The Panama Canal: Where is it and who built it?

• A. A ship canal 40 miles long across the Isthmus of Panama built by the United States (1904-1914).
• B. A river route in Panama connecting the Pacific and Atlantic that opened in 1800.
• C. A canal in Panama constructed by the French in the 1800s but never completed.
• D. A canal in Central America connecting the Caribbean Sea to the Gulf of Mexico.

Answer: (A)

This question asks you to identify the Panama Canal by its location, what it is, and who built it. The best description is that it is a ship canal about 40 miles long that runs across the Isthmus of Panama, built by the United States from 1904 to 1914. This captures the essential facts: it connects the Pacific and Atlantic (Caribbean) Oceans, and its construction was completed by the United States after an earlier French effort. The other options mix up details—one suggests a river route opened in 1800, another credits the French with a completion that never happened, and another points to a different Central American waterway—none of which match the actual canal.