What canal connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea?

The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. It crosses Egypt’s Isthmus of Suez, creating a direct shipping route between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean without requiring vessels to sail around the southern tip of Africa.

The modern canal runs from Port Said on the Mediterranean to the vicinity of Suez on the Red Sea. It is a sea-level waterway with no locks, because the two connected seas have broadly similar water levels. The present canal is about 193 kilometres long, including its approaches and navigable sections.

Construction of the modern canal began in 1859 under the direction of French diplomat and entrepreneur Ferdinand de Lesseps. It officially opened on 17 November 1869. Egypt nationalised the canal in 1956, triggering the Suez Crisis after Britain, France, and Israel intervened.

The canal is more than a shortcut: it is one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints. It also enabled marine species from the Red Sea to enter the Mediterranean, a biological movement often called Lessepsian migration. The Panama Canal is a common mix-up, but it links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans instead.