Nature intended for Panama to be the land bridge between the Americas, but human ingenuity found a way to also turn this isthmus into the primary link between the world's two largest oceans. Built in 1914, the Panama Canal represented a new era in transportation, shipment of goods, and ultimately travel, as ships no longer had to brave the remote and tricky Strait of Magellan. More than providing ease of access for the numerous destinations between the Caribbean and the Pacific coasts of Central and South America, traversing the canal is an experience unto itself.