The Panamá Canal dissects the Isthmus of Panamá from the north to the south providing a shipping route for goods and services. Using a series of locks (gates) powered by fresh water the canal travels north for twelve hours every day and south for twelve hours every day, as the locks are too narrow to allow two ships to pass simultaneously. This marvel of human engineering constructed over a century ago cuts 22-days off the journey around South America. Checkout my new book ‘Icebergs to Iguanas’