Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is an engineering marvel, as well as one of the most significant waterways on earth, and it is approximately 80 Kilometers long between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. This waterway was cut through one of the narrowest of the isthmus and joins both North and South America.

Built by the United Sates from 1904 to 1914, it posed major engineering challenges, such as damming a major river and digging a channel through a mountain ridge. It was not only the largest but also the most complex project of this kind ever undertaken at that time, There were tens of thousands of workers employed and the vast project is said to have cost in excess of $350 million.

The Canal consists of artificially created lakes, channels, and series of locks, or water- filled chambers, that raise and lower ships through the mountainous terrain of central Panama.

The Canal provides passage for over 12,000 oceangoing vessels per year and handles a large volume of world shipping and enables vessels to avoid traveling around South America, reducing their voyages by thousands of miles and, thus, saving a volume of time.

Climate and Weather Information for Panama Canal

They have two seasons in Panama, dry and wet. It is dry from January through April. The temperature is generally at 80°F to 85°F (27-29°C) degrees with cooler temperatures in the evenings, with almost no rain. November and December are part of the wet sailing season of the Panama Canal.

The Panama Canal Functions on a System of Locks

The Canal uses a system of locks with entrance and exit gates. The locks function as water lifts: they raise ships from sea level to the level of Gatun Lake which is 26 meters above sea level; ships then sail the channel through the Continental Divide.

Each set of locks bears the name of the town site where it was built: Gatun on the Atlantic side of the Canal, and Pedro Miguel and Miraflores on the Pacific side of the canal. The lock chambers-steps-are 33.53 meters wide by 304.8 meters long. The maximum dimensions of ships that can transit the Canal Are: 32.3 meters in beam; draft-their depth reach-12 meters in tropical fresh water, and 294.1 meters long.

.The water used to raise and lower vessels in each set of locks on the Panama Canal comes from Gatun Lake by gravity; it comes into the locks through a system of main culverts that extend under the lock chambers from the sidewalls and the center wall.

The Miraflores is the lock closest to Panama City and the Waterway Orientation Service operated by the Panama Canal Commission, welcomes visitors to view transiting ships. They also offer bilingual guides, who will supply you with all the information and statistics that you will need, and a museum with a model and film all about the Canal. Entrance to the Panama Canal is free and the visitors’ center is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. seven days a week.

There is also a pavilion open to visitors at the Gatun Locks on the Atlantic side of the canal, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Unfortunately, there are presently no guards available

Other Places of Interest in Panama Canal

On the Pacific: Stevens Circle, the Port of Balboa, the Crafts Plaza in front of the Balboa Theater, the Administration Building with its beautiful high dome ceiling and mural paintings depicting the digging of Gaillard Cut at Gold Hill and the Summit Botanical Garden where there is an interesting display of animals found in the surrounding rainforest, and trees and plants are identified with small signs. The Garden also provides for picnics and playground areas.


No one should every leave Panama without touring the Panama Canal, an architectural wonder of Panama City. Not just for its history, but for its vibrancy and beauty surrounding it.