Suez Canal

Satelliteview of the Suez Canal, 2015

TheSuez Canal(Arabic:قناة السويس,Qanā al-Suways) is awaterwayinEgypt,connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. It lies west of theSinai Peninsula.The canal is 163 km long (101 miles) and, at its narrowest point, 200 m wide (656 ft). It runs betweenPort Said(Būr Sa'īd) on theMediterranean Sea,andSuez(al-Suways) on theRed Sea.It was built by aEgyptianworkers. The canal was started in1859and finished in1869.

The canal allows ships to travel betweenEuropeandAsiawithout having to go the way aroundAfrica.This saves time and fuel. It was built for people to go to and from theIndian Ocean.

History

In 1859, Egyptian workers and European engineers, working forFerdinand de Lessepsof the Universal Suez Ship Canal Company, began digging under a contract with the Khedive of Ottoman Egypt. It took ten years to build. The first ship passed through the canal 17 November, 1869;Giuseppe Verdiwrote the famous operaAidafor this ceremony.

The canal made it possible to easily transport goods across the world. The canal also allowed Europeans to travel toEast Africa,and soon to occupy it. The British tried to stop the canal, fearing that it would increase French power in the Indian Ocean. Later, they bought shares in the company.

The success of the Suez Canal encouraged the French to try to build thePanama Canal.But they did not finish it. The Panama Canal was finished later.

The canal was a central point during theSix Day Warin 1967. A UN peacekeeping force has been stationed in theSinai Peninsulasince 1974, to avoid more wars. The canal reopened in 1975.

About 15,000 ships pass through the canal each year, which is about 14% of world shipping. Each ship takes up to 16 hours to cross the canal. In 2015 a central part of the canal was expanded so more ships can go through and go faster.

The canal wasblocked for part of late March 2021by theEver Given,acontainer ship,which became stuck diagonally.