Suez Canal

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Port Said: Suez Canal Authority building

A collage featuring four colonial-era European figures in military and formal attire, a yellow map of Africa, and a vintage cartoon of imperialism in the background.

Global shipping route through the Suez Canal

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Suez Canal summary

Suez Canal

Q: 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.

Q: Why is the Suez Canal important?

The Suez Canal is important because it is the shortest maritime route from Europe to Asia. Prior to its construction, ships headed toward Asia had to embark on an arduous journey around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. Because of its strategic location, the canal is both heavily used and heavily protected.

Q: How has the Suez Canal changed throughout history?

Various forms of what is today the Suez Canal existed in Egypt between 1850 BCE and 775 CE, although primarily to facilitate trade between the Nile River Delta and the Red Sea . Between 1859 and 1869, Egyptian khedive Saʿīd Pasha partnered with France’s Suez Canal Company to build the present canal connecting the Mediterranean and Red seas.

Q: How was the Suez Canal’s construction paid for?

The Suez Canal was financed by the Suez Canal Company, a joint-stock company headquartered in Paris. At the time of its founding, France had 52 percent of shares and Egypt held 44 percent. By 1875, Egypt’s shares had been sold to Great Britain, which assisted in the canal’s administration.

Q: What is the international status of the Suez Canal?

The Suez Canal’s international status has a murky history. Per the 1888 Convention of Constantinople, the canal is open to ships of all nations in peacetime and wartime. However, there have been numerous instances of ships being denied passage in wartime, especially during World War I and World War II . Because of tensions with Israel, Egypt closed the canal during the Suez Crisis of 1956–57 and the Arab-Israeli War of 1967 .

Q: How many ships use the Suez Canal?

In 2023 there were 26,434 transits of the Suez Canal, according to the Suez Canal Authority . That number dropped to 13,213 in 2024. Tankers made the largest percentage of transits in 2023 (about 32 percent) and 2024 (about 37 percent).

canal, Egypt

Also known as: Qanāt al-Suways

Written by William B. Fisher, Charles Gordon Smith•All

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Apr 1, 2025 • Article History

Arabic:: Qanāt al-Suways

See all related content

What is the Suez Canal?

Why is the Suez Canal important?

How has the Suez Canal changed throughout history?

How was the Suez Canal’s construction paid for?

What is the international status of the Suez Canal?

How many ships use the Suez Canal?

News •

Suez Canal says close to clearing backlog after ship dislodged • Mar. 28, 2025, 2:33 AM ET (Reuters)

Leaked texts show Trump administration’s dislike of Europe, bashing it as 'pathetic' and 'freeloading' • Mar. 26, 2025, 2:03 AM ET (Fortune)

Big moves in the Middle East: AI-powered government, a mining boom, and the Suez Canal's struggles • Mar. 22, 2025, 3:14 AM ET (CNN)

Egypt Suez Canal monthly revenue losses at around $800 million, Sisi says • Mar. 18, 2025, 8:14 AM ET (Reuters)

A Giant Container Ship Got Stuck in the Suez Canal • Mar. 12, 2025, 2:19 AM ET (New York Times)

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 ...(100 of 3036 words)

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