Hey there! Have you ever heard of the Panama Canal? 🌊🛳️ It’s a super important waterway that helps ships travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans without going all the way around South America!
On December 31, 1999, Panama took control of the Panama Canal from the United States. That means this year, Panama is celebrating 25 years of owning and operating the canal all by themselves! 🎉
The canal was originally built by the United States and opened way back in 1914. For 85 years, the U.S. managed it, but in 1977, Panama and the U.S. signed a treaty to give control back to Panama. This treaty was signed by Panama’s General Omar Torrijos and U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
Panamanian leaders said that the canal is “for Panamanians, at the world’s service but above all for Panamanians mainly.” That’s pretty cool, right? 😎
Since taking over, Panama has expanded the canal and even built a new set of locks, which started working in 2016. This means bigger ships can now pass through! 🚢
During the celebration, Miguel Guerra, the first Panamanian hired by the Panama Canal after the handover, was honored with an award. 🏅
The Panama Canal is super important for global trade and helps ships get where they need to go faster. Congrats to Panama on 25 years of running the canal! 🎊
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
