Which country has the Welland Canal?

The Welland Canal is one of Canada's greatest engineering projects. It forms an important part of the St. Lawerence Seaway. The canal provides a navigable waterway 27 miles (44 km) long between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. The only natural connection between these two lakes was the Niagara River.

Lake Erie is about 330 feet (99 m) higher than Lake Ontario, so ships must be raised and lowered by locks. The project to connect Lake Ontario and Lake Erie was completed in 1829. In 1833, workers finished an extension of the canal that stretched from Port Robinson south to Port Colborne.

Next, the shipping industry wanted a larger waterway. In 1839, the project was taken over by the government of Upper Canada, which is now Ontario. The canal was greatly enlarged by 1845, and enlarged further by 1887. In 1912, the Canadian government began improvements which have resulted in the modern canal, which opened in 1932.

On average, it takes ships about eleven hours to traverse the entire length of the Welland Canal.