10 Average Questions about Canals of the World

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Commercial shipping has greatly benefited by the building of canals at key locations around the world. The building of which canal in Central America solved the problem of ships having to go around the tip of South America in order to transport goods between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans?

Answer: Panama

The U.S. had been interested in building this canal for many years. With President Theodore Roosevelt overseeing the project in 1904 and with funding provided by the United States, the Panama Canal was completed in 1914. The construction of this canal saved thousands of miles of travel. One of the principal engineers, John Frank Stevens, supervised the rebuilding of the infrastructures in Panama and built new housing for the many workers who came to the Canal Zone to help with the project.

In addition to building the canal, plans to improve sanitation were implemented to greatly reduce the spread of mosquito-born diseases, very much a problem in this part of the world at that time.

2. The original purpose of this Canadian canal was to provide a trade route that could bypass Niagara Falls. It dates back to the early 19th century and links Lake Erie with Lake Ontario. What is this canal called?

Answer: Welland

Like the Panama Canal, the Welland Canal is an engineering marvel. Locks contain 9.4 million liters of water, utilizing nothing more than gravity to move this water. Construction of this canal was divided into five phases, the fifth phase remaining unfinished.

3. One of the oldest canals in the U S. is sometimes referred to as "Clinton's Folly," a reference to DeWitt Clinton, Governor of New York in charge of building it. Which canal provided a water route from New York City to the Great Lakes?

Answer: Erie

For its time, the Erie Canal was considered a marvel of engineering. Construction began in 1817 and was completed in 1825. An ambitious undertaking from its inception, the Erie Canal made New York the busiest port in the U.S. Lateral canals were later built which included the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca.

When the Saint Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, it drastically lowered canal traffic in these areas.

4. In 1869, which strategically significant canal opened in the Middle East, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea?

Answer: Suez

The Suez Canal has been opened and closed due to wars in the Middle East. Ownership of the canal zone has changed from one nation to another. Today it is owned by the Suez Canal Authority. An interesting feature of this canal is that it has no locks. Although it is relatively narrow as far as canals go, it is one of the busiest waterways in the world.

5. Canal building dates back to ancient times. The concept of building canals came about as a means of shortening trade routes around the world. One of the world's oldest canals opened in China in 485 BC. Name this canal.

Answer: Grand

The Chinese built this canal, also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, to transport people as well as goods. It's the longest of any canal in the world and links the Yangtze, Yellow, Huaihe, Haihe, and Qiantang Rivers. Built in sections during various dynasties, the canal is still an important waterway extending from Beijing in the north to Hangzhou in the south.

6. Amsterdam, capital city of the Netherlands, is built around canals. Of the four major canals, which is the longest?

Answer: Prinsengracht

Prinsengracht means "Prince's Canal" in Dutch and refers to the Prince of Orange. The Anne Frank House can be found along this canal. Most of the city's canals were built during the Dutch Golden Age, a span of time during the 17th century when the Netherlands flourished.

7. Building a canal across southern Sweden was the brainchild of Hans Brask, a 16th century bishop. His plans didn't come to fruition until 1832 when the canal opened after 22 years of construction. Which canal is it?

Answer: G�ta

Baltzar von Platen was the engineer who built the canal. The G�ta Canal stretches from Sj�torp on Lake V�nern to Mem, Sl�tbaken. It contains 58 locks. Unfortunately, canals in colder climates like this one close down for months at a time. When railroads were introduced in the 1850s they not only moved goods faster but didn't have to close down during the winter months.

This permanently lowered canal traffic.

8. In the late 1970s in upstate New York, a health scare rocked a neighborhood which had been built next to a canal. Do you remember the name of this canal and its namesake neighborhood?

Answer: Love Canal

Love Canal was originally intended to connect Niagara River with Lake Ontario, bypassing Niagara Falls. Due to an economic collapse in 1893, investors disappeared and plans to finish building the canal came to an end. Over the years the canal became a dumping ground for toxic waste.

It took decades to unfold but many of the residents of Love Canal fell ill from cancer and other diseases. A higher rate of miscarriages also occurred. The government stepped in, relocating the residents. This intervention resulted in the forming of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA).

9. Not all canals are built to shorten trade routes. The landlocked country of Turkmenistan, located in Central Asia, built a large irrigation canal which took 34 years to complete. Which canal carries water from the Amu-Darya River across the desert into Turkmenistan?

Answer: Karakum(Quaraqum)

Unfortunately that water diversion came at a price. In the case of Turkmenistan, all that irrigation water caused the Aral Sea to shrink, completely drying up in some areas. Sea water shrinkage affects people and aquatic life. With the completion of a dam in 2005, the rivers that fed into the sea have risen. Sadly, the fishing industry did not recover, leading to economic hardship for many.

10. Locks aren't needed when sea water is level. Such is the case with this canal that separates the Gulf of Corinth from the Saronic Gulf. It is located in the Aegean Sea. Which canal is it?

Answer: Corinth

First opened in the summer of 1893, the Corinth Canal is so narrow that it doesn't allow for passage of ocean freighters, only small ships. The building of this canal was beset with physical and financial problems. Today it is used mainly by cruise ships.

Source: Author nmerr

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

10 Average Questions about Canals of the World

Canals, like bridges, are engineering feats. How many of these important canals can you identify?

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>