The Panama Canal The canal is joining the atlantic and pacific oceans. It runs from Cristobal on lemon bay, a part of the Caribbean sea, to Balboa, on the Gulf of Panama. The canal is slightly more than 64 km long, not including the dredged approach channels at either end. The minimum depth is 12.5 m, and the minimum width is 91.5 m. The construction of the canal ranks as one of the greatest engineering works of all time. In history people had interest in a shorter route from the Atlantic to Pacific. This began with the explorers of Central America early in the 16th century. Hernan Cortez was a spanish conqeror of mexico who suggested a canal across the Isthmus of