Panama Canal Expansion

Do you know about the Panama Canal expansion? The expansion of the canal is in progress now and it will be great for the world trade and the economy.  The Panama Canal faces some fierce competition from the inter-ocean railroad across the United States and Mexico. Seeing this challenge, the Government of Panama in 2006 held a referendum to expand the canal. Fortunately referendum was approved by 80% of the people of Panama. In concrete, the expansion of the Panama Canal will be coupled with the construction of two water gates extra wide, at the beginning and end of the canal. Panama Canal will also be expanded and deepened in some places. The project will take at least eight years and cost more than $ 5 billion. Panama itself will distribute about half the cost that could be taken from the pockets of the Panama Canal Authority earned revenues in 2007 was about USD 1.76 billion while the rest is taken from international loans.

The Panama Canal is a large canal which is located in Panama, Central America. The Panama Canal is a waterway which divides the Isthmus of Panama along the 82 km, and splits the mainland of North America and South America, thus succeeding in linking the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. The canal really cuts the travel time of ships because they do not have to go through the southern tip of South America. If a ship is sailing from New York (U.S. East Coast) to the San Francisco (U.S. West Coast), and it does not go via the canal, then the distance that is traveled by the ship will be  22 500 km (about 14,000 miles). If the ship is utilizing the canal then it only needs to travel 9500 km (about 6,000 miles)!

The Panama Canal development plan was starting to emerge in the 16th century. The idea of ​​the construction of the Panama Canal was first coined in 1524 by the king of Spain, Charles V.  The King had found if the Isthmus was cleaved, it would ease the journey of the royal ships sailing from Ecuador to Peru or vice versa. In the following years, a number of other kingdoms in Europe also expressed the same idea, but still hit the technology and resource constraints.

Physical construction of a new canal finally managed to start on January 1, 1880. At that time the French Government which was inspired from the success of engineers, Ferdinand de Lesseps, with the Suez Canal -- which is successfully established on the African continent -- decided to start this project. The construction of the canal was entrusted to de Lesseps. Unfortunately, as it seemed too rushed and not well studied in terms of the geology and hydrology, the project began to consume a lot of lives and money. Malaria and yellow fever broke out and a large number of workers were affected and even died. Most of the workers raised their hands and returned to their country. Seeing this situation, in 1893 the French government decided to suspend the project. In 1898, France lobbied the United States to continue the project, and in 1902, the U.S. Senate approved the takeover of the project.

In 1904, U.S. president, Theodore Roosevelt, decided to buy the remnants of the French project equipment and continued building the canal. This was done by the U.S. after it had successfully liberated Panama from Colombia. Construction of the Panama Canal was resumed again! This time, it went through the adequate preparation and provision of infrastructure. President Theodore Roosevelt appointed George Washington Goethals as project leader. All of the Old equipment was gradually replaced with the new and more sophisticated equipment. In 1914, the Panama Canal project was successfully completed. The Panama Canal opened officially on August 15, 1914 which coincided with the onset of World War I in Europe, the first ship that passed was a cargo ship named Ancon.
After World War II, the people of Panama began to demand the right to manage and otherwise protest the U.S. military presence there. Finally, on September 7, 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and President of Panama, Omar Torrijos had signed an agreement that allowed Panama to manage its own canal but still ensure the neutrality of the region (Neutrality Treaty) and the United States were allowed to come back anytime. However, this deal was criticized by most of the American people at that time. Subsequently, on December 31, 1999, the management was handed over entirely to Panama through the Panama Canal Authority. Today, this Panama Canal is being expanded and it really will influence the trade and the economic condition of the world.

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Panama Rio Hato Airport

Have you heard that Panama is building a new International airport in Rio Hato? Every year, there are a large number of tourists who visit Panama. They are coming from various countries all over the world, but most of them are coming from The United States, Canada and South America.

The airport was originally established in 1931 as a U.S. Air Force base for the defense of the Panama Canal during World War II. Although it was closed in 1948, it was used as a landing field for the Air Force until 1990. In 2011, the reconstruction of the airport was ordered by the Panamanian government for commercial purposes. A public bidding process valued the reconstruction costs at $53.2 million. The construction is expected to last a short 14 months. When this construction is completed, the existing airport – Tocumen International – will be able to accept more business flights and connecting flights, as the Rio Hato airport will be designated primarily for tourism. This will not only increase Panama’s business sector accessibility, but also accessibility for tourists and vacationers.

If you are interested in adding an exciting new tourist destination to your itinerary, do not miss the opportunity to spend your holiday in Panama, Central America. By choosing to travel to this amazing country, you will have the chance to discover a remarkable culture and civilization with an interesting historical background. There are some of the most prominent and important cultures in Central America, which become the ultimate symbol for the area.  Enjoy the great historical, cultural, and urban beauty of the Latin-American civilization. Panama has the potential to become anyone’s favourite destination for tourism, and they attract more visitors each year.

Panama has made rapid progress in development in recent decades, despite its struggles in past history which is dominated by conflict and political interests. Today, this beautiful country has been one of the most requested holiday destinations in the world. It enchants visitors with a variety of tourist sites and resorts, ancient and modern architectonic structures which are superb, large metropolitan areas, as well as revealing the intelligent innovation and hardworking character of its inhabitants. Remember, the most important thing that this country could consider to attract more tourists to their country is by having an international airport. The airport is the country’s tourist gate; it has a huge role in supporting the tourism of the country. The building of the Rio Hato airport is a decision that is bound to be prosperous for tourism and the country’s economy.

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