Explainer: America once owned the Panama Canal, why does Trump want control over it? Know the whole story

Major goods in the world come not by air but by sea. The Panama Canal is also a very important route which facilitates the passage of hundreds of ships from Asia to the eastern parts of the American continents. But apart from being an economic facility, this canal is known in the world as an excellent example of engineering. Recently elected US President Donald Trump has said that America may try to capture the Panama Canal. At present the Panama Canal is under the control of the government of Panama. But it was not like this earlier.

What is Panama Canal and its importance
The Panama Canal was built by cutting a small part of the land that connected the continents of North America and South America. For this reason, if someone had to go from Asia to the eastern regions of the American continents by water, the only option for him was to first go to the lower tip of South America and then go north. In this he had to travel thousands of kilometers. But after the construction of the canal, the journey of 12874 kilometers started getting saved.

a lot of effort
After understanding the geography, it became clear that if a canal is built in Panama, then a lot of time and money can be saved for many countries of the world. This idea remained the same for many centuries and despite efforts, it could not be started, but in the 1880s, France started building the Panama Canal. But this effort could not succeed due to difficult geographical and health challenges (diseases like malaria and yellow fever).

The Panama Canal is a unique example of engineering. (Symbolic photo: Canva)

it was not easy to make it
What was the challenge? Actually, the country of Panama separates the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean in the shortest width. Building a canal here was difficult in many respects. The biggest problem in this is the different water levels of the two oceans. It can be understood that to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, ships need to climb higher. Because although the difference in level is not very much, the tide makes this difference bigger.

America completed this difficult task
In 1904, America took over the project of construction of the Panama Canal. American engineers and scientists, using improved technology and health measures, completed it in 1914. A large amount of resources, labor, and engineering skills were invested in its construction. And the problem of difference in level on both the banks was solved with the gate and lock technology, which is still a great example of engineering.

Donald Trump says that it was a mistake for America to give the Panama Canal to the country of Panama. (Symbolic photo: Wikimedia Commons)

How do ships cross?
This 82 kilometer canal passes through Gatun Lake in the middle and has gates on both sides. This clear water lake is 26 meters high above sea level. For this, special gate and lock system is used. In which the ship is first brought near the lake and the gate is closed behind it. The ship is then brought into the lake by filling a small section with water to bring the water level of the ship down to the lake. The ship is then brought to a lower water level using a similar process before heading east into the lower part of the Atlantic. Lakhs of liters of water is used in all this.

from usa to panama
After this, this canal remained under American control for a long time. But in 1977, a treaty (Torrijos-Carter Treaties) was signed between America and Panama. In this it was decided that America would operate the Panama Canal until 1999, and after that it would be handed over to Panama. This also happened. Currently the control of the canal is with the Government of Panama. The responsibility of operating and managing it lies with the Panama Canal Authority. It was transferred from the US to Panama on December 31, 1999, after which it is completely under the control of Panama.

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But in 2023, drought conditions occurred in Panama and its surrounding Central American countries, due to which the daily movement of ships there reduced. Now Trump says that unnecessary fees are being charged from ships passing through the canal, so his new administration may try to regain control over Panama. Trump believes that America made a mistake by giving the canal to Panama.