Suez Canal

The canal runs north to south across the Isthmus of Suez in northeastern Egypt, from Port Said on the Mediterranean coast to the city of Suez near the Red Sea. It is a sea-level waterway without locks and passes through several lakes and low-lying terrain. The Suez Canal Authority and reference sources describe the modern route as approximately 193 kilometres long. It is the shortest maritime route between Europe and the Indian Ocean region; without it, ships travelling between those regions would generally need to sail around southern Africa's Cape of Good Hope.

Earlier canals and waterways in the isthmus served different purposes over many centuries, but the modern Suez Canal was designed as a direct navigable link between the two seas. Work on the present canal began in 1859 under an arrangement involving Egypt's ruler Said Pasha and the Suez Canal Company. The waterway was inaugurated on 17 November 1869. Its opening changed long-distance shipping by avoiding the much longer route around Africa for many voyages between Europe and Asia.

The canal's location makes it a strategic connection between the Mediterranean and Red Sea maritime systems. It carries commercial vessels on routes linking Europe with ports in Asia and the Indian Ocean region, and its operation is therefore significant to international trade. The waterway is maintained and operated by Egypt's Suez Canal Authority. Its capacity and navigability have changed through successive widening, deepening and expansion projects as ship sizes and maritime traffic evolved.

On 26 July 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal Company, which had owned and operated the canal. The decision helped precipitate the Suez Crisis, an international conflict involving Egypt, Israel, Britain and France. After the June 1967 Arab-Israeli war, the canal was closed to navigation for several years and reopened in June 1975. A major expansion completed in 2015 added a parallel channel section and increased capacity for traffic in both directions along parts of the route.