![Map of central Panama (c. 1900), from the 10th edition of Encyclopædia …[Credits : Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]](http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/88/24188-004-30F5F07E.jpg)
Map of central Panama (c. 1900), from the 10th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica, highlighting the proposed route of the Panama Canal through the isthmus, which was then a part of Colombia. A French company had unsuccessfully attempted to construct a canal in the late 19th century; the United States completed the waterway in 1904–14, largely tracing the route shown here.
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