This Day in Panama History: May 18th 1904 and May 18th 2000
May 18 in Panama’s history features two major milestones, primarily centered around the creation and ongoing legacy of the Panama Canal. On this date in 1904, the newly minted republic officially ceded land for the canal, and in 2000, it finalized the administrative handover of the waterway’s ports.
- May 18, 1904: The Republic of Panama ratified the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty with the United States. Signed just months after Panama’s independence from Colombia, this agreement granted the U.S. permanent, sovereign-like rights to a 10-mile-wide strip of land—the Panama Canal Zone. It set the stage for the U.S. to complete the canal a decade later.
- May 18, 2000: The administration and operation of the ports at the entrances of the Panama Canal officially transferred over to Panama. Following the historic Torrijos-Carter Treaties and the complete U.S. withdrawal of military presence, this date marked the final step in handing full, sovereign control of the canal’s auxiliary assets to Panamanian hands, firmly establishing the nation’s total control over its crucial global trade route.
