Suez Canal

Introduction & Top Questions
Physical features
- Geology
- Physiography
The economy
- Operation
- Communications and towns
History
- Construction
- Finance
- International status

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Cargo ships travel along the wide Suez Canal in Egypt, bordered by sandy desert on one side and greenery on the other.

Vertical map of the Suez Canal in Egypt, showing its route from Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea in the north to Suez on the Gulf of Suez in the south. The map highlights the existing canal, the new canal channel as of August 2015, major lakes such as Lake Timsah and the Great Bitter Lake, and nearby cities and infrastructure including railroads and drainage canals, with the Sinai Peninsula to the east. An inset locates the canal within Egypt.

High angle view of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier sailing through the narrow Suez Canal, surrounded by desert landscape on both sides.

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.

World map comparing two shipping routes from Dalian, China, to Rotterdam, Netherlands: the Suez Canal route, shown in blue, passing through the Strait of Malacca, Red Sea, and Mediterranean Sea, covering about 11,000 nautical miles and taking 48 days; and the alternate route, shown in red, traveling around the Cape of Good Hope at Africa's southern tip, covering about 14,500 nautical miles and taking 57 days.

United Nations soldiers in helmets march in formation along a street in Port Said, carrying rifles and gear during the Suez Crisis, 1956.

View of the Suez Canal waterfront between Port Said and Port Fuad, Egypt, with boats docked along the shore and mid-rise buildings lining the water.

At a Glance

Suez Canal summary

Quizzes

(Left) Ball of predictions with answers to questions based on the Magic 8 Ball; (right): Rubik's Cube. (toys)

The Dating Game: Which Came First?

water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)

Water and its Varying Forms

Church of Saint George (Bet Giyorgis), Lalibela, Ethiopia. UNESCO World Heritage site.

Geography of Africa Quiz

Panama Canal. Boat. Shipping. Ship and shipping. Container ship passing through the Panama Canal.

Canals, Straits, and More Quiz

Related Questions

Does the Suez Canal use locks?
How did dredging help engineers build the Suez Canal through sand and alluvium?
How did the Ever Given blockage affect global shipping?
How did the Suez Canal change global oil shipping?
How did the Suez Canal closure from 1967 to 1975 affect oil transportation?
How did the Suez Crisis affect British and French influence in the Middle East?
How did the United Nations help end the Suez Crisis?
How did the opening of the Suez Canal increase the importance of Bab el-Mandeb Strait?
How does the Suez Canal separate Africa from Asia?
How long did it take to build the Suez Canal?
How long did the Ever Given block the Suez Canal?
How long does a ship usually take to travel through the Suez Canal?
How long is the Suez Canal?
How long were the Yellow Fleet ships trapped in the Suez Canal?
How was the Ever Given refloated from the Suez Canal?
How was the original Suez Canal financed?
How were Egyptian peasants used during the early construction of the Suez Canal?
What ancient canals existed in Egypt before the modern Suez Canal?
What caused the Ever Given to block the Suez Canal in March 2021?
What caused the Suez Crisis of 1956?
What difficulties slowed construction of the Suez Canal?
What improvements were made to the Suez Canal after the Ever Given incident?
What mistake did Napoleon’s surveyors make about the sea levels at Suez?
What types of cargo travel south through the Suez Canal?
What was the Yellow Fleet in the Great Bitter Lake?
When did construction of the modern Suez Canal begin?
When did the Suez Canal officially open?
When did the Suez Canal reopen after the 1967 closure?
Where is the Suez Canal located in Egypt?
Which cities are the northern and southern terminals of the Suez Canal?
Which company built and operated the original Suez Canal?
Which countries invaded Egypt during the Suez Crisis?
Which lakes does the Suez Canal pass through?
Which towns grew along the Suez Canal after its construction?
Which two seas does the Suez Canal connect?
Who persuaded Saʿīd Pasha to approve construction of the modern Suez Canal?
Why can some of the largest oil tankers not use the Suez Canal?
Why did Egypt deny Israeli ships access to the Suez Canal after 1949?
Why did Egypt sell its shares in the Suez Canal Company to Britain in 1875?
Why did France own many shares in the Suez Canal Company?
Why did Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalize the Suez Canal in 1956?
Why did attacks on ships in the Red Sea disrupt Suez Canal traffic?
Why did the Convention of Constantinople forbid military actions in the Suez Canal?
Why does the Suez Canal not follow the shortest route across the Isthmus of Suez?
Why does the Suez Canal provide a shorter sea route between Europe and Asia?
Why was a lockless design chosen for the Suez Canal?
Why was the Sweet Water Canal built during construction of the Suez Canal?
Why were passing bays built in the original Suez Canal?
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?
What is the Great Sphinx of Giza?
When was the Great Sphinx of Giza built?
Who built the Great Sphinx?
Why is the Great Sphinx of Giza missing its nose?

Geography & Travel Physical Geography of Water Rivers & Canals

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External Websites

Napoleon.org - The Building of the Suez Canal
CNN - Why the Suez Canal is so important -- and why its standstill could be so damaging
Official Site of Suez Canal Authority
NPR - The history of the Suez Canal

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

Suez Canal - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Suez Canal - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Suez Canal

canal, Egypt

Also known as: Qanāt al-Suways

Written by

Charles Gordon Smith

Emeritus Fellow of Keble College, Oxford; former Lecturer in Geography, University of Oxford. Editor of Oxford Regional Economic Atlas: The Middle East and North Africa.

Charles Gordon SmithAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Sep. 18, 2026 •History

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 Africa 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...

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