Suez Canal
| Suez Canal | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Specifications | |
| Length | 120.11 miles (193.30 km) (originally 102 mi or 164 km) |
| Maximum boat beam | 77.5 m (254 ft 3 in) |
| Locks | None |
| Navigation authority | Suez Canal Authority |
| History | |
| Original owner | Suez Canal Company (Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez) |
| Construction began | September 25, 1859 |
| Date completed | November 17, 1869 |
| Geography | |
| Start point | Port Said |
| End point | Port Tewfik, Suez |
The Suez Canal (Egyptian Arabic: قناة السويس Kanāt El Sewēs) is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez. It was constructed by the Suez Canal Company between 1859 and 1869. After 10 years of construction, it was officially opened on November 17, 1869. The canal offers watercraft a shorter journey between the North Atlantic and northern Indian Oceans via the Mediterranean and Red seas by avoiding the South Atlantic and southern Indian oceans, in turn reducing the journey by approximately 7,000 kilometres (4,300 mi). It extends from the northern terminus of Port Said to the southern terminus of Port Tewfik at the city of Suez. Its length is 193.30 km (120.11 mi), including its northern and southern access channels. In 2012, 17,225 vessels traversed the canal (47 per day).
The canal is a single-lane waterway with passing locations in the Ballah Bypass and the Great Bitter Lake. It contains no locks system, with seawater flowing freely through it. In general, the canal north of the Bitter Lakes flows north in winter and south in summer. South of the lakes, the current changes with the tide at Suez.
The canal is owned and maintained by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of Egypt. Under the Convention of Constantinople, it may be used "in time of war as in time of peace, by every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag".
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