Panama Canal
Map: World
Current relevance:
The
Panama Canal is in news after blue-footed boobies, normally
associated with colder, nutrient-rich Pacific waters farther south, were
observed near its Pacific entrance amid El Niño-related warming and
disruption of marine food supplies.
Continent:
1.
The Panama Canal is located in Panama in Central America,
geographically part of North America.
2.
Panama occupies the narrow Isthmus of Panama, which forms the
land connection between North and South America. The Panama Canal
Authority describes the canal as roughly 80 km long between the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans.
Bordering
Countries:
Panama shares land borders with Costa Rica
to the west and Colombia to the east.
Water Bodies:
The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic Ocean
(Caribbean Sea) in the north with the Pacific Ocean in the south
across the Isthmus of Panama.
Significance of the Panama Canal:
1.
The Panama Canal provides a vital maritime link between the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans, significantly reducing travel distance, time and
shipping costs.
2.
Stretching about 80 km, the canal crosses the narrow Isthmus of
Panama in Central America.
3.
It operates through a system of locks and Gatun Lake, which raise
and lower vessels during their passage across the isthmus.
4.
Its strategic location has made Panama an important global maritime,
trade and logistics hub.
5.
The canal enables ships to avoid the much longer route around South
America, making it one of the world’s most important international shipping
corridors.
Source: THE HINDU