Canals are important landforms made by people. Did you know people have been building canals for over 5000 years? The earliest canals date back to ancient Mesopotamia. Canals are made by digging into the ground to form a waterway. To make canals strong, builders add stone around the edges and this helps prevent water leaking out. Canals can either connect bodies of water or carry water into places that need it. They are important because they are used for commerce, travelling and for irrigation.
Canals are important for commerce because they allow shipments to be transported easier. The Panama Canal was built to connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The creation of the Panama Canal meant the boats no longer had to travel to the tip of South America to get for one Ocean to the other. The Suez Canal was built to connect the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. This saved ships transporting their cargo 24,140 km around Africa. An important part of a canal is the locks full stop the locks allow for boats to travel between different altitudes of water. This is especially important areas where the land is not flat. Locks have two large gates on either side. These gates either fill up or empty water to help boats travel through safely. Canals can also be used for irrigation. For example, farmers dig canals in order to water crops on their farms. In England, people built canals to help them travel by boats across the country before there were cars. |
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