The (North) Atlantic Ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean
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Pacific Ocean
Panama CanalAnother AnswerThere is another interesting answer. In the days of exploration, there was postulated a short cut. After all, there had to be a way for the water to get from one point to another, so a "Northwest Passage" was thought to exist. This passage would have been a water route that cut through the continent of North America. However it was never found because it did not exist. Until the Panama Canal was cut, there was no way other than around the Horn of Africa, or the Horn of South America to get from Europe to Asia.
America gets most of its water from aquifers, rivers, and lakes.
A land bridge might have existed between the western part of North America and Asia millions of years ago before the glaciers melted and filled the area up with water. The migration of people from Asia to North America can be traced back to this era.
To start off, the only reason Europeans specifically, the Spanish and Portuguese, explored the new world was to find a water passage to Asia so that they could avoid the long journey around Africa and to India. However as time progressed and new lands discovered it became clear that the Americas blocked a quick and easy path to the Orient (Asia). As a result, Europeans began exploring the lands of North and South America, finding gold and silver which attracted many other settlers from Europe. Europeans also began the cultivation of cash crops such as tobacco and cotton, and hunted otters and beavers for their furs which could fetch high values back in Europe