The Panama Canal is a man-made waterway that allows ships to travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean through Central America. Many believe that travel through this canal would be a straight shot from east to west, but this couldn't be farther from the truth.

In reality, the Panama Canal zigs and zags its way across Panama at a sharp angle. Ships move in either a southeast or northwest direction through and each trip takes 8 to 10 hours.

The Direction of the Panama Canal

The Panama Canal lies within the Isthmus of Panama, the portion of land that bridges North and South America and contains Panama. The shape of the Isthmus of Panama and the angle at which the Canal dissects it make for a complicated and unexpected trip for ships hoping to take advantage of this shortcut.

Transportation travels in the opposite direction of what you might assume. Ships traveling from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean go in a northwest direction. Ships traveling from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean go in a southeast direction.

On the Atlantic side, the entrance to the Panama Canal is near the city of Colón at about 9° 18' N, 79° 55' W. On the Pacific side, the entrance is near Panama City at about 8° 56' N, 79° 33' W. These coordinates prove that if the journey were traveled in a straight line, it would be a north-south route. Of course, this is not the case.

The Trip Through the Panama Canal

Almost any boat or ship can travel through the Panama Canal, but space is limited and strict regulations apply, so making the trip is easier said than done. The canal runs on a very tight schedule and ships cannot just enter as they please.

The Panama Canal's Locks

Three sets of locks—Miraflores, Pedro Miguel, and Gatun (from the Pacific to Atlantic)—are located in the canal. These lift ships in increments, one lock at a time, until they go from sea level to 85 feet above sea level at Gatun Lake. On the other side of the canal, ships are lowered back to sea level.

Locks make up only a very small portion of the Panama Canal. Most of the journey is spent navigating both natural and man-made waterways. Each lock chamber is 110 feet (33.5 meters) wide and 1000 feet (304.8 meters) long. Each lock chamber takes roughly eight minutes to fill with about 101,000 cubic meters of water. The Panama Canal Authority estimates that each transit through the canal uses 52 million gallons of water.

Sailing From the Pacific Ocean

Starting from the Pacific Ocean, here is a brief description of the journey ships take through the Panama Canal.