The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
The canal runs across Egypt from Port Said on the Mediterranean coast to Suez on the northern end of the Gulf of Suez. It provides a direct maritime route between Europe and Asia, avoiding the much longer voyage around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope.
The modern canal opened in 1869 after a decade of construction led by the Suez Canal Company. It was nationalized by Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1956, triggering the Suez Crisis when Britain, France, and Israel intervened.
The canal has no locks because the Mediterranean and Red Sea are close to sea level. Its importance makes it a major global shipping chokepoint, particularly for trade between Europe and Asia.