documentary on panama canal and the isthmus of panama
Short documentary about the
Panama Canal and the
Isthmus of Panama.
The Panama Canal (
Spanish:
Canal de
Panamá) is a major ship canal that traverses the Isthmus of Panama in
Central America, connecting the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Construction of the canal was one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken. It has had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, replacing the long and treacherous route via the
Drake Passage and
Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of
South America. A ship sailing from
New York to
San Francisco via the canal travels 9,
500 km (6,
000 miles), well under half the 22,500 km (14,000 mi) route around Cape Horn.[1] Although the concept of a canal near
Panama dates back to the early
16th century, the first attempt to construct a canal began in
1880 under
French leadership. After this attempt failed and saw 22,000 workers die, the project of building a canal was attempted and completed by the
United States in Panama in the early
1900s, with the canal opening in
1914. The building of the 77 km (48 mi) canal was plagued by problems, including disease (particularly malaria and yellow fever) and landslides. By the time the canal was completed, a total of 27,500 workers are estimated to have died in the French and
U.S. attempts. Prior to the arrival of
Europeans, Panama was widely settled by
Chibchan,
Chocoan, and Cueva peoples, among whom the largest group were the Cueva. There is no accurate knowledge of size of the indigenous population of the isthmus at the time of the
European conquest. Estimates range as high as two million people, but more recent studies place that number closer to
200,000. Archaeological finds as well as testimonials by early European explorers describe diverse native isthmian groups exhibiting cultural variety and suggesting people already conditioned by regular regional routes of commerce.
The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the
Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the
Caribbean Sea and the
Pacific Ocean, linking
Central and South America. It was formed some 3 million years ago during the
Pliocene epoch. It contains the nation of Panama and the Panama Canal. Like many isthmuses, it is a location of great strategic value. Before the present-day isthmus was created, water covered the area where Panama is today. A significant body of water (referred to as the
Central American Seaway) separated the continents of
North and South America, allowing the waters of the
Pacific and
Atlantic Oceans to mix freely.
Beneath the surface, two plates of the
Earth's crust were slowly colliding, forcing the
Pacific Plate to slide under the
Caribbean Plate. The pressure and heat caused by this collision led to the formation of underwater volcanoes, some of which grew large enough to form islands as early as 15 million years ago.
Meanwhile, movement of the two tectonic plates was also pushing up the sea floor, eventually forcing some areas above sea level. Over time, massive amounts of sediment (sand, soil, and mud) from North and South America filled the gaps between the newly forming islands. Over millions of years, the sediment deposits added to the islands until the gaps were completely filled. By about 3 million years ago, an isthmus had formed between North and South America.
Scientists believe the formation of the Isthmus of Panama is one of the most important geologic events in the last 60 million years.
Even though only a small sliver of land relative to the sizes of continents, the Isthmus of Panama had an enormous impact on
Earth's climate and its environment. By shutting down the flow of water between the two oceans, the land bridge re-routed ocean currents in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Atlantic currents were forced northward, and eventually settled into a new current pattern that we call the
Gulf Stream today. With warm
Caribbean waters flowing toward the northeast Atlantic, the climate of northwestern
Europe grew warmer. (
Winters there would be as much as 10 °C colder in winter without the transport of heat from the Gulf Stream.)
The Atlantic, no longer mingling with the Pacific, grew saltier. Each of these changes helped establish the global ocean circulation pattern in place today. In short, the Isthmus of Panama directly and indirectly influenced ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns, which regulated patterns of rainfall, which in turn sculpted landscapes.