Spotlight On: The Suez Canal

A canal to link the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea was first started in 1874 BC by Pharaoh Senausert III. It was closed and re-opened six times, and the Suez Canal was eventually opened for navigation use in 1869. It was the first canal to directly connect the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. The Suez Canal is considered the shortest link between the east and the west. It's used extensively today, and provides a major source of income for Egypt, the controlling country. It's the fastest way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, and the shortest sea route from Europe to the lands around the Indian Ocean and western Pacific oceans. It's one of the most frequently used shipping routes in the modern world.