Panama Canal :: essays research papers fc

PANAMA CANAL The canal is joining the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It runs from Cristobal on lemon bay, a part of the Caribbean sea, to Balboa, on the Gulf of Panama. The canal is slightly more than 64 km long, not including the dredged approach channels at either end. The minimum depth is 12.5 m, and the minimum width is 91.5 m. The construction of the canal ranks as one of the greatest engineering works of all time. In history people had interest in a shorter route from the Atlantic to Pacific. This began with the explorers of Central America early in the 16th century. Hernan Cortez was a Spanish conquer of Mexico who suggested a canal across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Other explorers had favored routes through Nicaragua and Darien. The 1st for a canal through the Panama was started by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Who in 1523 ordered a survey of the isthmus. A working plan for the canal was drawn up as early as 1529, but was shown to the king. In 1534 a Spanish official suggested a canal rout e close to that of the present canal. Later more of the canal plans were suggested but no action was taken upon any of these plans suggested. Later on there is more in the canal. The Spanish government abandoned its interest in the canal but in the early 19th century the books of the German scientist Alexander von Humboldt brang back the interest in the project of the canal, and in 1819 the Spanish government formally authorized the construction of a canal and the creation of a company to build it. Nothing came of this effort, however, and the revolt of the Spanish colonies soon took control of possible canal sites out of Spanish hands . The republics of Central America tried to interest groups in the United States and Europe in building a canal, and it became a subject of perennial debate in the congress of the United States. The discovery of gold in California in 1848 and the rush of would-be miners started the United States interest in digging the canal. Various surveys made betw een 1850 and 1875 indicated that only two routes were practical, the one across Panama and that across Nicaragua. In 1876 an international company was organized. Two years later it obtained a concession from the Colombian government. Panama was then part of Colombia to dig a canal across the isthmus.