Panama Canal Geography
Panama is located on the Isthmus of Panama. An isthmus is a small strip of land that connects two larger land masses. Panama receives a great deal of rain. This rain is both a blessing and a curse to the canal. The rain provides the necessary water for the 52 million gallons required by each ship, however there are areas where it also flows through the earth into the canal. These areas are called slides and can result in thousands of tons of earth being dumped into the canal. The Cucaracha Slide (see picture above) is one of the largest of these slides.
Surprisingly, there are actually parts of Panama where someone can see the sun rises in the Pacific Ocean and set in the Atlantic.
Visit this world atlas website To learn more about the geography of Panama. Then watch the video on the right to watch the devastation a landslide can create.
