In three weeks Panama will vote on whether or not the Panama Canal should be enlarged. Polls show wide spread support of super sizing the canal. In the last decade or so transport ships have become so big that the canal cannot service them. The government of Panama wishes to enlarge the canal to keep its chief money-maker profitable.
The main competitor of the Panama Canal is the Suez Canal. Because of the world's geoid shape a transport ship from New York can go to Hong Kong via Panama or Egypt in roughly the same amount of time.
Another reason for enlarging the Panama Canal is Nicaragua. Nicaragua will soon announce their plans to construct a super, sea-level canal. This is a bit ironic because before the United States liberated Panama from Columbia the original plans for ocean-to-ocean canal was a Nicaragua Canal.
In a "good thing that never happened side note," in the early 20th century the president of Nicaragua wanted Germany and Japan to operate a canal through his country. Something about a Central Power then Axis Powers having operation bases in the Western Hemisphere
rubs me the wrong way.
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