Context:
Donald Trump said Saturday that the Panama Canal is charging “exorbitant prices and rates of passage” on US naval and merchant ships, and he demanded that fees be lowered or else Panama should return the canal to the US.
Panama Canal
- This is an artificial 82-kilometer waterway in Panama connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, cutting across the Isthmus of Panama.
- Significance
- Used for maritime trade and across the Isthmus of Panama.
- Shortens time for ships crossing between Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
- Avoids the hazardous route around southernmost tip of South America.
- One of the biggest and most challenging engineering projects.
