The Panama Canal is an 82-kilometer (51-mile) artificial waterway that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. Its completion in 1914 revolutionized global shipping by allowing vessels to avoid the lengthy and hazardous journey around Cape Horn at the tip of South America. The project was one of the largest and most difficult engineering feats ever undertaken. A French attempt in the 1880s failed due to engineering challenges and high mortality from yellow fever and malaria. The United States took over in 1904, successfully completing it through the use of a lock system and massive advances in tropical medicine. The canal's strategic importance granted the U.S. significant influence over global trade for much of the 20th century, before sovereignty was eventually transferred to Panama in 1999.