Suez Canal
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.
The 193.30 km long canal is a popular trade route between Europe 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.
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.
The canal extends from the northern terminus of Port Said to the southern terminus of Port Tewfik at the city of Suez.
The canal is operated and maintained by the state-owned Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of Egypt.
In 1967, due to neighbourhood issues, Egypt closed the canal to all shipping, which lasted until 1975.
The Suez Canal runs through Egypt and has no other bordering countries.
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