Topic 1 Development: Borders | Canals

Definition of a Canal:

A canal is a human-made waterway that allows boats and ships to pass from one body of water to another. Canals are also used to transport water for irrigation and other human uses. While the advent of more efficient forms of transportation has reduced the need for canals, they still play a vital role as conduits for transportation and fostering global commerce.  – NOAA

What characteristics make a Canal a Canal?:

One of the first notable points I found from my initial research was the distinction between Canals and Channels. The biggest point is man-made (Canals) vs. natural(Channels).

This led me to research the use of Canals. As a man-made entity, there is a use or a need that these waterways are built to fulfill.

According to further research Wikipedia lists, that “Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow under atmospheric pressure, and can be thought of as artificial rivers.”

The main uses of a canal are drainage for safety, landscape protection, and transportation of people and goods. How do these topics connect to Borders?

Borders & Connectors:

Reading more on the topic, I was reminded of my trip to Colorado and stopping at the Continental Divide on my drive between Denver and Aspen. The Continental Divide runs from the Bering Strait down the Americas to the Strait of Magellan in southern Chile. This Divide separates the watersheds that drain into the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea.

This creates boundaries in multiple countries and territories, including National Parks like Glacier National Park and, most notably, the Panama Canal.

 

 

 

The Panama Canal – Trade: 

Finished in 1914, the most notable canal in the Americas is the Panama Canal. It connects North and South America, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and is the lowest point of the Continental Divide.

Most notably used for international trade, cargo ships can pass in either direction, with the most Trade between the east coast of the United States and East Asia dominating international canal traffic. (Britanica)

 

 

 

 

 

Amsterdam Canals – Defense & Protection:

The other area of research surrounds the idea of protection and safety.

The city was founded around 1250 with the building of the Dam that gave it its name. ‘Aeme Stelle Redamme’ is Medieval Dutch for: ‘Dam in a Watery Area.’ The first canals were dug for water management and defense. As the city expanded in the Middle Ages, successive defense moats ended up inside the walls and lost their function. But they acquired an important new one: local transport of merchandise. (https://www.amsterdam.info/canals/)

 

 

Further Exploration of Canals, Usage, Relation to Borders:

• Transportation – People & Commerce
• Protection – Defense & Climate
• Fishing/Food Sources