How does the Suez Canal connect the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea?

The Suez Canal is a 193-km (120-mile) sea-level, lockless waterway that cuts north-south across the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt, providing a direct maritime connection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.123

Rather than following the shortest possible route across the isthmus, the canal utilizes a series of natural basins to facilitate passage. From its northern terminal at Port Said on the Mediterranean, the waterway traverses the following features:23

• Lake Manzala: The canal passes through this salt marsh area in the north.3
• Lake Timsah: Located near the midpoint, the canal passes through this lake near the city of Ismailia.23
• The Bitter Lakes: The route continues through the Great Bitter Lake and Little Bitter Lake before reaching its southern terminal near the town of Suez on the Red Sea.23

Completed in 1869, the canal serves as a critical artery for global trade, offering the shortest maritime route between Europe and the lands surrounding the Indian Ocean.123