Editing History of Panama (section)

===Construction===
The Panama Canal was built by the [[U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] between 1904 and 1914; the existing 83-kilometer (50-mi.) lock canal is considered one of the world's great engineering triumphs. On January 5, 1909, the government of [[Rafael Reyes]] in Colombia signed and presented to its Congress a treaty that would officially recognize the loss of its former province, but the treaty was not ratified, due to popular and legislative opposition. Negotiations continued intermittently until a new treaty was signed on December 21, 1921, which formally accepted the independence of Panama.

Roosevelt's policy to ‘walk softly and carry a big stick’, and the Canal Company's apartheid early on, have been much criticized. Yet, beyond the financial injection to the country's economy and workforce, the changes brought about by the canal venture were largely positive for Panama. To sanitize the area before and during construction, engineers developed an infrastructure to treat potable water, sewage, and garbage, that encompassed the Canal Zone and the cities of Panama and Colon.

Standards in construction, transportation and landscaping for the Canal Zone's urban development during the first half of the 20th century had no parallel in tropical regions in the hemisphere. Dr. William Gorgas used techniques pioneered by Cuban physician Carlos Finley, to rid the area of yellow fever between 1902 and 1905. Gorgas' work in the sanitation of the Canal Zone and the cities of Panama and Colon eventually made him sought after internationally.

The Panama Canal, the area supporting the Canal, and remaining US military bases were turned over to Panama on December 31, 1999, in accordance with the Torrijos-Carter Treaties.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1977-1980/panama-canal|title=Milestones: 1977–1980 - Office of the Historian|website=history.state.gov|language=en|access-date=2017-02-20|archive-date=November 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108144121/https://history.state.gov/milestones/1977-1980/panama-canal|url-status=live}}</ref>