Which canal links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through Central America?

The Panama Canal links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Isthmus of Panama.

The canal opened in 1914 after a major construction effort involving the United States. Ships are raised and lowered through a system of locks because the canal crosses terrain above sea level and passes through Gatun Lake. The waterway greatly reduces the distance ships must travel between the Atlantic and Pacific compared with sailing around Cape Horn.

France began an earlier attempt in the 1880s, but disease, engineering difficulties, and financial problems halted the project. The United States completed the canal and controlled it for decades. Under the Torrijos–Carter Treaties, Panama assumed full control on 31 December 1999. The canal’s locks were expanded in 2016 to accommodate larger vessels called New Panamax ships.