6 curiosities you should know before navigating the Panama Canal

Navigating the Panama Canal is a unique experience. It is a fundamental space for international trade and has significantly stimulated tourist activity in Panama.

Knowing it in depth is extremely complicated. There are many details that so far only the most experts know. But we recommend that when you visit it you have some basic notions about its rhythm, logistics, space, and the rules that govern the economic and maritime movement in the Canal.

To help you get to know it, in today’s article we present some curiosities about the Canal. You probably didn’t know them!

Curiosities for navigating the Panama Canal

Extension of the Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is about 80km long. This distance is counted from the deepest waters of the Atlantic Ocean to the deepest waters of the Pacific Ocean.

How long does it take a boat to cross the canal?

In approximate numbers, a boat can take between 8 and 10 hours to cross the entire channel from one end to the other. But, if the ship takes another route out of the Panama Canal, it will take between 10 and 15 days.

Also, the canal allows for the connection of 144 maritime routes in 160 countries.

The canal gates

The floodgates of the extended Panama Canal are about 30 meters long. It’s the same size as the Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.

Curiosities about the history of the Panama Canal

The Culebra Cut

It is a man-made valley linking the Atlantic Ocean with the Gulf of Panama in the Pacific Ocean. The cut has a length of 12.6 km and is located about 26 meters above sea level.

How many people worked in the Panama Canal?

Between 1904 and 1913 about 56,307 people were in charge of building the canal. Of these, 11,873 were Europeans, 31,000 from the West Indies, 11,000 from the United States, and the rest were unidentified.

The precursor of navigation in the Panama Canal

The first person to sail the Panama Canal was the Greek captain John Constantine on August 15, 1914, who was in charge of the first transit of the steamer Ancon.

Did you know these details? Now that you know, you are ready to navigate the Panama Canal!

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