The Rocky Mountains start in northern Alaska, travel down the western part of North America, travel through Middle America, and continue down the western coast of South America. The mountain range finally ends almost at Antarctica. In Middle America, the mountains are called the Sierra Madres, according to Henry J. Bruman and George C. Engerrand, writing in "Encyclopedia Britannica." South of Panama, the chain is called the Andes Mountains.
For transportation to occur, roads have to be built. The mountains themselves have steep slopes, making road building extremely difficult. Bruman and Engerrand point out that the elevations are high, with summits through Mexico that reach 10,000 feet. Construction crews have to carry bulldozers, large backhoes, concrete and all other road building equipment up the steep slopes encountered. This is not an easy task.
The Panama Canal is only 51 miles long. However, it took hundreds of men working for 24 years, from about 1881 to 1914, to complete its construction. One of the chief problems was the difficulties with the steep mountains and terrain. Landslides were a common occurrence because of the steep slopes encountered, and engineers had to develop new sloping methods to prevent this.
The steep mountainous terrain is not the only problem preventing efficient transportation. The weather and climate pose a challenge as well. In the region's tropical rainforests, landslides and mudslides are common, due to heavy rain washing the sides of slopes. These landslides frequently block roads, making them impassable. Crews have to endlessly clear mud and debris from roads. Also, tropical diseases affect the well-being of workers. When the Panama Canal was built, hundreds lost their lives to malaria, which is carried by tropical mosquitoes.