USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The route used before the construction of the Panama canal was to travel round the “Cape Horn” (located in southernmost tip of South America), covering a distance of approximately 24, 000 Kms. (San Francisco to New York). This travel takes approximately a month.

Detailed explanation-2: -They canoed up the Chagres River, in central Panama. Then they rode a mule through the jungle to reach Panama City on the Pacific coast. There they boarded a ship to San Francisco. By taking the Panama shortcut, gold seekers could cut about 8, 000 miles (13, 000 kilometers) and a few months off the Cape Horn route.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Canal shortened the distances between the East Coast of the United States and these markets to the west. Through the Canal, a vessel sailing from New York to San Francisco could cut its journey from more than 13, 000 miles around South America and Cape Horn, to just over 5, 000.

Detailed explanation-4: -The trek across the Darién Gap is 97 kilometers long and can take more than a week to complete. Migrants have no choice but to travel on foot. This is the only break in the Pan-American highway which stretches for some 30, 000 kilometres, from Argentina to Alaska. There are no plans to build a road here.