A canal about 80 km (50 miles) long, across the isthmus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Its construction, begun by Ferdinand de Lesseps in 1881 but abandoned through bankruptcy in 1889, was completed by the USA between 1904 and 1914. The surrounding territory, the Panama Canal Zone or Canal Zone, was administered by the USA until 1979, when it was returned to the control of Panama. Control of the canal itself remained with the USA until December 1999, when it passed to Panama. In 2016 a project to widen the Canal was completed, allowing it to accommodate larger ships and so more than double its capacity.