Click points on the map to follow a ship’s progress along the canal from the Caribbean (A) to the Pacific (B). Back to introduction Gatun Lake Ships travel for 37.6km through the Gatun Lake - a 418 square km reservoir created by the damming of the Chagres River. The giant Gatun Dam which holds back the Chagres also generates electrical power for the canal. At the time of its construction the Gatun Lake, which also provides all the water for the lock system, was the largest man-made body of water in the world.

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