Panama Canal The Panama Canal is a ship canal, which crosses the Isthmus of Panama at its narrowest point, between the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Opened on August 15, 1914, has had a generously proportioned to shorten the distance and time of maritime communication, producing economic and commercial developments throughout most of the twentieth century. Provides a transit route short and relatively barata1 between these two great oceans, has influenced to some degree on the patterns of world trade has boosted growth in desarrollados1 countries and has given the world many remote areas that need the basic impulse for economic expansion.
United States and China are the main users of the Canal
History The history of the Panama Canal goes back to the early explorers Europeans in America, as the thin strip of land, the Isthmus of Panama is an ideal place to create a passage for shipping between the Pacific and Atlantic.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, technological advances and commercial pressures were such that the construction of a canal became viable proposal. A first attempt by France failed, but managed to make a preliminary excavation after the U.S. used, leading to the current Panama Canal in 1914.
Canal is operating in Panamanian hands, by the Treaty "Torrijos - Carter" on September 7, 1977 by U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Gen. Omar Torrijos Herrera came into force on 31 December 1999, and is working on its expansion from September 3, 2007.
Scheme Panama Canal
Background
The strategic location of the Isthmus of Panama and the short distance between the oceans led to several attempts over the centuries to create a route through isthmus. While most of the first projects consisted of an overland route connecting the ports.
The idea of \u200b\u200bbuilding the Panama Canal again in the sixteenth century, after the survey carried out by Columbus and Hernán Cortés. Jose de Acosta wrote in 1590 a report on the difficulty of uniting the two oceans and wanted some sailors and English explorers, "Some people have talked to excavate this area of \u200b\u200bsix miles and a sea together with the other [...]. That would flood the land because the sea is lower than the other. "
The idea of \u200b\u200bthe channel will remain on hold for a while not to reappear until the early nineteenth century, after the Prussian naturalist tour, Baron Alexander von Humboldt, who prepared a project to dig the isthmus between Chagres and Panama. The engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps presented, ten years later, the excavation project of the Panama Canal.
[edit] First
routes The Isthmus of Panama and was used by Native Americans before the European invasion of the fifteenth century. The first European explorers discovered ancient roads that crossed the isthmus, used by ancient civilizations and peoples and Ngobe Wounan.
English Stage
In 1514, Basque Núñez de Balboa, the first European explorer to see the eastern Pacific, built a route used to transport their vessels from Santa Maria la Antigua Darien on the Atlantic coast of Panama to San Miguel Bay in the Pacific. This route was 50 to 65 km long, but was quickly abandoned.
In November 1515, Captain Antonio Tello de Guzmán found a road through the isthmus from the Gulf of Panama to Panama, near the abandoned town of Nombre de Dios. This route had been used by natives for centuries and was viable. Was improved and paved by the English and became El Camino Real. The road was used to transport the gold to Portobello and from there take it to Spain and became the first major route
istmo.7
In 1524, King Charles I suggest you dig a canal in Panama would be somewhere The trip to Ecuador and Peru were more short and allow ships avoid Cape Horn and its dangers, especially for the transport of gold. A first draft was 1529, but the political situation in Europe and the technological level of the time made it impossible.
of Portobello Road to the Pacific had its first issues in 1533 and Gaspar de Espinosa advised the king to build a new route. His plan is to build a road from the City of Panama Pacific terminus of the Camino Real and the town of Cruces, on the banks of the Chagres River and 30 kilometers from Panama. Once in the Chagres River, carrying its cargo ships to the Caribbean Sea. The road was built and called Camino de Cruces and Las Cruces Trail. At the mouth of the Chagres River, the small town of Chagres is enhanced and the strength of San Lorenzo was built on a promontory overlooking the entire area. Chagres, treasures and other charges were transported to the warehouse of the king in Portobelo.
The route will run for several years and was once widely used in 1840 following the California gold rush.
Portuguese theories
The first Portuguese navigator who was interested in building a canal in Central America was Magallanes, who in 1520 showed that the path that was used was too dangerous and saw the need to find an easier way to reach Sur.8 Seas few years later, in 1550, another Portuguese navigator, Antonio Galvao, thought that the only way create a shortcut to the South Sea would be an artificial way and that the only possible location would be: Tehuantepec, Nicaragua, Panama and Darien
First trip across the Channel on 15 August 1914
The Scottish expedition
The Darien project is another attempt to establish a route between the oceans. In July 1698, five ships set out from Leith Scotland to establish a colony in Darien and build a route for trade with China and Japan. The settlers arrived in November to Darien and called Caledonia. But the expedition was ill-prepared for the adverse conditions they found there, were local diseases and poor organization. The colonists finally abandoned New Edinburgh, leaving behind them four tombs.
Unfortunately for them, another relief expedition had already left Scotland and came to the colony in November 1699. Found the same problems, as well as an attack and a blockade of the English. On April 12, 1700, Caledonia was abandoned last.
William III Attempted
In 1695 William Patterson acquired the right to build a canal in Darien English under the banner of William III. However, the project disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
Rail
In the nineteenth century, shows that the way to Las Cruces is not enough, it needed a faster and less expensive to transport across the isthmus. Given the difficulty of building a canal, a railway seemed the ideal solution.
studies began in 1827. Several projects were proposed and sought money. By mid-century shows other factors that encouraged the project: the annexation of California by the U.S. in 1848 and the movement of settlers to the West Coast, in ever greater numbers, it increases the demand for a quick route between the oceans. The California Gold Rush also makes further increase the movement of settlers westward.
The Panama railroad was built through the isthmus between 1850 and 1855, with 75 km long, from Colon on the Atlantic coast to Panama in the Pacific. The project represents an engineering masterpiece of its time, carried out under very difficult: it is estimated that more than 12,000 people died in its construction, the majority of cholera and malaria.
Until the opening of the canal, the railroad carried the largest cargo volume per unit length than any other railroad in the world. The existence of the railway is a key factor in the selection of Panama for the construction of the canal.
The French project 
1888 German map showing the proposed route for the Panama Canal and the alternative route of the canal in Nicaragua.
The idea of \u200b\u200bbuilding a canal across Central America was suggested again by a German scientist Alexander von Humboldt, leading to a renewed interest in the early nineteenth century. In 1819, the English government authorized the construction of a canal and creating a company to build it.
The Republic of New Granada, now Colombia, in 1839 gave a grant for the first Once a French company, to establish a line of communication from Panama City to any point on the Atlantic coast. France conducted field studies and the results were positive enough for the French Prime Minister Guizot, to send an officer, Napoleon Garella, in finding that optimism. The officer found nothing on the ground that could confirm such optimism, but on the contrary, stressed the difficulty of the undertaking, which prompted the French government to lose interest in the channel, giving the company.
The project was in the air for some time. Between 1850 and 1875 were carried out many studies, which led to the conclusion that the two were more favorable ways: through Panama (then part of Colombia) and through Nicaragua; A third option was to build a road across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico.
In May 1879, the Frenchman Ferdinand de Lesseps who had completed the excavation of the Suez Canal, presented at the Society of Geography of Paris his draft canal without locks, which would connect the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean by the Isthmus of Panama. Lesseps draft was accepted and purchased the rights to the grant of ten million francs. The cost of the works was estimated at 600 million francs, and founded a company the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interoceanique of Panama, which raised the funds necessary to run the project. On December 30, 1879 Ferdinand de Lesseps arrived in Panama with his family and some time later went to New York, where he was received politely, but U.S. leaders did not hide the fact that they would oppose by all means, in enterprise.
Work began in 1881, face several challenges: ground accidents, epidemics, malaria and yellow fever, high mortality among staff, etc. The work was delayed, and Lesseps called small investors through business men as Baron de Reinach and Cornelius Herz, who did not hesitate to bribe the press, corrupt ministers and MPs to get public funding. The case was discovered and led to the scandal of Panama, while Gustave Eiffel, consulted on the project, he questioned its design and concluded that the channel should include locks to fit the topography of the region. This decision was made particularly since the bulk of the Culebra was the main obstacle in the path of the canal.
Ferdinand de Lesseps
initially chose the option of a sea level canal as he did with the channel Suez, however, make a project of this kind in Panama meant having to go through the Massif de la Culebra and therefore be forced to dig a huge trench in a field made up of different layers.
Another problem occurred in September 1882 when an earthquake shook the isthmus and had to stop work and railway traffic for some time. This event led to a drop in company stock in Paris.
Despite these setbacks, in 1886, during his inspection, Ferdinand de Lesseps was very pleased with the progress. Spending a lock canal enabled the company save a lot of money then, success was almost certain. However, since 1886, opponents of Lesseps not left in peace and during this time, in Paris the intrigues against the company became increasingly open and affected public opinion, which proved disastrous because the money ran out and in 1888 the coffers were empty. Lesseps was forced to stop all work and abandon the project, this will be the end of the "French Channel." Fall
bankruptcy on February 4, 1889, the company de Lesseps was assumed by the chief engineer of the construction of the canal, Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla, who was carrying out further work Eiffel according to the draft. Without financial support, Bunau-Rod goes to the U.S. government, which decided to assign the operation and construction of the Panama Canal and control of the area around it. The Hay-Varilla Bunau-validated this operation and was signed on November 18, 1903, almost immediately after the revolution that led to the separation of Panama from Colombia.
Jobs in the Massif de la Culebra in 1907
U.S. administration and return control Panama canal
The new republic of Panama, represented by Bunau-Varilla, U.S. grants the perpetual right channel and a large area of \u200b\u200b8 kilometers on each side of it in exchange for a sum of $ 10 million and an annual income of $ 250 000 [citation needed].
The Hay-Bunau-Varilla, however, it is answered in the following decades. Panama wants to regain control of the Canal Zone. Negotiations began in 1970 between the U.S. government and the Panamanian authorities. On September 7, 1977 President Jimmy Carter and the Chief of Government Omar Torrijos of Panama signed the Torrijos-Carter Treaty, returned to Panama complete control of the canal on December 31, 1999.
On 7 January 1914, the floating crane Alexander La Valley made the first complete transit through the Canal. However, it was not until August 15, 1914 when the steamship Ancon officially opened the Panama Canal. The channel began operating 24 hours a day in May 1963 with the installation of a new fluorescent lighting in the court Gaillard or Culebra Cut and the three locks.
The channel is currently administered by the Panama Canal Authority.
Model of the Corozal Draga, who participated in the construction of the Canal since 1912, exhibited at the Museo del Canal.
Chronology to 1999
1880: First attempt at building a canal to Panama by a French company.
1902: Signature of the Spooner law by President Roosevelt. U.S.. UU. agreed to resume construction of the Panama Canal, after the failure of the French company.
1903 (January): Preparation of the Hay-Herran Treaty on the Law of the construction of the Panama Canal by the U.S.. UU.
1903 (August): The rejection of the Hay-Herran Treaty by the Congress of Colombia.
1903 (November): Proclamation of the separation of Panama from Colombia. The Independent Republic of Panama is recognized by the U.S. Congress. UU.
1903 (November): Signature of the Hay-Varilla Bunau by the new governor of Panama, Philippe Bunau-Villa. U.S. now have the authorization to continue construction of the Panama Canal. Also, the territories on both sides of the channel and full sovereignty in the Canal Zone.
1904: Reopening of the works of the Panama Canal by the U.S.. UU. Establishing Isthmian Canal Commission for its construction.
1914: Completion of construction of the Panama Canal, symbolized on 15 August 1914 by the passage of the steamer Ancon. Ceases to exist Isthmian Canal Commission. Start the Governor of the Canal Zone as a new entity manager.
1999: The Panama Canal Commission ceases to exist and initiate the administration through the Panama Canal Authority
Miraflores Locks
Administration
The Republic of Panama assumed full responsibility for the administration, operation and maintenance of the Panama Canal at noon on December 31, 1999. The government agency called the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) established by the Constitution of the Republic of Panama, organized by Act 19 of June 11, 1997 is responsible for the administration of the canal.
Under the constitution of Panama, the canal is a birthright of the nation, which can not be sold, transferred, or mortgaged, or in any other way encumbered or transferred. The legal regime established for the ACP's main purpose is to preserve the conditions of operation of the Panama Canal.
is invested annually about ten million dollars in staff training programs on the operation and maintenance of the Canal.
Chronology since 1999
1999: Starts the administration through the Panama Canal Authority
2005: Implemented a new system of tonnage measurement based on the TEU.
2006 (April): We present the proposed expansion of the Panama Canal through construction of a third set of locks.
2006 (October): Approved by referendum the proposed expansion.
2007 (September): Initiate the expansion work in Paradise Hill.
2009 (July), is awarded the main contract extension program to Consorcio Grupo Unidos through the Canal, led by Sacyr Vallehermoso.
Tolls
The highest toll paid normal transit the canal is U.S. $ 317,142, paid on May 7, 2008 by the cargo ship MSC Fabienne15 previous record was 16 cruise Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Cruise Line company, tax paying U.S. $ 313,000 on 7 October 2007.17 The record for the lowest toll was established in 1928 by Richard Halliburton, who swam the Channel paying a toll of only $ 0,36.18 His journey 10 days began on August 14 and ended on 23 of the mes.19 The average toll rate is about $ 54,000.
In order to improve the quality of service offered to its customers, and because of the congestion that is suffering the channel until the expansion is completed in 2014, the Panama Canal Authority implemented a reservation service that offers traffic quotas for maximum of 24 ships per day who want to ensure that transit time and a journey of 18 hours or less. The quotas are available via Internet booking up to a year in advance, and the applicant must pay a special rate in addition to normal toll. Also available is the fit number 25 that is allocated by auction to the highest bidder. The record for the highest rate paid by the booking system of quotas and auctions of the Panama Canal was U.S. $ 220,300 and occurred on August 24, 2006. The client was Erikoussa Panamax tanker, 20 that averted a row of 90 ships was formed due to maintenance of the Gatun locks, thus avoiding a delay of seven days. The booking fee would normally have been only U.S. $ 13,400
Ship Panamax in the Miraflores Locks
Infrastructure
During the construction of Canal were removed more than 183 million cubic meters of material originally excavated that if you put on a train platform, I would travel around the world four times.
From a technical standpoint, the Panama Canal is one of the greatest achievements of modern engineering. Atlantic to the Pacific is 80 miles long, has a depth of 12.8 meters in the Atlantic and Pacific 13.7 meters, the width is from 91 to 300 meters. It has two port terminals, one in each ocean, three sets of twin locks, Miraflores, Gatun and Pedro Miguel, and one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, the Gatun, which covers 425 square kilometers and is formed by an earthen dam built through the channel of the Chagres River.
Canal Locks.
Canal Expansion
On 24 April 2006 former President Martin Torrijos Espino formally announced the proposal for the expansion of the Panama Canal through the construction of a third set of locks and navigation channel expansion. This project is based on the construction of new locks, one on the Atlantic side and another on the Pacific side of the canal, to allow passage of Post-Panamax size vessels, which, since beyond the Panamax size, currently can not surf the waterway. The approximate cost of this operation according to the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) will be 5,250 million dollars. Recent
adaptations internal regulations ACP and the National Environmental Authority of Panama (ANAM) eliminate bureaucratic hurdles in order to plan to build a third set of locks.
The future of this project has been decided by a national referendum, which was announced on July 24, 2006 by President Martin Torrijos and held on 22 October 2006. The results of the referendum gave a 76.83% of the votes in favor of the expansion project and 21.76% against.
works Panama Canal Expansion kicked off on Monday, September 3, 2007, with the detonation of Cartagena hill located on the banks of the canal. It is intended inaugurate the new locks on 15 August 2014, date will mark the first anniversary of the Panama Canal.
Conceptual view of the third set of locks currently under construction
Traffic
Most of the traffic that crosses the channel moves between the Atlantic coast of the United States and the Far East, while traffic between Europe and the West Coast of the United States and Canada are the second major trade route of the waterway. However, other regions and countries, including neighboring countries in Central and South America depend proportionally much more of this vital artery to promote its economic advance and increase trade.
The main products passing through the canal are: grain, cargo containers, oil and derivatives.
Since its opening on August 15, 1914, the Canal has provided a quality transit service more than 700,000 boats. Although in recent years has been an increase in the number and size of ships passing, through the implementation of enhancements designed to meet traffic demand the average time a boat in the waters of the Canal is still less than 24 hours.
Traffic through the Panama Canal (years 1980-2005, text in French).
Yoseph BUITRAGO CI 1 8257871 CRF
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