(A) Germany
(B) England
(C) Spain
(D) ** France
EXPLANATIONS BELOW
Concept note-1: -A French company headed by Ferdinand, viscount de Lesseps, started to build a canal in 1881 but failed by 1889. The United States, led by Pres. Theodore Roosevelt, negotiated the Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty, giving the U.S. control of the Canal Zone.
Concept note-2: -In 1881, a French company headed by Ferdinand de Lesseps, a former diplomat who developed Egypt’s Suez Canal, began digging a canal across Panama. The project was plagued by poor planning, engineering problems and tropical diseases that killed thousands of workers.
Concept note-3: -Led by Ferdinand de Lesseps-the builder of the Suez Canal in Egypt-the French began excavating in 1880. Malaria, yellow fever, and other tropical diseases conspired against the de Lesseps campaign and after 9 years and a loss of approximately 20, 000 lives, the French attempt went bankrupt.
Concept note-4: -The idea of creating a canal over the isthmus of Panama goes back to the 15th century. One of the first countries to attempt construction was France. The team was led by Count Ferdinand de Lesseps, the builder of the Suez Canal in Egypt.
Concept note-5: -May 29, 1879: The French Attempt Two years after a French team completes their own survey of Panama, their government approves Ferdinand de Lesseps’ plan for a sea-level canal.