The Panama and Suez Canal - Essay Example

The Panama and Suez Canal. The Panama Canal has a total length of 77 kilometers and joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The history of the Panama Canal dates back to approximately the 16th century. The Panama Canal is called a ship canal because it was specifically constructed for the passage of ships headed for the ocean and was opened in 1914. The Suez Canal is also known as the Highway to India. The Canal is in Egypt and connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea and is a man made water route. The canal was opened in November 1869, and is a sea level water route for transportation between Europe and Asia without passing through Africa. The Suez Canal is an important route for the transportation of oil from the Gulf Countries to around the globe. Reasons for construction: Primarily, the most important reason for the construction of the Panama Canal was to facilitate the voyage of ships travelling from Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean and vice versa. Voyages prior to the construction of the canal took a long time. Alessandro Malaspina during his expedition of 1788-1793 expressed the need for the construction of a canal which would prove beneficial for trade. He also produced a detailed outline for the construction of the canal. US interests in creating the Panama Canal were sparked during the Spanish American War. On the other hand, the Suez Canal was not the first attempt to connect the Egyptian Nile to the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. The first canal to connect Nile delta and the Red Sea was constructed approximately in the 13th century for the economic development of the area. The construction of a modern canal on the Suez isthmus was first proposed by Napoleon Bonaparte during the late 1700s, in an attempt to create trade problems for the British. According to Napoleon, the construction of the canal controlled by French would force British to either pay dues or transport their goods via the route involving southern Africa. However, due to various reasons including miscalculation of measurements, Napoleon’s ideas never materialized and the construction was stopped. Attempts to construct a canal on the Suez isthmus began again in mid 1800s. In 1858, the construction of the Suez Canal was started by The Universal Suez Ship Canal Company. The major aim of the construction was to provide an easy and short route for the transportation of goods and oil around the world. Secondly, oil is the major export product of most Gulf Countries and a speedy route was required to transport the oil from these countries to the world. Location: The strategic location of the Panama Canal has provided immense military and economic benefits to the United States. The Canal links the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, provides an easy and short route for ships headed towards the Pacific Ocean. The special location of the Canal was chosen to provide a direct route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean to prevent the detour ships had to take around Cape Horn in order to reach the coastal area of Cuba. Prior to 1914, the ships travelling from the Pacific Ocean had to take a journey around the southern edge of South America to reach the west coast which was very time consuming. Therefore, with the construction of the Panama Canal, ships can directly travel between the two Oceans saving approximately 8000 miles of the journey around the Cape Horn. (McCullough, David G 1977.) The strategic location of the Suez Canal ensures that goods can be transported around the world in a record time. The canal has an ideal location and enables water transportation without navigation around Africa which saves hundreds of kilometers of journey. This ensures that goods can be transported from Europe to Asia in a short time without having to pass through Africa. Originally, the Suez Canal was 164 km long but later extensive developments were conducted. Now the length of the Canal is 193 km long, 24 m deep and more than 300 m wide. Construction of the Canals: The first proposal for the construction of a canal across the isthmus of Darien was made by the King of Spain in 1534. The aim for the construction of the canal was to facilitate the voyage of ships from Spain to Peru and vice versa. Another reason behind the king’s proposal was to provide Spain with a beneficial military edge over the Portuguese. In 1855, William Kennish, an engineer working under the US government, produced an extensive survey report for the construction of the Panama Canal. President Roosevelt is famous for his diplomatic foreign polices and one of his most important and famous foreign policy was ordering the construction of the Panama Canal. President Roosevelt chose Panama as an ideal location for the construction of a canal because he strongly believed that this would save billions of dollars. The huge capital would have required if the canal was to be constructed in a stable and developed country. 1819 onwards, Panama was a part of the Columbian Federation. The Columbians did not accept the US intention and resisted the American troops sent by President Roosevelt to force the Panamanians for canal construction. Therefore, US had no option but to support a revolution which resulted in the independence of Panama in 1903. Following independence, the Panamanian government appointed a French businessman and assigned him the task of negotiating a treaty for the construction of the Panama Canal with President Roosevelt. Shortly, a treaty was signed between the US and the French business man Philippe Bunau Varilla. The treaty is famously known as the ‘Hay Bunau Varilla Treaty’. In accordance with this ‘Hay Bunau Varilla Treaty’, United States was granted the permission for the construction of the Panama Canal. The construction of the canal consisted of two phases, the first phase is known as the French Period and the second phase is known as the American Period. The first phase was largely unsuccessful. The French Period spanned ten years from 1881 to 1889. The American Period also took another ten years. The canal was built by French, Panamanian and US engineers and laborers. The proposal to construct the Suez Canal was made by the French diplomat and engineer in the mid 1800s.Ferdinand de Lesseps persuaded the Egyptian Viceroy Said Pasha to grant the permission to construct a canal on the Isthmus of Suez. Therefore, in 1858 a company was assigned with the task of constructing the Suez Canal. This company was known as the Universal Suez Ship Canal Company. The company was also given the rights for the operation of the canal for the next 99 years following its completion. Officially, the construction began on the April 25th of 1858. Death Toll: The construction of the Panama Canal is always remembered for its audaciousness, high tech engineering innovation and most importantly for the great loss of human lives. Some historians believe that approximately 500 human lives were lost during the construction of each mile of the Panama Canal. This accounts for the loss of about 250,000 human lives in the total canal construction. The high death toll was due to harsh tropical climatic conditions of Panama and endemic disease. The use of dynamites to carve the length of the canal also claimed a large number of human lives. In accordance with the high death toll, Panama was labeled as the ‘white man’s grave’. Many lives were claimed by diseases such as malaria, dysentery, yellow fever, dengue fever and typhoid. Unlike the Panama Canal, human lives lost during the construction of the Suez Canal are considerably lower. During the construction of the Suez Canal it is estimated that thousands of workers lost their lives. A large number of Egyptians were forced to take part in the construction. The death toll is approximately about 30,000 people. A major reason for the death of the workers was the hot climatic conditions. The use of Dynamites and other explosives for clearing of rocks also claimed a huge number of human lives. Materials used for the construction: High quality construction materials were used in the construction of the Panama Canal. High tech machinery was used to speed up the construction process. Machines such as the Steam shovels, huge steam powered cranes, cement mixers and pneumatic power drills were used in order to drill holes. These holes were then filled with explosives to blast the soil and rock layers in order carve the length of the canal. Furthermore, High tech construction materials were also used for the Suez Canal. Machines such as cement mixers, donkey engines, pneumatic power drills and steam rollers were used to speed the process of construction. High quality cement was used in the construction. Explosives such as dynamites were also used to blow away the surface soil and layers of hard rock to provide a way for the canal construction. Man Power: The construction of the Panama Canal was completed in 1914 which was actually two years ahead of its original completion date. It is estimated that a total of 50,000 workers were involved during the French Phase of construction. However, during the American Phase of construction more machines were involved rather than the workers and their numbers are estimated to be about 45,000. This gives a total figure of 95,000 workers. The construction of the Suez Canal took almost ten years and during this time, thousands of Egyptians were forced to work for the construction. Most historians believe that more than 30,000 people were assigned at a given time to construct the canal. In total, more than 1.5 million experienced laborers were employed to work at the construction of the Suez Canal. (DuTemple et al,2003) Current uses: Ninety seven years have passed since the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. However due to its strategic location it is still hugely successful. Nowadays, the canal is handling a large amount of vessel traffic which is estimated to be the highest since its opening. In 2009 alone, the canal traffic amounted to about 299.1 million tons of shipping. The Panama Canal serves as an important international maritime trade route. Oil is the major export product of the Aden and Persian Gulf countries is Oil. Oil is a major non renewable resource and is used around the world to provide energy. Therefore, it is immensely important to transport oil from the Gulf Countries to the rest of the world. Therefore, in addition to other goods, oil is transported by merchant ships through the Suez Canal from the Gulf Countries to around the world in record time. On the other hand, Suez Canal is an important route for the easy and speedy transportation of goods from Europe to Asia. Cost of building and maintaining the canals: The total estimated cost of building the canal was about $ 380,000,000 and at that time it was the most expensive construction project in the history of United States. The maintenance cost of Panama Canal is low and the Panamanian government has invested a huge amount of money on the modernizing the canal. It is estimated that US$ 1 billion has been used in the widening of the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal has a total length of 77 kilometers and has an area of 553 square miles. To construct the Panama Canal it took twenty years. The Suez Canal was opened in 1869 and the total cost of constructing it was $100 million. However, the maintenance cost of the Suez Canal is lesser than the Panama Canal. The construction claimed such a huge amount of money because of the adverse building conditions. The Suez Canal Authority controls the operation of the Canal. The canal allows the passage of a ship which has a height of 62 feet or approximately of 220,000 deadweight tons. Area, volume and perimeter calculations: The Panama Canal has a total length of 77 kilometers and has an area of 553 square miles or 1,432 sq km. It has a width of 500 feet (152 m) and a depth of 41 feet (12.5 m). Therefore, to calculate area we need to convert km into feet. Thus, 77 km is equal to 77000 m. Area: length x width = 77000 m x 152 m = 11704000 m2 Perimeter: 2 x side A + 2 x side B = 2 x 77000 m + 2 x 152 m =154304 m. Volume: length x width x depth =77000 x 152 x 12.5 = 146300000 m3 The total length of the Suez Canal is around 101 miles (162543.74 m) and it has a width of 300 m. The canal is 24 m deep. Area: length x width = 162543.74m x 300m = 48763122 m2 Perimeter: 2 x side A + 2 x side B = 2 x 162543.74 m + 2 x 300 m = 325687.48 m. Volume: length x width x depth = 162543.74m x 300m x 24m =1170314928 m3 Time frame: To cross the Panama Canal it takes about 8 to 10 hours. Prior to its construction, a journey from New York to San Francisco and vice versa took about 60 days. However, with the construction of the canal, the journey takes about 30 days. The time required for the construction of the Suez Canal was ten years. The construction started in the year 1859 and was completed in 1969. Officially, the canal was opened for operation on 17th November 1969. A rail road runs alongside the entire length of the Suez Canal. It takes around 11 to 12 hours to cross the length of the Canal which is a record time. In order, to prevent the canal banks from eroding, the ships have to travel at a very slow speed. (Thomas, Hugh.1967) Conclusion: The Panama Canal is included in the list of Seven Wonders of the World. While on the other hand the Suez Canal is the world’s busiest water route. Both of these canals yield immense economic benefits. However, due to global warming, the water in both the canals is receding. Each year more than 13,100 ships cross the Panama Canal carrying more than 140 million tons of cargo. However, these figures are estimated to rise in the years to come. The toll for the passage of each ship on average is $28,000. More than 2.6 million tons of automobiles are carried across the canal each year. Ships from over 70 nations use the Panama Canal each year. Due to its ideal geostrategic location, the Suez Canal is the shortest way to reach the west from the east. Suez Canal does not have locks and the rate of accidents occurring each year is very low as compared with other artificial water routes. The canal has the capacity to be widened in order to occupy more cargo ships. Today more than two third of Europe’s oil is transported in through the Suez Canal. Each year, more than 21,750 cargo vessels travel through the Suez Canal, making it the busiest water way in the world. Both of these Canals are examples of high tech engineering innovations. These Canals have eased the transport of goods and continue to boost the word economy. (DuTemple, Lesley A.1966) Bar chart showing the cost of construction and maintenance of Panama and Suez Canal. References: McCullough, David G. The Path between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1977. Print DuTemple, Lesley A. The Panama Canal. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner, 2003. Print. Burchell, S C. Building the Suez Canal. New York: American Heritage Pub. Co, 1966. Print Thomas, Hugh. Suez. New York: Harper & Row, 1967. Print Read More