Suez Canal

History, Location and Significance

Situated in Egypt, the Suez Canal is a waterway that connects the Red Sea with
the Mediterranean Sea. The construction of the canal completed in 1869 and its
inauguration took place on the 17th of November that very year. Since then, the
canal has been a regular route for traders and travelers alike.

Let’s take a look at some important facts about the Suez Canal.

Topography
The total length of the Suez Canal is 120 miles (193 Km). The canal is 79 feet deep
and 673 feet wide. It has 3 lanes and four passing places like Bitter lake,
Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea.
History
In Ancient Times
Incredibly, the Suez Canal has been around since the prehistoric times. The actual
construction of a waterway began in the 1850s BC by the Egyptian pharaoh
Senusret the third. The canal was completed by the 3rd century BC. Many famous
personalities like Cleopatra are said to have travelled on it.

Napoleon’s Attempt
In the 1790s, the French commander, Napoleon Bonaparte after conquering Egypt
decided to build a canal. He wanted to have a canal that could connect Red Sea to
the Mediterranean. However, a miscalculation forced him to back off. His scouts
wrongfully concluded that the Red Sea was higher than the Mediterranean and
building a canal could result in flooding.

Egypt-Israel Conflict
The Suez Canal also played a crucial role during the 1956 skirmishes between
Egypt and a combined force of Israel and Britain. For quite some time, the
Egyptians were voicing their resentment against British colonialism. Tensions
grew even more, when the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized
the Suez Canal to fund a dam project across the Nile. In July the British launched
an attack on Egypt and were successfully advancing towards Suez. Intervention
from the United Nations led the British to withdraw the attack and a resolution
was reached.

The Statue of Liberty

Near the completion of the Suez Canal, a French sculptor named, Fredric Auguste
Bartholdi decided to do something interesting. He wanted to build a statue of a
woman holding a torch in order to symbolize” Egypt bringing light to the world”.
He tried to convince the Egyptian government but his plans could not materialize.
However, he made a similar statue which stands in the United States of America,
known to the world as the Statue of Liberty.
Suez Canal’s Significance in Present Times
The following facts highlight the importance of the Suez Canal in present times.

Suez Canal is a connection between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. It is
the fastest route between Europe and Asia and saves an average duration of 15
days.

8% of the traffic that goes through the canal comprises of international travelers.
The Suez Canal Authority says that after the expansion of the canal, the average
number of daily vessels will double to 97 with an existing 48.

A new parallel waterway is 37 km long. Combined with the existing 37 km the

cumulative length of the canal has reached more than 70 km. The parallel
waterway has paved the way for two way traffic.

The Egyptian government predicts that the canal will generate revenue of $ 13
billion by the year 2023. However, this figure is still under debate.

The Suez Canal is the perfect shipping route for big and heavy ships. It is also the
safest shipping route in Africa.

Amita Vadlamudi, the author of this article is a blogger and a former

Information Technology Professional. Ms. Vadlamudi’s particular
interests are World History and International relations. Amita
Vadlamudi’s resume can be found at her Linkedin Site.