Panama Canal: Challenge of Connecting Two Oceans of Different Levels

Written by Sydney Tremayne


Continued from page 1

Each lock chamber is 110 feet wide and 1,000 feet long, and each gate weighs 700 tons. Whenrepparttar Panama Canal was completed in 1914,repparttar 136924 locks were large enough forrepparttar 136925 largest vessel inrepparttar 136926 world to pass through. And since then, most marine architects have been careful to design hulls withrepparttar 136927 canal's measurements in mind. That changed in 1934 whenrepparttar 136928 Queen Mary was launched. She was 118.5 feet wide, but it didn't matter: she was built for transatlantic service, likerepparttar 136929 Queen Elizabeth, launched a little later.

But shipping economics call for ever larger loads. There has been talk for a number of years about wideningrepparttar 136930 canal, one possibility beingrepparttar 136931 construction of wider parallel locks besiderepparttar 136932 existing ones. One limiting factor could berepparttar 136933 availability of water in greater volume. Other options that have been discussed, including building a canal at sea level that would need no locks. One problem with this isrepparttar 136934 current that would be created becauserepparttar 136935 oceans are at different levels.

Another option that Panamanians don't even want to think about isrepparttar 136936 original idea: to build a canal through Nicaragua.

All naval vessels except aircraft carriers can squeeze throughrepparttar 136937 Panama Canal, and do so without damage, thoughrepparttar 136938 occasional battleship loses some paint. The flight deck on aircraft carriers is angled to give greater runway length, and they cannot clearrepparttar 136939 canal. The world's largest oil tankers cannot make it, either, and have to offload their cargoes to smaller vessels at terminals on either end.

Apart from beingrepparttar 136940 crossroads ofrepparttar 136941 world's shipping,repparttar 136942 Panama Canal is a great attraction for tourists. There are daily cruises that ply eitherrepparttar 136943 whole length or part of it. It's an excellent way to view part of Panama's history, past and present.

To learn more about some ofrepparttar 136944 interesting places to see in Panama, visit http://www.yourpanama.com/travel-to-panama.html

Sydney Tremayne publishes http://www.yourpanama.com, a leading website for tourists and for potential ex-pat retirees in Panama. His team of experts gives regular Q&A teleseminars that can save costly mistakes. To find out more, go to http://www.yourpanama.com/fear.html




Panama: Much More Than Palm Trees Swaying in the Tropical Breeze

Written by Sydney Tremayne


Continued from page 1

Panama is tales of pirates, of Spanish treasure andrepparttar forts that tried to protect it; it is jungle and monkeys and parrots. It has more birds than all of North America put together, some 960 different species. There is even a jungle preserve right insiderepparttar 136923 city limits. And Darien National Park onrepparttar 136924 Colombian border is a jungle of monstrous size and one ofrepparttar 136925 world’s richest wildlife habitats.

Panama, that thin strip of land joiningrepparttar 136926 northern and southern halves ofrepparttar 136927 Americas (yet running east to west) provides a 50-mile wide divide betweenrepparttar 136928 worlds two largest oceans. And its narrowness has providedrepparttar 136929 ingredients for much of its history. The Spanish used it as a land bridge to transship Inca treasure en route to Spain. This attracted pirates whose exploits here made them household names. The rest, as they say, is history.

The French tried to build a canal, and went broke. The Americans, who provedrepparttar 136930 value ofrepparttar 136931 isthmus duringrepparttar 136932 Gold Rush, succeeded whererepparttar 136933 French had failed. And today,repparttar 136934 Panama Canal, now run by Panamanians, produces much ofrepparttar 136935 country’s wealth. More shipping is registered in Panama than in anywhere else on earth.

Panama is a land of diversity. Its people are friendly. If your car breaks down, runs out of gas, or gets a flat, within a few minutes someone will stop to help. Try that in Manhattan! The language is Spanish, but inrepparttar 136936 major hotels and many places inrepparttar 136937 capital,repparttar 136938 people who serve you speak English. And if they don’t, there’s sure to be a helpful English-speaking person within earshot who will offer assistance. Currency:repparttar 136939 U.S. dollar since 1904. What could be easier?

Sydney Tremayne publishes http://www.yourpanama.com, a leading website for tourists and for potential ex-pat retirees in Panama. His team of experts gives regular Q&A teleseminars that can save costly mistakes. To find out more, go to http://www.yourpanama.com/fear.html




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