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The Importance of the Panama Canal

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The isthmus of the canal was first mentioned in 1543 when Charles V, the King of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire ordered a search for a route through the Americas that would allow for easier passage from Spain to Peru. The King of Scotland attempted to set up an overland trade route in 1698, but gave up in April of 1700. Italian noble and naval Officer, Allesandro Malaspina outlined plans for construction of a canal 88 years later. Even at the very beginning of European activity in the Americas, humans understood the importance of this thin strip of land separating the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The discovery of gold in 1849 caused a great rush to get from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific, and in 1855 the Panama Railway opened. Still, a water route was still sought. That same year, William Kennish surveyed the area and reported a proposition for the Canal, while working for the U.S. government. Armand Reclus, in 1877, an officer in the French Navy, and Lucien Napoleon Bonaparte Wyse, also surveyed the route and looked to build a canal similar to their Suez success. Beginning January 1, 1881, the builder of the Suez Canal, supported by the French government, designed a “lockless” canal; the weather and terrain caused bankruptcy and killed an estimated 22000 men due to accidents and disease. There had been a lack of study in geology of the area, and the men in charge of the project had a negligible amount of experience. The steam shovels that existed were of little help,

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