Which country is home to the Panama Canal?

Panama is home to the Panama Canal, the artificial waterway that crosses the Isthmus of Panama.

The canal links the Caribbean Sea, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean, with the Pacific Ocean. It is about 82 kilometres long and uses locks to raise ships to Gatun Lake, an artificial freshwater lake roughly 26 metres above sea level, before lowering them again on the opposite side.

France began the first major construction effort in 1881, but the project collapsed after engineering problems, financial failure and severe disease among workers. The United States took over in 1904, and the canal opened to commercial traffic on 15 August 1914.

The canal was initially controlled and administered by the United States, but the Torrijos–Carter Treaties arranged its transfer to Panama. Panama assumed full control on 31 December 1999. A major expansion opened in 2016, adding wider locks for Neopanamax ships. A common mix-up is saying the canal connects two oceans directly; its Caribbean entrance connects to the Atlantic system.