Chokepoints are where all the ships go are on the same route in a narrow region. Here's an infographic and post about chokepoints from Statista:
I like the measurement in terms of percentage of global trade.
The Panama Canal is so low because it's narrow.
Also, it's low because there's a part of U.S. code commonly called "The Jones Act". It may have been good-hearted a century ago, but it's a nuisance now. It makes it illegal for any ship to transport goods from a U.S. port to another U.S. port unless the ship has a U.S. flag and a predominantly American crew. The thing is, there aren't many American ships, we don't build a lot of ships anymore, and being part of the crew of cargo ship is just not something most American high schoolers are interested in as a career. The bottom line is that we send stuff around the country on trains, trucks, and planes that could easily go on ships.
FWIW: the article the infographic references is not from my area, but I found it to pretty accessible reading if this sort of thing interests you. It's also not behind a paywall, which is always cool.
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