Why do you think engineers choose the isthmus of panama as the location for a canal

Engineers most likely chose the isthmus of Panama as the location of the canal because it was one of the shortest land areas that had to be crossed in order to create a route for ships to travel from the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Panama's isthmus is a unique land feature that is a thin piece of land relatively that allowed for easier development of the canal due to its shorter distance in comparison to much wider parts of Central America.