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Suez Canal
A critical artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt that serves as a major chokepoint for global trade between Asia and Europe, which is being bypassed due to the Red Sea attacks.
First Mentioned
1/7/2026, 3:41:38 AM
Last Updated
1/7/2026, 3:42:43 AM
Research Retrieved
1/7/2026, 3:42:43 AM
Summary
The Suez Canal is a 193.30-kilometer artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt that serves as a vital maritime link between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Constructed between 1859 and 1869 under the direction of Ferdinand de Lesseps, it provides the shortest maritime route between Europe and Asia, significantly reducing travel distances by avoiding the circumnavigation of Africa. The canal is managed by the state-owned Suez Canal Authority and has historically been a focal point of geopolitical conflict, including its nationalization in 1956 and an eight-year closure following the Six-Day War. Recent developments include a major $9 billion expansion project completed in 2016 to double capacity and current logistical challenges caused by regional instability in the Red Sea, which has forced shipping companies to bypass the canal.
Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Type
Artificial sea-level waterway
Width
Up to 352 meters (1,155 feet) following expansion
Length
193.30 kilometers (120.11 miles)
Location
Isthmus of Suez, Egypt
Operator
Suez Canal Authority (SCA)
Daily Capacity
Target of 97 ships per day (increased from 49)
Expansion Cost
US$9 billion (2014-2016 project)
Northern Terminus
Port Said, Egypt
Southern Terminus
Port Tewfik, Suez, Egypt
Global Trade Volume
Approximately 12% of entire global freight (2022)
Timeline
- Ferdinand de Lesseps forms the Compagnie de Suez to construct the canal. (Source: Wikipedia)
1858-12-15
- Construction of the Suez Canal begins. (Source: Wikipedia)
1859-04-25
- The Suez Canal officially opens for navigation. (Source: Wikipedia)
1869-11-17
- The Convention of Constantinople is signed, declaring the canal a neutral zone. (Source: History.com)
1888-10-29
- British forces defend the canal from an attack by the Ottoman Empire during World War I. (Source: History.com)
1915-02-02
- President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the canal, triggering the Suez Crisis. (Source: Wikipedia)
1956-07-26
- Egypt closes the canal at the start of the Six-Day War; it remains closed for eight years. (Source: Wikipedia)
1967-06-05
- The Suez Canal reopens to international shipping. (Source: Wikipedia)
1975-06-05
- The Egyptian government launches a $9 billion project to expand and widen the canal. (Source: Wikipedia)
2014-08-05
- The Suez Canal Authority officially opens the new side channel and expansion project. (Source: Wikipedia)
2016-02-24
- Global trade disruptions caused by Houthi attacks in the Red Sea force ships to bypass the canal. (Source: Document d6ad65b4-1ee6-41ad-b655-1afeb7fa17c9)
2023-12-18
Wikipedia
View on WikipediaSuez Canal
The Suez Canal (; Arabic: قناة السويس, Qanāt as-Suwais) 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 (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest of Egypt). It is the border between Africa and Asia. The 193.30-kilometre-long (120.11 mi) canal is a key trade route between Europe and Asia. In 1858, French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps formed the Compagnie de Suez for the express purpose of building the canal. Construction of the canal lasted from 1859 to 1869. 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), to 10 days at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) or 8 days at 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph). The canal extends from the northern terminus of Port Said to the southern terminus of Port Tewfik at the city of Suez. In 2021, more than 20,600 vessels traversed the canal (an average of 56 per day). The original canal featured a single-lane waterway with passing locations in the Ballah Bypass and the Great Bitter Lake. It contained, according to Alois Negrelli's plans, no locks, with seawater flowing freely through it. In general, the water in the canal north of the Bitter Lakes flows north in winter and south in summer. South of the lakes, the current changes with the tide at Suez. The canal was the property of the Egyptian government, but European shareholders, mostly British and French, owned the concessionary company which operated it until July 1956, when President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised it—an event which led to the Suez Crisis of October–November 1956. The canal is operated and maintained by the state-owned Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of Egypt. Under the Convention of Constantinople, it may be used "in time of war as in time of peace, by every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag." Nevertheless, the canal has played an important military strategic role as a naval short-cut and choke point. Navies with coastlines and bases on both the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea (Egypt and Israel) have a particular interest in the Suez Canal. After Egypt closed the Suez Canal at the beginning of the Six-Day War on 5 June 1967, the canal remained closed for eight years, reopening on 5 June 1975. The Egyptian government launched construction in 2014 to expand and widen the Ballah Bypass for 35 km (22 mi) to speed up the canal's transit time. The expansion was intended to nearly double the capacity of the Suez Canal, from 49 to 97 ships per day. At a cost of LE (Egyptian Pound) 59.4 billion (US$9 billion), this project was funded with interest-bearing investment certificates issued exclusively to Egyptian entities and individuals. The Suez Canal Authority officially opened the new side channel in 2016. This side channel, at the northern side of the east extension of the Suez Canal, serves the East Terminal for berthing and unberthing vessels from the terminal. As the East Container Terminal is located on the Canal itself, before the construction of the new side channel it was not possible to berth or unberth vessels at the terminal while a convoy was running.
Web Search Results
- Suez Canal - Wikipedia
The Suez Canal (/ˈsuː.ɛz/; Arabic: قناة السويس, Qanāt as-Suwais) 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 (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest of Egypt). It is the border between Africa and Asia. The 193.30-kilometre-long (120.11 mi) canal is a key trade route between Europe and Asia. [...] In 1858, French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps formed the Compagnie de Suez for the express purpose of building the canal. Construction of the canal lasted from 1859 to 1869. 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), to 10 days at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) or 8 days at 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph). The canal extends from the northern terminus of Port Said to the southern terminus of Port Tewfik at the city of Suez. In 2021, more than 20,600 vessels traversed the canal (an average of 56 per day).
- Suez Canal - Crisis, Location & Egypt - History.com
The Suez Canal is a man-made waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea. It enables a more direct route for shipping between Europe and Asia, effectively allowing for passage from the North Atlantic to the Indian Ocean without having to circumnavigate the African continent. The waterway is vital for international trade and, as a result, has been at the center of conflict since it opened in 1869. ## Where Is the Suez Canal? [...] The Suez Canal stretches 120 miles from Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt southward to the city of Suez (located on the northern shores of the Gulf of Suez). The canal separates the bulk of Egypt from the Sinai Peninsula. It took 10 years to build, and was officially opened on November 17, 1869. [...] In 1888, the Convention of Constantinople decreed that the Suez Canal would operate as a neutral zone, under the protection of the British, who had by then assumed control of the surrounding region, including Egypt and the Sudan. The British famously defended the canal from attack by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 during World War I.
- Suez Canal | History, Map, Importance, Length, Depth, & Facts
### What is the Suez Canal? The Suez Canal is a human-made waterway that cuts north-south across the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt. The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, making it the shortest maritime route to Asia from Europe. Since its completion in 1869, it has become one of the world’s most heavily used shipping lanes. ### Why is the Suez Canal important? [...] Suez Canal, sea-level waterway running north-south across the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt to connect the Mediterranean and the Red seas. The canal separates the African continent from Asia, and it provides the shortest maritime route between Europe and the lands lying around the Indian and western Pacific oceans. It is one of the world’s most heavily used shipping lanes. The canal extends 193 km (120 miles) between Port Said (Būr Saʿīd) in the north and Suez in the south, with dredged approach [...] channels north of Port Said, into the Mediterranean, and south of Suez. The canal does not take the shortest route across the isthmus, which is only 121 km (75 miles). Instead, it utilizes several lakes: from north to south, Lake Manzala (Buḥayrat al-Manzilah), Lake Timsah (Buḥayrat al-Timsāḥ), and the Bitter Lakes—Great Bitter Lake (Al-Buḥayrah al-Murrah al-Kubrā) and Little Bitter Lake (Al-Buḥayrah al-Murrah al-Ṣughrā). The Suez Canal is an open cut, without locks, and, though extensive
- The History of the Suez Canal Explained - YouTube
The #Suez #Canal is an artificial waterway in the desert of between the Sinai Peninsula and the African mainland in #Egypt. For the world economy however, it is so much more than that. In 2022, the canal saw 12% of the entire global freight being transported through its waters and for over 150 years now, it has been a vital conduit connecting the world. In this video we will start from the first attempts of the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs to build a canal, and work our way through its convoluted [...] 10 comments ### Transcript: Spanning over 100 miles or 160 kilometres in length and connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, the Suez Canal is a critical lifeline for international trade, facilitating the movement of goods between Europe, Asia, and Africa. The canal's sheer size and strategic location have made it a vital conduit for world commerce, revolutionizing the shipping industry and shaping the global economy as we know it today. In this video, we'll delve deeper into the [...] As we continue through the 21st century, the Suez Canal has become more important than ever for global trade. In 2022, the canal has seen its second busiest year since its inception, seeing around 12% of the entire worlds trade volume floating though its waters. This is partially due to the recent completion of the largest modernization project in the canal's history. A parallel shipping lane between the Suez
- The history of the Suez Canal, importance, and how is it built?
The Suez Canal is considered to be an artificial canal built by a French Egyptian hand that links the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea and the main idea of the construction of the canal goes back to the time of the Pharaohs and then the Islamic period and then in our present time. It has been closed 5 times and the last time of the closure was the riskiest since it lasted many years and then it was inaugurated again in 1975. ### The Channel of the Pharaohs : [...] Since ancient times, the Suez area has had fundamental importance as a meeting point for trade and connections between Asia and Africa. Many efforts were made in various historical periods to connect the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, separated only by a thin strip of land. The oldest artificial navigable canal seems to have been the one built by the Egyptians and the French in the 3rd century B.C., connecting, through a branch of the Nile, the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. [...] First of all, the Suez Canal is very important in Egyptian trade, politics, and science and has contributed to facilitating the process of navigation, as the Suez Canal links the said port with the Suez, its length is up to 163 km and its width is up to 52 meters and then widened to 352 meters, there were many French and Egyptian scientists who gave some ideas for the construction. ### The ancient history of the Suez Canal and its importance :
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