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Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

A Plan for Panama's Canal

First, a giant explosion blasted away part of a hill. Then came cheers and balloons! What was going on? People in Panama, a small country in Central America, were celebrating. The explosion was the first step in a plan to make their famous Panama Canal even bigger.

In 1914, after years of hard, dangerous work, engineers finished building a channel through Panama. It connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. It is one great shortcut!

Before the canal was built, a ship going from New York to California had to go all the way around South America. The canal made the trip 9,000 miles shorter! Back then, ships were much smaller. Once the canal is wider, larger ships will travel through Panama too.

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