Built by the US over a 30year period, the strategically located Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. On January 1, 2000, Panama regained sovereignty over it, 85 years after its inauguration. Prior to that, the area around the canal had been a US colony: some 1,400 square kilometres, nicknamed "La Zona". Since its handover to Panama, most Americans have left this narrow strip of land. Our reporters Laurence Cuvillier and Matthieu Comin met those who have stayed behind, maintaining American traditions but with bitter memories for some Panamanians.

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