<P> The oldest canal, technically a mill race built for industrial purposes in North America is Mother Brook between the Boston, Massachusetts neighbourhoods of Dedham and Hyde Park connecting the higher waters of the Charles River and the mouth of the Neponset River and the sea . It was constructed in 1639 to provide water power for mills . </P> <P> In Russia, the Volga--Baltic Waterway, a nationwide canal system connecting the Baltic Sea and Caspian Sea via the Neva and Volga rivers, was opened in 1718 . </P> <Ul> <Li> See also: History of the British canal system </Li> <Li> See also: History of turnpikes and canals in the United States </Li> </Ul> <Li> See also: History of the British canal system </Li>

The canal which can irrigate only one side