The Panama Canal connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean, providing a crucial shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for maritime traffic. The United States handed Panamanian control of the canal in 1999 after overseeing its construction and operation for most of the 20th century.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Newly sworn-in President Donald Trump vowed on Monday that the United States would take back the Panama Canal as he delivered an inauguration speech in which he invoked the 19th century expansionist doctrine of "Manifest Destiny.