The Panama Canal took nearly 400 years to build.

The Panama Canal took nearly 400 years to build.authorised the construction of a Canal in Panama. It
Having discovered the treasures of South Americaalso allowed the creation of a company to carry out
and conquered the richest gold producing countriesthe project. Once again the project never really got
there to provide backing for wars in the Mediterraneangoing.
and Europe, the Spanish discovered it was a long wayThe 1848 Californian gold-rush led to various surveys
home.being carried out as to the feasibility of the canal
The substantial quantities of gold found and stolenbetween 1850 and 1875. These showed only two
from the native Indians in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia hadpossible routes, one across Panama, and the other in
a dangerous, time consuming and very long journeyNicaragua. The Colombian government allowed an
before it could be lodged in the Spanish Treasury.international company to dig a canal in 1876 across
Journeys of around 17,000 miles took years rathertheir part of the isthmus, but the company failed.
than weeks, with the storms of Cape Horn, pirates andThe builder of the Suez canal was then called upon
sickness decimating many ships that tried it.and de Lesseps formed a French company to
In about 1524 advisors to Charles V suggested aconstruct a sea-level canal in Panama. The work was
shorter and safer route through the isthmus ofdogged by many serious problems, one of the most
Panama if a suitable cutting could be found to justifyfundamental being the tidal range in the Pacific of 20
the enormous work necessary. The treasures offeet whilst that of the Atlantic side only 1 foot. Other
South America were so colossal that a survey of theflaws in route and design, as well as the tropical
isthmus was ordered and in 1529 plans in some detailweather problems eventually led to the abandonment
for a canal between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceansof the project causing great financial loss to many in
were forwarded to Spain.1899.
Spain at the time was too busy with wars in Europe,However the US stepped in and signed a treaty giving
and the plans were quietly forgotten. However in 1534independence to Panama and a guarantee that the
another keen Spanish official put forward a differentten mile 'Canal Zone' be protected. Work resumed in
route for a Panama canal which was amazingly close1904 with a drastically revised system of locks and in
to the route in use today. Various other plans werePanama history was made when the Canal was
made but the Spanish Kings ignored them all.eventually opened in 1914 after many difficult years,
It was not until 1819, probably as a result of the workand some 390 years after it was first considered.
of the scientist Humboldt in South America, that theInterested in this subject?
Spanish Government finally showed an interest and