Panama Canal
France began work on the canal in 1881, but stopped due to engineering problems and a high worker mortality rate. The United States took over the project in 1904 and opened the canal on August 15, 1914. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduced the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, enabling them to avoid the lengthy, hazardous Cape Horn route around the southernmost tip of South America via the Drake Passage or Strait of Magellan.
India–Panama relations
The Indian-Panamanian connection is the oldest in the Central American region, dating back to the middle of the 19th century when groups of Indians, particularly Sikh immigrants, came to Panama to work on the construction of Panama railways and later the Panama Canal in the early 20th century.