In 1996, 336 ships sailed under the Panama flag into the Baltimore harbor -- more any other country. Does that seem strange to you? That's a lot of bananas, shrimp, sugar, cotton and clothing. Try to solve the mystery of why there are so many ships sailing under the Panama flag sailing into Baltimore. Use various sources to answer this question, including your teacher and your family. This is a difficult question to answer. You might need to visit your media center to answer this one!

Part 4

Every Tuesday The Baltimore Sun publishes the Maritime Report in the business section. Take a look at the December 2 Maritime Report . What additional information does this report give you? Does this information clarify the confusion in Part 3? Why or why not?

Answer the questions about this report on the Maritime Report Worksheet.