Look at a map of Central America. You will see a narrow strip of land connecting North and South America. That strip is Panama. For centuries, Panama was part of Colombia. But on November 3, 1903, Panama declared its independence. The reason had a lot to do with a giant construction project. Engineers wanted to build a canal, a waterway that would let ships pass between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans without sailing all the way around South America. The United States was very interested in building this canal. It would save ships thousands of miles and weeks of travel. The U.S. tried to make a deal with Colombia, but Colombia's government said no. The U.S. then supported a group of Panamanians who wanted independence. When Panama broke away from Colombia, the new country quickly signed a deal with the U.S. to build the canal. American warships blocked Colombia from sending troops to stop the rebellion. The Panama Canal took ten years to build and opened in 1914. It became one of the most important shipping routes in the world.