The Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is an amazing feat of engineering that has been described as a man made modern wonder. This is not surprising when you consider the fact that it is one of the biggest and most difficult engineering projects to ever be undertaken. It has been operational for one hundred years and has many very interesting features. It connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean via the Caribbean Sea and is vital to internationalmaritime trade.
A whole generation of ships have been built for the specific purpose of navigating the canal. These ships are built to the largest possible size that can travel via the canal. Ships that are built for this purpose are said to be built to the ‘Panamax Spec’
There are sets of locks that are responsible for controlling tho flow of traffic and water in the canal. The locks at each end of the canal have been designed to lift ships so that they can access the Gatun Lake. The Gatun Lake is 85ft above sea level, it is an artificial lake that was created for the purpose of reducing the amount of excavation work that was required during construction.
^New locks are currently under construction and it is estimated that they will be completed in 2015.
Sources ( blogwandr.me, costaricantimes.com )
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