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Suez Canal

2:31

Stuck at sea: Cargo ship wedged in Suez Canal causes traffic jam

3:43

The 1956 Suez Crisis: History Matters (Short Animated Documentary)

3:35

The Ancient Suez Canal

2:23

Suez Canal Timelapse - Full Transit HD GoPro

2:41

Explainer: Why is the Suez Canal so important?

The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. In 1858, Ferdinand de Lesseps formed the Suez Canal Company for the express purpose of building the canal. Construction of the canal lasted from 1859 to 1869 and took place under the regional authority of the Ottoman Empire. The canal officially opened on 17 November 1869. It offers vessels a direct route between the North Atlantic and northern Indian oceans via the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, avoiding the South Atlantic and southern Indian oceans and reducing the journey distance from the Arabian Sea to London by approximately 8,900 kilometres (5,500 mi), or 8 days at 24knts to 10 days at 20knts. The canal extends from the northern terminus of Port Said to the southern terminus of Port Tewfik at the city of Suez. Its length is 193.30 km (120.11 mi) including its northern and southern access-channels. In 2020, more than 18,500 vessels traversed the canal.
  • Precursors 

  • Second millennium BC 

  • Canals dug by Necho, Darius I and Ptolemy 

  • Receding Red Sea and the dwindling Nile 

  • Old Cairo to the Red Sea 

  • Repair by al-Ḥākim 

  • Conception by Venice 

  • Ottoman attempts 

  • Napoleon's discovery of an ancient canal 

  • Interim period 

  • Preparations (1854–1858) 

  • Construction (1859–1869) 

  • Inauguration (17 November 1869) 

  • Initial difficulties (1869–1871) 

  • Growth and reorganisation 

  • Suez Crisis 

  • Arab–Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973 

  • Mine clearing operations (1974–75) 

  • UN presence 

  • Bypass expansion 

  • 2021 obstruction by ''Ever Given'' 

  • Timeline 

  • Layout and operation 

  • Capacity 

  • Navigation 

  • Operation 

  • Canal crossings 

  • Economic impact 

  • Cape Agulhas 

  • Northern Sea Route 

  • Cape Horn 

  • Negev desert railway 

  • Environmental impact 

  • Suez Canal Economic Zone