Giles Grandy, Age 12, Of Batesburg, S.C.,, For his question:

Why are there locks in the panama canal?

At the Isthmus of Panama, the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans almost join hands. They are separated by a strip of land less than 50 miles wide. The panama canal cuts across this neck of land, and ships can save the 5200 mile journey around the tip of South America. This man made waterway makes use of Lake Gatun which fills the center of the isthmus.

The, surface of Lake Gatun is 85 feet above the sea level of the oceans. The ships must be lifted up to the leve1 of the lake and then lowered down on the other side by three pairs of locks. Between the two sets of locks, a ship sails 32 miles across the lake.