How would a canal through Central America affect a ship traveling from New York to California

The Panama Canal is a 48 mile long man-made waterway that crosses the Isthmus of Panama. It uses a number of locks on each side to lower and raise ships to allow them to pass between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

Why was it built?

The Panama Canal was built to lower the distance, cost, and time it took for ships to carry cargo between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. Before the canal, ships would have to go around the entire continent of South America. A ship traveling from New York to San Francisco saved around 8,000 miles and 5 months of travel by crossing at the canal. The Panama Canal was a huge boost to world trade and the economy.

A U.S. Battleship Going Through the Canal

USS Mississippi transiting the Panama Canal

Photo by the U.S. Navy.

Why a canal in Panama?

The Isthmus of Panama was chosen for the site of the canal because it is a very narrow strip of land between the two oceans. Although the canal was still a huge engineering project, this was the "easiest" place to build it.