What was the Northwest Passage used for?
Question:
What was the Northwest Passage used for?
Northwest Passage:
The Northwest Passage was the all-water route connection the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. European explorers searched for this passage for centuries, but without success until the second half of the 1800s.
Answer and Explanation:
The benefit of an all-water route from the Atlantic to the Pacific was a longstanding dream of Europeans and Americans prior to the completion of the Panama Canal. This was because it would greatly facilitate trade with East Asia, China in particular. The problem with this route was that when explorers finally found it, the route was so far to the north that it was frozen in ice for a good part of each year, make it nearly useless for shipping purposes, or any other purposes involving large-scale commerce.
Learn more about this topic:
from
Chapter 16 / Lesson 7Learn about the Northwest Passage to find out about its significance and history. Review important Northwest Passage explorers who helped locate this passage.