Question.
Can you think of the impact on traffic in the Panama Canal after the Nicaraguan canal opens up?
(Class 12 geography, Fundamentals of Human Geography, Chapter-8. Transport and Communication )
Answer.
About Panama Canal:
The Panama Canal is a man-made canal that connects the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. The Panama Canal is constructed across the Panama Isthmus between Panama City and Colón. The Panama Canal is approximately 72 km long and was constructed by the U.S. was done by government. It shortens the ocean distance between New York and San Francisco by 13,000 km.
About the Nicaraguan Canal:
The Nicaraguan Canal is a proposed canal project connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. This canal would be constructed using the Juan River route in Nicaragua (a Central American country). The Nicaraguan Canal would be an alternative to the Panama Canal.
Impact on traffic in the Panama Canal after the Nicaraguan Canal opens:
As of now, the Panama Canal can handle a maximum ship capacity of 120,000 tons while the Nicaraguan Canal (if opened) can handle 250,000 tons capacity of the ship. So the capacity of the Nicaraguan Canal will be more than twice the capacity of the Panama Canal so of course, the traffic in the Panama Canal will decrease after the opening of the Nicaraguan Canal.
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