Since the first ship passed through in April of 1914, the Panama Canal has been at the center of global trade. By 1939, more than 7,000 ships a year were traveling through the canal, but it did not turn a profit until the 1950s. In 1966, the lines at each end of the canal had grown so long that the ACP installed lighting to allow for overnight traffic.

In recent years the amount of cargo shipped worldwide annually has continued to increase, a growth driven in part by rapidly expanding economies in Asia. By 2005, 5% of worldwide shipping traffic was passing through the Panama Canal, including nearly 70% of all cargo to and from the U.S. In 2007 -- the year construction began -- 14,721 vessels carrying a record 313 million tons of goods crossed the canal. Experts estimate that by 2025 annual demand will rise to 510 million tons.

The money that they earn differs each year

but from 2000 to 2010 that Panama has had full control over the Panama Canal, the canal has earned $45 billion dollars in tolls. The average per year is about $4.5 billion. Panama has actually increased the operational efficiency of the canal since taking over from the Americans.

but as the Panama Canal Authority (the Government of Panama entity operating the canal) declared in financial statements, the Panama Canal makes 2.4 billion USD* of turnover in 2013, for a net income of 1.26 billion USD