isthmus: Quick Facts

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Photos

Historical map of the Isthmus of Panama around 1900, showing the proposed route of the Panama Canal as a dashed line stretching from Colon on the Atlantic Ocean to Panama City on the Pacific Ocean. The map details rivers, mountains, and towns along the isthmus, which was then part of Colombia.

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Topics

land bridge Harbors and sea works mountain iceberg valley ocean current coral reef oceanic ridge ocean gulf tectonic basins and rift valleys

Key People

Chesney, detail from a painting over a photograph; in the National Portrait Gallery, London

Francis Rawdon Chesney

British explorer

Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust

The Solid Earth Quiz