Flipping Book | The new Panama Canal | Salini Impregilo Library

15 In 1905 a small country called Panama began to be divided in two halves to open up a canal between two oceans, forever changing what we are. Numbering 90,000 throughout the entire territory, Panamanians had to adjust to the pres- ence of more than 30,000 workers who came to work on the excavations for the Canal. Although most of the workers were African descendants from the Antilles, they were joined by Spaniards, Portuguese, Scots and other nationalities from around the world, in many ways changing the social and cultural make-up of the country. Once the work was completed, they gradually integrated into the exploding isthmus population in a kaleidoscope of languages, customs, foods, and religions. Long before this, since the construction of the intercontinental railroad in the mid-nineteenth century, Chinese workers and many adventurers—trying to get to California—stayed on the isthmus and began to sow the seeds of what is Panama today. The Chinese introduced rice, which became the staple food of Panamanians, unlike the rest of Central America who resort to corn. Forever Changing What We Are Rosa María Britton