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Why does the Suez Canal have no locks?
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Red Sea
Map showing the Red Sea and the countries surrounding it. The Red Sea is one of the most heavily traveled waterways in the world. It is about 1,200 miles (1,930 km) long, and its maximum width is about 190 miles (305 km).
The Suez Canal does not have locks because it is a sea-level waterway.12
Early surveys, most notably by Napoleon’s engineer J.M. Le Père, erroneously calculated that the Red Sea was 10 meters (33 feet) higher than the Mediterranean Sea, leading to the belief that locks were necessary to manage the difference in water levels. This error was accepted by many subsequent planners. However, as the canal was designed and constructed as an open cut, it was ultimately built without locks, as there is no significant difference in sea level that would require them for navigation.312