On October 1, 1979, the first step in transferring ownership of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama took place. On that date, the Panama Canal Zone, a 10-mile wide area surrounding the canal from the Atlantic Ocean to Pacific Ocean, then under U.S. control, ceased to exist....
Panama Canal Marks 20 Years of US Handover Amid Water Crisis
PANAMA CITY — Panama marked the 20-year anniversary Tuesday of the turnover of the Panama Canal, now amid a water crisis that threatens the viability of the waterway. Declining rainfall and rising temperatures have reduced the level of freshwater lakes that fill the locks of the Panama Canal and allow...