Why the Americas Still Aren't Connected by a Road

the Darian Gap located on the border between Colombia and Panama is considered the most dangerous area in the world Crossing this 100m region is like passing through the valley of death because of this area North and South America remain unconnected by any road or rail network to this day throughout human history there have been only seven attempts to cross the entire region by car or Jeep despite its dangers some people find it necessary to Traverse this area every year thousands even millions of people from South American countries especially Colombia Ecuador and Venezuela try to cross this Gap with the dream of reaching Central and North America for a better life in 2022 alone half a million people attempted to go through the Darian Gap to reach Mexico and then the United States but among those several hundred died while making the journey so what makes this 100m stretch so dangerous that it is considered the most perilous region in the world and why despite the availability of money and technology has no Road or rail network ever been built in this area let's find the answers to these questions in this video in the 21st century where state-of-the-art cities have been built even in scorching deserts why is it so challenging to build a road or rail network in this small area there are four main reasons for this the first reason is is the dangerous weather the Darian Gap is located a few hundred km above the equator making the climate extremely hot Additionally the presence of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to the North and South results in very high humidity the entire area is covered in dense forests and it rains almost 330 days out of 365 each year this constant rain not only causes frequent flash floods but also triggers landslides on the mountain Mountain sides the excessive rain and flooding make construction extremely difficult because materials like concrete cement and asphalt require dry and warm weather to set properly even if these challenges could somehow be overcome the second most dangerous factor in this region is the presence of hazardous animals and insects nowhere else on Earth are there as many venomous snakes spiders and mosquitoes as in the Darian Gap moreover since there are no hospitals homes or any form of shelter for Miles if any of these creatures bite you survival is almost impossible this is why most people who attempt to cross this area end up dying from malaria D snake bites or drowning in the rivers however it is not entirely impossible for the Us and other countries to build a road here yes it would be expensive and challenging but not impossible so why has there been no serious attempt to construct a road or rail network work in this area the reason is that some countries particularly the United States and Panama do not want a road or rail network to be built here in the 19th century Panama was a province of Colombia but the Daran Gap made it difficult for Colombia to maintain control over Panama the only route for the Colombian government to stay connected with Panama was by sea taking advantage of this disconnection Panama started a movement for independence from col IIA in the early 20th century a rising superpower the United States of America began to take a keen interest in this movement the United States had a strong interest in the Panama Canal and wanted control over it before the Canal's construction trade between the eastern and western parts of the US was very difficult as All Ships had to navigate around the entire South American continent to reach the opposite Coast this meant the eastern and western coastlines of the US were effectively disconnected the Panama Canal was built to solve this problem allowing not only trade ships but also the US Navy to move from one side to the other much more easily and quickly at that time it was crucial to control the Panama Canal because it meant having leverage over a significant weakness of the United States Colombia however did not want to Grant the US control over the canal consequently the US strongly supported Panama's Independence Movement as a result in 1903 Panama became an independent country and the United States was the first nation to recognize its independence in return the Panamanian government granted the United States a permanent lease on all the land surrounding the canal and this entire area remained under Us control until 1999 the canal was handed back to Panama in 1999 but this choke point remains highly important for the Us and other countries today currently around 6% of the World's Trade between South America and North America passes through this choke point the Panama canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and approximately 13,000 to 14,000 cargo ships pass through it each year most of the trade between East Asia and the Americas also relies on this route making the canal particularly crucial for both the United States and China now coming back to the Darian Gap it lies between Colombia and Panama Colombia has suffered from internal violence and instability for many years and is Infamous for its drug cartels which are well known throughout South America Colombia is the world's largest producer of cocaine and much of it is smuggled from there to Central and North America however the Darian Gap makes smuggling quite difficult forcing Smugglers to use sea routes where they are often intercepted by Panamanian coast guards in this situation if a road or rail network were built through the Daran Gap the US fears that Colombian drug cartels could reach Panama and potentially damage the Panama Canal moreover it would make it much easier for them to transport drugs to Mexico and the US for this reason even if the governments of Panama and Colombia were to reach an agreement to build a road or rail network the US would likely prevent any such development from taking place now let's discuss the final reason for not developing the Darian Gap preventing illegal migration Latin America is economically politically and in terms of living standards far behind North America most South American countries suffer from corruption weak governance and political instability prompting millions of people to seek a better life elsewhere for these people there is no better option than the United States just a few miles away in recent years the US has tightened its immigration policies leaving these people with only one option to reach the US illegally to do this they have to risk their lives by crossing the Daren Gap each year thousands of people pass through this Gap to enter Central America and then Mexico eventually reaching the us but the biggest obstacle on this entire route is the Darian Gap itself in this 10-day Journey they face Danger such as Den malaria venomous snakes landslides floods and bandits unfortunately despite the treacherous route the number of people attempting to cross this Gap continues to increase each year those suffering from poverty and hunger feel they have no other choice many Die along the way and those who survive are often psychologically scarred hunger can drive people to do unimaginable things to prevent these desperate people from reaching the US no Road or rail network is built through the Daran Gap and this is likely to remain the case for many years to come why is there such a difference between South America and North America while one is home to the world's number one economy many other countries are stuck in a cycle of poverty and hunger we will make a video on this topic very soon here are all the sources we consulted for this video If you enjoyed the video please subscribe to our Channel it may seem like a small thing to you but it gives us a lot of motivation see you in the next video with another interesting topic take care