One Hundred Years of the Panama Canal and its Contribution to the

Progress of the Country

Panama is not only a country with friendly people, a rich cultural patrimony, with indigenous ethnic groups who conserve millenarian legacy; with abundant flora and wildlife, beautiful tropical scenes and forests; attractive in its folklore, but also Panama City has a canal to the service of the world. Considered one of the Wonders, Panama Canal opens its entrails to thousands of tourist cruises and merchant boats of the entire world with the aim of going from an ocean to the other one. Let me introduce a brief history and benefits of a canal that can compete with the modern world.

In 1513, Vasco Núñez de Balboa crosses the Isthmus of Panama for the first time, discovering that only one narrow Earth strip separates the most important oceans of the globe. It is when Carlos I of Spain begins a movement for the construction of a route that crossed the Isthmus, concluding that it is impossible. But, the eyes of the world return to determine the region as an alternative for the transisthmian commerce through the finished phase of the Railroad of Panama when the discovery arises from the Gold in California in 1848.

The fact wakes up the interest of France by making an interoceanic canal in Central America. In 1876, Paris organizes a committee, presided by Ferdinand de Lesseps; whose plan is constructing a canal to the level of the sea whose route runs parallel to the Railroad of Panama through the Continental Mountain Range in Snake. Two years later, in 1978 France obtains a concession from the Colombian government to dig a canal across the isthmus. The French efforts during the period of constructing a canal are affected by the appearance in the isthmus of the yellow fever and the malaria causing damage and losses in the human equipment. The great loss of human lives and the diverse changes of this original project take the French to leave this.

After that, under the government of President Theodore Roosevelt, United States begins arrangements with Colombia to obtain the concession to construct a canal by Panama. Nevertheless, Colombia successful rejects the Herrán-Hay Treaty causing that President Roosevelt begins his support to the independent movement of Panama, culminating with the independence of the new republic on November 3, 1903. Later, the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty grants to the United States the canal for the development of a zone of this to exert its own sovereignty.

The U.S. formally takes control of the canal property on May 4, 1904. During this new period, it is handled to eradicate of permanent form the yellow fever in the Isthmus. In 1914, the new administration is established officially under the Government of the Zone of the Canal. On August 15, 1914 it is the opening of the Panama Canal. In 1977, the United States and Panama sign Torrijos-Carter Treaties where both countries are agreed by finalizing the old Company, the old Zone of the Panama Canal and its government. United States operates the canal until December 31, 1999.

The presence of the Panama Canal has marked the country in different aspects. First of all, economically, every ship has to pay some fees according to its size; whereby that money is used to maintain hospitals, schools, buildings, help people, so on. Second, culturally, many people from everywhere in the world go through the canal, so we get influence from many cultures; therefore, Panama is not a normal Latin American country, that is because this has an “special” understanding with different people. Third, tourism, some people that visit the canal stay here, or the other way can be, that some people, visiting Panama, go to the canal. Fourth, this gives a lot of job opportunities for Panamanians.

Thus, Panama Canal is one of the most significant works of engineering in the world, which greatly has raised maritime trade, providing big opportunities for both merchants and Panama; as well as becoming the point of joining between two oceans what produces connectivity with other countries. Panama Canal is synonym of development and most of all; this is a valuable resource that must be care by all the Panamanians.