The Panama CANAL is a waterway through Panama that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It was built by the French in the late 19th century and later completed by the United States in 1914. The CANAL is an important shipping route for international trade and is one of the most significant engineering feats of the 20th century. The CANAL is approximately 80 km long and has a series of locks that raise and lower ships to different levels of the CANAL.