing water

31. Right before the U.S. came to Panama, doctors discovered the cause of yellow fever and malaria. So we drained standing water as much as possible and sprayed for mosquitoes.
A doctor in Cuba discovered that both these diseases were spread by mosquitoes. During the French construction period, about 22,000 workers died, largely from disease. During the American construction period, hospital records show 5,609 deaths, a large percentage of which was attributed to disease. This is a picture of oil application at Pedro Miguel. Oil was applied to plant life in order to kill mosquito larvae.

32. We lost about 4,000. They lost about 15,000
Some U.S. workers still got sick, but it was much better than the French’s experience.
quarantine in a U.S. hospital in the Canal Zone
We lost about 4,000. They lost about 15,000

33. The canal opened in 1914, 33 years after the French had started and 10 years after we took over the project from the French.

34. Between 1904 and 1913, a total of 56,307 people worked on the canal.

35. Over half of those workers were English-speaking Blacks from the Caribbean. Over 3 million Blacks still live in Panama today.

36. Panama City, the capital, is an international banking center
Panama City, the capital, is an international banking center. The city is near the Pacific entrance of the canal.
Panama City surprises first time visitors as they see all the modern skyscrapers rising out of the Pacific Ocean. It is far more cosmopolitan than any other Central American city.
Photo by Glenda Sullivan

37. Ships today are much larger than ships of 1914
Ships today are much larger than ships of For many years, the canal has been too small for many modern
ships. So in 2007, a new project began. New larger locks are being built on both ends of the canal. Also, the cuts through the mountains are being made deeper.

38. The improvements to the canal were supposed to be done in 2014, but now should be completed by April 2016.