Which canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in Central America?

Which canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in Central America? The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans across Panama.

The 82-kilometre waterway cuts through the Isthmus of Panama, saving ships from sailing around the southern tip of South America. It does not form a simple sea-level trench: locks raise vessels to Gatun Lake, about 26 metres above sea level, then lower them toward the opposite ocean. The canal’s Atlantic entrance is on the Caribbean Sea.

Construction began under France in 1881 but was abandoned after financial problems, engineering difficulties and severe disease outbreaks. The United States resumed the project in 1904, and the canal opened to commercial traffic on 15 August 1914. Panama assumed full control in 1999.

The original locks handled Panamax ships. A major expansion, completed in 2016, added wider Neopanamax locks and a new traffic lane. The Panama Canal is often confused with the Suez Canal, but Suez links the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea in Egypt, while Panama crosses Central America.