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Article: Canal Party.(Panama Canal)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Science World
- Article date:
- February 7, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Scholastic, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Where was last New Year's "Party Central"? Maybe Central America--in Panama. On December 31, 1999, after more than 80 years of governing the Panama Canal, the U.S. handed the reins of authority over the canal to Panama. Panamanians wildly celebrated their new control over the country's entire territory.
When the U.S. completed building the Panama Canal in 1914, the engineering marvel was touted as the "eighth wonder of the world--the largest piece of machinery on Earth," says Lesley Hendricks, a Panama Canal maintenance engineer. Construction costs exceeded $375 million; more than 5,600 workers died from disease or accidents building the canal.
The ...