The PANAMA CANAL Construction
The length of the Panama Canal is approximately 51 miles.
A trip along the canal from its Atlantic entrance would take you
through a 7 mile dredged channel in Limón Bay.
The canal then proceeds for a distance of 11.5 miles to the Gatun Locks.
This series of three locks raise ships 26 metres to Gatun Lake.
It continues south through a channel in Gatun Lake for 32 miles to Gamboa,
where the Culebra Cut begins. This channel through the cut is 8 miles long
and 150 metres wide. At the end of this cut are the locks at Pedro Miguel.
The Pedro Miguel locks lower ships 9.4 metres to a lake which then takes
you to the Miraflores Locks which lower ships 16 metres to sea level at the
canals Pacific terminus in the bay of Panama.
