The Suez Canal was nationalized by which country?

The Suez Canal was nationalized by Egypt in 1956 under President Gamal Abdel Nasser. His government transferred control of the canal and its operating company to Egyptian state authority, ending the dominant role of British and French shareholders.

Nasser announced the nationalization on July 26, 1956. Egypt intended to use canal revenues to help finance the Aswan High Dam after the United States and United Kingdom withdrew an offer of financial support. The move asserted Egyptian control over a strategically vital waterway connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea.

Britain, France, and Israel opposed the decision and launched a coordinated invasion later that year, producing the Suez Crisis. International pressure, including opposition from the United States and the Soviet Union, forced the invading powers to withdraw. Egypt retained control of the canal, which is now operated by the state-owned Suez Canal Authority. The canal was later closed from 1967 until 1975 after the Six-Day War.