Doomlearn
DE
Language & WorldFact

Atlantic to Pacific through Panama means sailing southeast.

Panama curves so that the canal from the Caribbean to the Pacific runs roughly northwest to southeast, not east to west. Locks lift ships 26 metres up to Gatún Lake and lower them again on the other side. The roughly 80 km take about 8 to 10 hours. Sailing around South America instead would add around 13,000 km.

Useful: Check your mental map: the Pacific exit lies east of the Atlantic entrance.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

GeografieKanalSchifffahrt

Difficulty:

Question on this card

By how many metres do the Panama Canal locks lift a ship?

  1. About 6 metres
  2. About 26 metres
  3. About 80 metres
  4. Not at all, the canal is at sea level
Show the answer

Correct: About 26 metres

The locks raise ships 26 metres to Gatún Lake; the Suez Canal, by contrast, has no locks.

Related cards

Keep reading

This card belongs to the topic Language & World. Every card is short, cites a source and can be saved – due ones come back by themselves later.

About Doomlearn · Projects · Legal notice · Privacy · Terms