Text Major canals of the world

The Panama and Suez canals are the most important 1) ______in the world. Both of them provide valuable navigation short cuts and have figured prominently in 2) ______affairs and international 3) ______.

The Panama Canal links the Atlantic and 4) ______oceans. It extends from Limon Bay on the Atlantic to the Bay of Panama on the Pacific, a distance of about 51 5) ______(82 kilometers). It is the 6) ______canal in the world. About 12,000 7) ______pass through it annually.

The Panama Canal reduces the sea 8) ______between New York City and San Francisco by more than 7,800 miles (12,600 kilometers). Without the canal, ships 9) ______between the two cities would have to pass around the southern tip of South America. The Panama Canal 10) ______a strategic role during World War 11 (1939-1945) by enabling United States naval forces to move quickly and easily between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The Suez Canal extends for about 100 miles (160 kilometers) between Port Said, Egypt, and the Gulf of Suez, an 11) ______of the Red Sea. It allows ships to move 12) ______between the Mediterranean and Red seas and serves as an important water link between Europe and Asia. For example, the canal 13) ______sea voyages between Great Britain and India by about 6,000 miles (9,700 kilometers). Without the canal, ships traveling between the two countries would have to pass around the southern coast of Africa. The Suez Canal was 14) ______by sunken ships in 1967, during the Arab-Israeli War, and 15) ______traffic between Asia and Europe was disrupted. Egypt 16) ______the canal in 1975.

Major canals in the United States and Canada 17) ______the Soo Canals, the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, and the All-American Canal. Canals also form an important part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and other major waterways.

The Soo Canals, on the United States-Canadian border, 18) ______Lakes Superior and Huron. The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal 19) ______ships to travel between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River via the Chicago, Des Plaines, and Illinois rivers. The All-American Waterway, in southern California, carries water from the Colorado River to the Imperial and Coachella valleys, important 20) ______areas.

The St. Lawrence Seaway 21) ______of a system of canals and locks, the St. Lawrence River, and several lakes. It extends for about 450 miles (724 kilometers) from the eastern end of Lake Erie to Montreal, Que., and includes the Welland Ship Canal. It links the 22) ______Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean.

Major canals in other countriesinclude the Grand Canal in 23) ______and several canals in Russia and in Western Europe. The Grand Canal is a system of canals and navigable sections of the Yangtze and Huai rivers and the Huang He (Yellow River). It 24) ______more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) through China. It is the world's longest artificially 25) ______waterway.

In 26) ______, a system of canals links the 27) ______River with the 28) ______Ocean, the Baltic Sea, the Don River, and Moscow. Major rivers in Western Europe are also connected by many canals, 29) ______the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal in the Netherlands and the Albert Canal and Charleroi-Brussels Canal in Belgium. The Kiel Canal in 30) ______connects the Baltic and the North seas.