The Suez Canal is the longest artificially constructed waterway in the world without locks; it links the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea via the Gulf of Suez. The approximate length of the canal is 100 miles (163 km) and at its narrowest, the canal measures 197 feet (300 m) across in width.[1] The canal is not one continuous stretch of water from sea to sea but consists of two different parts that flow into Bitter Lake as well as the waters of Lake Manzilah and Lake Timsah. At a cost of $100 million dollars, the canal took 10 years to build.[2]
It has also been referred to as the “crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Asia” [3]because it is an important trade route that transports goods to all three continents. The canal enables ships to bypass circumnavigation around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, cutting out an additional 6,000 miles (9,656 km).[4]
According to statistics, the canal averages eight percent of the world’s shipping traffic. In 2003, Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority (SCA) reported 17,224 ships passed through the canal. A trip through the canal can range anywhere from 11 to 16 hours at a speed of about eight knots.[5] Traveling at a slow speed prevents the canal banks from eroding from ship’s wakes. It is only wide enough however to facilitate the passage of one-way traffic but several bays have been constructed that accommodate the passing of northbound and southbound ships.
