Where is the Panama Canal on the map. Panama Canal. Photo of where it is located on the world map, description. Panama Canal: general characteristics

Already the ancient Egyptians built a shipping canal that connected the Nile with the Red Sea. Viscount Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps (1805 - 1894) was a French businessman, politician and diplomat. In 1833 he was consul in Cairo, in 1848 - 1849 - ambassador in Madrid. In 1869 he became a member of the French Academy of Sciences. He was the organizer of the construction of the Suez Canal, and in 1875, during a conference of the Paris Geographical Society, he outlined the concept of his new project - the construction of the Panama Canal.

In 1854, when Said Pasha became Viceroy of Egypt, he granted Lesseps a concession to build the Suez Canal. Lesseps thought through every detail related to the opening of the Suez Canal, and managed to competently stage it as an unprecedented celebration. There would be festive fireworks, dancing and music; on the occasion of this event, an opera was commissioned from the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (however, the composer failed, and the premiere of “Aida” took place only in 1871).

The opening ceremony was attended by 6,000 invited guests, among whom were many crowned heads from all over the world. A whole flotilla led by the French yacht “L’Aigle” passed along the canal, on board of which were the French Empress Eugenie, the ruler of Egypt, the emperors of Russia and Austria, the kings of Prussia and Holland.

Suez Canal canal on the map

The Suez Canal is considered to be a conventional border between Africa and Asia. During its construction, they tried to make maximum use of natural reservoirs - lakes Timsakh, Bolshoye Gorkoye and Maloe Gorkoye. At the southern entrance to the canal is the city of Suez, and in the north, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, is Port Said.

Suez Canal from satellite

The Suez Canal mainly transports oil, iron ore, raw materials for the smelting of non-ferrous metals, as well as grain and timber. Despite the fact that this waterway runs through a barren desert, it is very popular among tourists.

The Panama Canal crosses the Isthmus of Panama, a narrow strip of land that connects North America to South America. At the entrance to the canal from the Pacific Ocean (Gulf of Panama) is the city of Panama, and from the Atlantic Ocean is the port of Colon.

The Panama Canal, connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, at one time became one of the most ambitious projects. After the completion of many years of construction, the length of the water corridor was 65 km. The city of Panama was founded by the Spaniards in 1519 as a harbor for ships bringing gold from Peru. The route along which the jewels were transported first went along the western coast of South America to the narrowest point on the isthmus, separating the two oceans. Here the treasures were loaded onto mules and transported from the shores of the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic coast. Convoys carrying gold were often attacked by pirates, and in 1671 Henry Morgan dared to attack the city, captured it and burned it to the ground. Spain restored Panama, but in a different place. Today the Panama Canal is one of the tourist attractions.

Panama Canal on the map

An observation terrace was built especially for tourists, from where you can watch the maneuvers of ocean-going ships when these giants enter the canal bed. The Panama Canal runs through picturesque green hills. Vessels intending to cross the Panama Canal from the Atlantic enter the locks and rise 26 meters to the level of the artificial Gatun Lake. All lock chambers are paired and are designed so that ships coming from opposite directions can sail through the canal at the same time. In August 1914, the first ship passed through the 65-kilometer Panama corridor (together with the coastal part of the Gulf of Panama and Limon Bay, the length of the canal is 81.6 km).

Panama Canal from satellite

The idea of ​​connecting the two oceans with an artificially dug canal arose back in the 16th century. from the Spanish conquistadors. However, the Spanish king Philip II spoke out against this idea. And 300 years passed before they started talking about the canal again. Ferdinand de Lesseps, inspired by the successful construction of the Suez Canal, planned to connect the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in this way. In 1881 he began work, but this time he was destined to fail. The ambitious project had to be abandoned just seven years after it began. The consortium created for the construction suffered financial failure.

In 1902, people who bought what was left of the consortium's farm resold it to the United States for $40 million. At that time, Panama was still under Colombian jurisdiction. This prevented the Americans from simply showing up and starting digging their own canal. President Theodore Roosevelt supported the Panamanian independence fighters and led them to victory. By 1903, Panama had become an independent sovereign state and work could resume. The first ship passed through the new Panama Canal on August 15, 1914. According to the treaty between Panama and the United States, the Panama Canal was to remain the property of the United States “forever.”

Approximately 80 km long, the Panama Canal passes through the city of Colon on the Atlantic coast and the artificial Lake Gatun on the Pacific coast. Thanks to the canal, the sea route from San Francisco to New York, instead of 26,000 km, became only 10,000 km. The water level in the Atlantic is only 24 cm lower than in the Pacific Ocean. However, due to the uneven mountainous landscape, ships have to pass through 3 locks on their way to rise 26 m to the level of Lake Gatun. The channel is wide enough for ships to move towards each other with virtually no delays. The size of the locks limits the size of ships that can pass through the canal, and these numbers are known to mariners as "Panamax". Ships must be no more than 294 m in length and 32 m in width to qualify as a Panamax vessel. They must also have a draft of no more than 12 m.

Since the Panama Canal opened in 1914, more than a million ships have been recorded passing through it - 14,000 of them in 2005 alone. The owners of the Panama Canal receive payment for all ships passing through it. When the United States ceded control of the canal to the Panamanian government in 2000, the responsibility for maintaining it fell on the shoulders of the Panamanian government. Fees, depending on the size of the vessel and the weight of its cargo, average up to $2 billion per year. However, it is no longer a secret that the canal’s capacity does not satisfy the demands of modern shipping. Not only has the number of ships sailing from the States to Asia and back increased, their sizes have also increased. The dimensions of the ships, the so-called post-Panamanian class, do not allow them to pass through the canal. Therefore, it is planned to modernize the canal by 2014.

Dates

• 1881: A French consortium begins construction of the canal.
• 1902: The remaining French assets were purchased by the United States for $40 million.
• 1903: Panama gains independence and construction work resumes.
• August 15, 1914: The canal is opened to navigation.
• 1920-1999: The channel is owned by the United States.
• January 1, 2000: US cedes title to Panama. DATA
• Length: The length of the canal is 80 km, with locks.
• Traffic density: Since 1914 About a million ships have been recorded passing through the canal. The average annual gate fee is $2 billion. Up to 45 ships pass through the canal every day.

The construction of the Panama Canal was one of the largest and most complex construction projects undertaken by mankind. The Panama Canal had an invaluable influence on the development of shipping and the economy as a whole in the Western Hemisphere and throughout the world, which led to its extremely high geopolitical significance. Thanks to the Panama Canal, the sea route from New York to San Francisco was reduced from 22.5 thousand km to 9.5 thousand km.

The narrow isthmus connecting North and South America has been considered a very promising place for creating the shortest route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans since the 16th century. In the 19th century, the development of technology and the need for such a route reached a point where the plan to create a canal through Panama seemed quite feasible.

In the 19th century, the development of technology and the need for such a route reached a point where the plan to create a canal through Panama seemed quite feasible.

1910 Map of the planned canal.

Inspired by the 10-year construction of the Suez Canal, the international company La Société Internationale du Canal Interocéanique in 1879 bought from the engineer Wise for 10 million francs the concession for the construction of the Panama Canal, which he received from the Colombian government, which controlled Panama at that time.

Fundraising for large-scale construction was led by Ferdinand Lesseps. Success with the Suez Canal helped him raise millions for the new project.

Soon after the design of the canal began, it became clear that this undertaking would be much more difficult to implement than digging a canal at sea level through a sandy desert. After all, the proposed route, 65 kilometers long, passed through rocky and sometimes mountainous terrain, while it was crossed by powerful rivers. And, most importantly, tropical diseases posed enormous health risks to workers.

However, Lesseps' optimistic plan envisaged the construction of a canal costing $120 million in just 6 years. The 40,000-strong team, almost entirely consisting of workers from the West Indies, was headed by engineers from France.

1885 French Panama Canal employees pose for a photograph.

Construction began in 1881.

1885 The workers came to receive their wages.

The Suez experience was of little help. It would probably be better in the long run if they didn't have the Suez Canal in their past.
David McCullough, "The Way Between the Seas"

1885 Jamaican workers push a cart loaded with dirt along a narrow gauge railway.

The project turned out to be a disaster. It quickly became apparent that building a canal at sea level was impossible and that the only workable plan was to build a chain of locks. At the same time, Lesseps stubbornly adhered to the plan to build a single-level canal.

1900 Workers carry out excavation work manually.

Meanwhile, workers and engineers died from malaria, yellow fever and dysentery, and construction was interrupted by frequent floods and landslides. By the time the gateway plan was adopted, it was already too late. An estimated 22,000 workers died. Construction was years behind schedule and cost hundreds of millions over budget.

1910 Abandoned French equipment in the canal zone.

The company went bankrupt and collapsed, destroying the hopes of 800 thousand investors. In 1893, Lesseps was found guilty of fraud and mismanagement and died in disgrace two years later.

1906 A man stands next to an abandoned French dredger.

In 1903, with the secret support of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia and in return awarded the US rights to the canal. The following year, the United States acquired the remains of the French company and continued construction.

1906 President Theodore Roosevelt sits in the cab of a crane during a visit to the canal construction site.

I took the canal zone and let Congress debate; and while the debate continues, the channel does the same.
Theodore Roosevelt

1908 American engineers sent by President Roosevelt.

Faced with the same disease problem as the French, the Americans embarked on an aggressive mosquito eradication campaign. (The link between malaria and mosquitoes was still a very new theory back then.) This sharply reduced the incidence of illness and increased productivity.

1910 Mosquito exterminator at work in the canal area.

The channel of the Chagres River was blocked by the Gatun Dam, creating Lake Gatun, the largest artificial lake of those times. It stretches across half of a narrow isthmus.

January 1907. Earthworks at the site of the Gatun lock.

Massive locks were built at both ends of the canal on the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. These 33-meter-wide structures allowed ships to pass through a series of chambers with controlled water levels, rising to the height of Gatun Lake and the canal, 26 meters above sea level.

1910

The most difficult was the passage of the 13-kilometer section of Culebra through a mountain range, 64 meters high. 27 thousand tons of dynamite were used to blow up almost 80 million cubic meters of earth removed by steam shovels and trains.

1907 A dredge removes soil after a landslide in Culebra.

Due to an incorrect assessment of the composition of geological strata, excavation work was constantly subject to unpredictable landslides, the consequences of which sometimes took several months to combat.

1910 A railway that has been displaced after a landslide.


April 8, 1910. A man stands on the west bank next to the Pedro Miguel Lock under construction.


November 1910. President William Howard Taft (left) visiting Gatun Lock with Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes (seated right) and Chief Engineer Colonel George Goethals (standing right).


November 10, 1912. Construction of the Miraflores lock.


August 1912. A man is standing in one of the locks.


June 1912. View of the construction of the Culebra section from the western shore.


August 6, 1912.


November 1912. View from the top of Gatun Lock looking north towards the Atlantic Ocean.


June 1913. One of the deepest points of the Culebra segment.


1913


1913


1913


November 1913. Workers are struggling with the consequences of a landslide.


1913 Workers take a break at the top of the lock.


1913 The train and the crane crossed paths at the Pedro Miguel lock.


1913 Gateway during construction.


1913 Engineers stand in front of the canal's massive sluice gates.


August 8, 1913. Construction of the Gatun Lock between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Gatun.


February 1, 1914. Men watch a dredge work to clean up the aftermath of a landslide in Cucarache.


1913 The spillway of the Gatun Dam, which separates the artificial Gatun Lake, the main part of the canal.

On December 10, 1913, a passable water route between the two oceans was finally created. On January 7, 1914, the French floating crane Alexandre La Valley made its first passage through the canal.

October 9, 1913. An explosion near the city of Gamboa opens the way for the canal to the Pacific Ocean.


1913 The explosion of the dam that separated the canal from the Atlantic Ocean.

Today, 4% of all world trade passes through the Panama Canal, about 15 thousand ships a year. Plans are underway to build an additional set of wide locks, as well as a competing channel through Nicaragua.

The largest fee for passage through the canal is 142 thousand for a cruise ship. The smallest fee was $0.36 for adventurer Richard Halliburton, who swam across the canal through the locks in 1928.

1913


1914


October 1913. The Miraflores Lock gate opens for inspection.


September 26, 1913. Tug U.S. Gaton is the first to pass through the Gatun lock.


April 29, 1915. S.S. Kronland passes through the Panama Canal.

Each of us knows about, which connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, which allows transport companies to save huge amounts of time and money. But even the simplest canal is not just a dug ditch between reservoirs, but a complex technical system of locks. Let's try to understand this issue.

The Panama Canal is a collection of locks, a man-made shipping channel created at the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama in Central America. Since its opening in 1920, the Panama Canal has remained one of the most complex engineering projects in the world.

Any type and size of vessel can pass through this S-shaped isthmus: from a modest yacht to a large tanker. Currently, the channel size has become the standard for ship construction. As a result, thanks to the locks of the Panama Canal, up to 48 ships pass through it per day, and millions of people around the world enjoy this comfort.

So why are locks needed in the Panama Canal? The question is geographical, and the answer is obvious: since the canal consists of several lakes, deepened rivers and man-made canals, and at the same time connects two huge oceans, it is necessary to constantly equalize the water drop along the entire path and regulate the currents. And the difference in water level between the canal and the World Ocean is large - 25.9 m. Depending on the size and tonnage of the vessel, the water level in the lock increases or decreases, thereby creating the necessary conditions for the smooth passage of the vessel through the canal.

Features of the Panama Canal locks

There are two groups of locks operating in the canal bed. Each gateway is double-threaded, i.e. can simultaneously transport vessels in oncoming traffic. Although practice shows that ships usually pass in one direction. Each airlock chamber holds a maximum of 101 thousand cubic meters. m. water. Dimensions of the chambers: width 33.53 m, length 304.8 m, minimum depth - 12.55 m. Large vessels are pulled through the locks by special electric locomotives (“mules”). So, the main gateways of the Panama Canal are:

1. Set in direction from the Atlantic Ocean three-chamber gateway "Gatun" (Gatun), connecting the same name with Limon Bay. Here the locks lift ships 26 m to lake level. The gateway has a camera installed, the image from which you can watch in real time on the Internet.
2. On the Pacific side it works two-chamber gateway "Miraflores" (Miraflores) It connects the main canal bed with Panama Bay. His first airlock also has a video camera.
3. Single-chamber gateway "Pedro Miguel" (Pedro Miguel) operates in conjunction with the Miraflores gateway system.
4. Since 2007, work has been underway to expand the channel and install additional gateways to increase the capacity of the Panama Canal (third line). New parameters of the third line: length 427 m, width 55 m, depth 18.3 meters. Work is also underway to expand and deepen the main fairway in order to still accommodate the oncoming movement of ships. It is expected that from 2017 the channel will be able to carry double load.

How to look at the Panama Canal locks?

A highway and a railway line run along the entire canal. You can independently and free of charge follow any vessel and get acquainted with the canal system from afar. You can also buy a tourist tour for the same purpose.

The Miraflores Gateway is considered accessible to tourists. You can take a taxi to it or buy a bus ticket for 25 cents, and as a group, drive as close to the gateway as possible to get to know its work. includes a visit to the museum ($10) and access to the observation deck, where information about the operation of the gateway is announced in real time over a loudspeaker.

The Panama Canal, dug more than 100 years ago, has long been in need of modernization. Its capacity left much to be desired: ships sometimes had to wait for their turn for several days. In addition, the century-old locks did not correspond to the dimensions and tonnage of modern ships.

Work to update the channel began in 2007. Over the course of 9 years, the width of the locks was increased from 34 to 55 meters, and the depth - from 12 to 18 meters. As a result of the reconstruction, which cost $5.4 billion, the throughput of the artificial water artery increased from 300 to 600 million tons per year, and most importantly, the canal became adapted for tankers transporting liquefied gas. The maximum displacement of ships increased to 150,000 tons.

Globally

The opening of the Panama Canal 2.0 is a global event. At least, this is how the Panamanian authorities are positioning it - heads of state and government from all over the world are invited to the ceremony. True, only Latin American presidents confirmed their presence: Michelle Bachelet (Chile), Luis Guillermo Solis (Costa Rica), Daniel Medina (Dominican Republic), Juan Orlando Hernandez (Honduras) and Horacio Cartes (Paraguay). Also, 62 delegations from different countries and representatives of international organizations will arrive in Panama.

Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela also sent an invitation to Vladimir Putin, but this trip was not on the Russian leader’s schedule.

US area of ​​interest

The main beneficiary of the Panama Canal reboot will be the United States. It was they who at one time were most interested in its construction. And in 1902, having bought the assets of the canal from the bankrupt French, they “agreed” with the Panamanian authorities and in 10 years successfully dug a path from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, paying for it approximately $400 million and more than 5.5 thousand lives of workers.

The United States had undivided ownership of the channel until 1999. But after numerous protests against the American presence, it was finally transferred to the control of Panama - the state agency of the Panama Canal Administration. True, in reality, the United States continues to consider the canal, like the entire territory of Panama, a zone of its vital interests. In addition, as Mikhail Belyat, a researcher at the Russian State University for the Humanities and an expert on Latin America, said in an interview with RT, “there is a lot of money from American shareholders in this channel.”

Economic effect

Ahead of the grand opening of the revamped Panama Canal, The Wall Street Journal wrote that expanding the waterway could have huge implications for global trade in the long term. Of course, first of all, American companies will gain an advantage, because through the modernized canal the United States will be able to quickly deliver oil and gas from the Gulf of Mexico to anywhere in the world.

• Reuters

However, there is another opinion. The expansion of the canal was planned at the peak of maritime traffic, but now the situation has changed, so the economic effect of modernizing the canal is not obvious. But optimistic experts predict an increase in maritime cargo traffic by at least 240% by 2030.

Monopoly game

The economic situation is changing, but the US monopoly on the Panama Canal seems to be constant. And this does not suit many people. First of all, China and Venezuela, as one of the main oil exporters in the region. China has already leased two ports at the entrance and exit of the canal, but still cannot feel calm and be completely sure that the transit of its goods will not one day be blocked.

The second disadvantage of the Panama Canal: even in its updated version, it is not wide and deep enough for the latest tankers. And finally, its lack of alternative contradicts the principles of competition.

These factors led to the emergence of the idea of ​​a backup channel.

Nicaraguan understudy

Everything new is well forgotten old. The idea of ​​​​building a canal on the territory of Nicaragua appeared in the 16th century and belonged to the Spanish king Charles V. In those distant times, they planned to build a canal across Lake Nicaragua and the San Juan River, cutting the 80-kilometer isthmus that separated the lake from the ocean. The Americans initially wanted to implement this same scenario, and the North American Company was even formed to build the Nicaraguan Canal. But in the end, the scales tipped in favor of Panama.

The idea of ​​the Nicaraguan Canal was reborn in the 21st century. The private Hong Kong company HKND Group, led by Chinese billionaire Wang Jin, and the Nicaraguan government have agreed to build a backup canal. The construction of the century began in 2014.

• www.youtube.com

On all counts

According to the project, the Nicaraguan Canal should surpass its Panamanian competitor in all respects: length - 286 kilometers, depth - about 30 meters, width - from 226 to 530 meters, vessel displacement - up to 270,000 tons.

And what is important is that the emergence of the Nicaraguan Canal will significantly reduce prices for transit and port fees on the coast. “According to the existing project, two powerful ports will appear at the entrance and exit of the canal; they will compete with Panama,” Mikhail Belyat, a researcher at the Russian State University for the Humanities and an expert on Latin America, said in an interview with RT. - Accordingly, pricing for the use of the canal and port services along the entire coast will decrease. This does not suit the US."

Proetcontra

The construction of the canal is a matter of vital importance not only for all participants in the project. Nicaragua receives economic and political preferences: the country's GDP will double, and its geopolitical significance will radically change. China, having built the Nicaraguan Canal, comes seriously and for a long time to the American continent, and becomes one of the main players in the region, not to mention the economic benefits - it is no coincidence that Chinese investors are showing great interest in the project. Countries in the Asia-Pacific region and Latin America are also interested in the emergence of an alternative route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. But for the United States, according to Mikhail Belyat, “this will be a geostrategic bomb. China is coming to the American continent. And so its presence there is obvious; in any Latin American country you will find a Chinese trace. But the canal is a huge thorn in the immediate vicinity of the US borders.”

Do we need this?

China and Nicaragua cannot fail to realize all the risks arising from their proximity to the disgruntled States. Therefore, they are trying by any means to attract Russia to participate in the project in order to ensure its safety. In 2015, Daniel Ortega took the first step - he signed an agreement with Russia, according to which Russian warships would be able to stay in the territorial waters of Nicaragua. And recently, the first batch of modernized T-72B1 tanks in the amount of 20 units was delivered to Nicaragua. In total, under the contract, the Nicaraguans will receive 50 armored vehicles by the beginning of 2017.

“China needs Russia to take part in this project under any guise,” Oleg Valetsky, a military expert at the Center for Strategic Conjuncture, said in an interview with RT. “The Chinese understand perfectly well that this will be a blow to US interests with all the ensuing consequences.” Moreover, there were already precedents in history. “The United States carried out several interventions in Nicaragua with the aim of building such a canal,” says Mikhail Belyat. “And in the twentieth century they intervened to prevent the canal from being built in Nicaragua, because it was becoming an alternative to the Panama one.”

Whether Russia needs to take part in the construction of the century is a debatable question. A number of experts believe that it is not worth it yet. The economic benefits are dubious, and the geopolitical ones are unpredictable.

Delayed action mine

The start of operation of the Nicaraguan Canal was scheduled for 2019, and full completion of construction - for 2029. However, at first, farmers, concerned about the loss of their lands, stood in the way of the project, and construction was postponed for six months. Then, as usual, environmentalists were outraged, and again there was a delay. Finally, all controversial issues were resolved and the implementation of the project was again postponed until the end of 2016. As an explanation, the HKND Group stated financial difficulties.

But the reasons for the permanent freeze of the Nicaraguan Canal most likely lie in the area of ​​politics. There are presidential elections in Nicaragua on November 6, and presidential elections in the United States on November 8. And the future fate of the channel largely depends on their results.

“Ortega is running for a third term,” says Mikhail Belyat. - His chances are slim. We will have to withstand the pressure of the US-backed opposition. If a liberal president comes to power, the terms of the Nicaraguan Canal agreement may be revised.”

• Reuters

In turn, Hillary Clinton, according to experts, will not stand on ceremony with Chinese ambitions and will act extremely toughly.

So we will find out very soon whether there will be a Nicaraguan Canal, but for now the maritime powers will have to be content with the updated Panama Canal.

Ilya Oganjanov