The Panama Canal (Spanish: Canal de Panama) panamá is a.77-1 (kilometre 48) mi ship canal In panama that connects The Atlantic (ocean via The Caribbean) sea to The Pacific. oceanhe earliest mention of a canal across the Isthmus of Panama dates back to 1534, when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, ordered a survey for a route through the Americas that would ease the voyage for ships traveling between Spain and Peru.