MIRAFLORES LOCKS - THE PANAMA CANAL / ESCLUSAS DE MIRAFLORES - EL CANAL DE PANAMA<br /> Photography by Aaron Sosa<br /> Panama City, Panama 2012<br /> (Copyright © Aaron Sosa)<br /> <br /> The Panama Canal is an 77.1-kilometre (48 mi) ship canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean (via the Caribbean Sea) to the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. There are locks at each end to lift ships up to Lake Gatun (26m (85ft) above sea-level) which was used to reduce the amount of work required for a sea-level connection. The current locks are 33.5m (110ft) wide although new larger ones are proposed.<br /> <br /> Work on the canal, which began in 1881, was completed in 1914, making it no longer necessary for ships to sail the lengthy Cape Horn route around the southernmost tip of South America (via the Drake Passage) or to navigate the dangerous waters of the Strait of Magellan. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the Panama Canal shortcut made it possible for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in half the time previously required. The shorter, faster, safer route to the U.S. West Coast and to nations in and along the Pacific Ocean allowed those places to become more integrated with the world economy.
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