The Panama Canal

Panama is an amazing country, with an equally amazing history, especially that of the Panama Canal. Did you know that when Panama seceded from Colombia, it was because of the gun boats Teddy Roosevelt had offshore threatening Colombia? And that Teddy Roosevelt became the first sitting American president to visit another country, when he made his historic trip to Panama? Or that the building of the Panama Canal led to the discovery that malaria was transmitted by mosquitoes?

New! Check out the live image of the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal4

BOOKS/VIDEOS

Path Between the Seas First and foremost is David McCullough's The Path Between the Seas. McCullough, the best selling author of John Adams and Truman, writes a fascinating story detailing the building of the canal - the most massive engineering effort ever undertaken at a huge cost of human lives - from the time of the original French project through completion in 1914. I highly recommend this read, it's one of those non-fiction books that reads like a novel.

A Man, A Plan, A Canal: Panama This excellent video - A Man, A Plan, A Canal - was produced by PBS' Nova television show. Narrated by David McCullough, this is a fascinating video of the canal construction, and a must-see for anyone contemplating navigating through the Canal.

WEB SITES

	For a look at the Canal and it's history, go the web site for the Panama Canal Museum, at http://www.canalmuseum.com. It's a well designed site with tons of useful and interesting content.
	Got a friend or relative taking a cruise through the Panama Canal? Take a LIVE look at the the Miraflores Locks, midway through the Canal, on this web cam. The image is updated every 10 seconds and can be viewed live 24/7/365 days a year. Check out the official web site of the ACP, the Panamanian organization that has taken over management of the Canal. I have to say they must have an excellent webmaster, because they have some of the best-used Flash animation (which usually annoys me) that I have ever seen.
	Tourist info on Panama can be found on the all-inclusive panamainfo.com web site, an excellent resource for eco-travel, adventure travel, business travel, and more.