The Canal was built to connect the North Atlantic ocean with the northern Indian one, considerably reducing the distance between Europe and Asia, and thus encouraging world trade and transatlantic transportation. The opening of the Suez Canal on November 17, 1869 (Credit: The Print Collector/Getty Images) 6. Most of the people hired to work on the Suez Canal were native Egyptians. Building the Canal was a combined effort of both primitive manual labor and the latest technologies available at the time. But because the project had also received support from the French Emperor Napoleon III, the British government saw it as a deliberate act of defiance towards their global shipping power, which far surpassed any other at that time. In simple words, Suez Canal is a short cut to transport oil and many other goods between Europe and Asia. The project began in 2014, and is programmed to be open for use by the end of 2016. From the time the canal was opened, it has had an intense effect on the world trade and has also featured on world politics.

Through it the vast percentage of Europe's energy needs are transported from the Middle East oil fields. CAIRO - 17 November 2019: Egypt celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Suez Canal, which was inaugurated on November 17, 1869 after 10 years of work. Privacy Policy | We use cookies. Its creator later tried—and failed—to build the Panama Canal. A technical report was made which proved in 1847, that there was no real difference in the levels between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. This made it easier for the European nations to enter and colonize Africa. Lesseps, a former diplomat, had reached an agreement with the Egyptian government, or rather, the Egyptian Khedive, and together they formed the Suez Canal Company. Its responsibilities towards pollution control of the marine eco-system were also tested. Still eager, the Saint-Simoniens formed an association in Paris to study the possibility of Suez Canal in detail. The Suez Canal, inaugurated in Egypt in December 1869, is one of the amazing industrial achievements that still inspires awe and continues to impress.

on Along with tourism, gas exports and oil, Suez Canal forms an important source of revenue for Egypt. When the company came across financial problems, Muhammed Ali himself purchased 44% of the company to resume its operation. Suez Canal, with an extensive history, forms an essential part of the global trading system used by many nations.

Unfortunately, the work was suspended again in 1863, when Ismail succeeded Pasha. And while most everyone knows some bits of information about the Suez Canal, this massive construction that took 10 years to complete, has a fascinating history that can keep you fascinated for hours. Employers – A look at the Suez Canal – past, present and future – revealing its complex character throughout history and influence on geopolitics and world economy. As of today, the canal transports over 4 million barrels of crude oil in a day that equals to about 5% of the global oil output. The statue would envision a woman dressed in traditional Egyptian garb, wear a torch, and be titled “Egypt Bringing Light to Asia”. The Suez Canal (Arabic: قناة السويس ‎ qanāt as-suwēs) is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez.It is often considered to define the border between Africa and Asia.Constructed by the Suez Canal Company between 1859 and 1869, it officially opened on 17 November 1869. As the Suez Canal was damaged extensively, it lost its operation after the Suez Crisis and the wars which followed, until 1967. Nowadays, thanks to the expansion, the Suez Canal will be about 120 miles long, or 193 kilometers. Magazine, Posted to Eliot Keirl's Blog Manage Cookies. The canal opened in 1869, and remains one of the planet's busiest shipping lanes. During this time, the ‘Universal Company of the Suez Maritime Canal’ took responsibility of the canal along with an Egyptian company. The Egyptian government decided to expand the Suez Canal in order to further decrease distances and promote world trade, especially trade routes between Asia and Europe. At the moment of its completion, the Suez Canal measured about 102 miles, or 164 kilometers. Encouraged by his previous success, investors and governments gave their support and go-ahead, and Lesseps recruited architect and engineer Gustave Eiffel, creator of the Eiffel Tower. Unlike the Panama Canal, Suez Canal, located in Egypt, runs in a straight direction going from north to south. It was only decades later, when new measurements showed that the sea level difference would not hinder construction, that the project was approved. After the Suez Crisis occurred in 1956, the Suez Canal Company took over the responsibility as Britain and France were no longer major shareholders. The idea didn’t catch on here, but Bartholdi continued pitching it until it was finally brought to New York, where its original name was a more encompassing “Liberty Enlightening the World”. Suez Canal does not have special gates or locks to control the rise or fall of the water level as the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea are at the same level. Originally, the Suez Canal shortened trips with as much as 7,000 kilometers, while the completed project will raise that to almost 9,600 kilometers. It was also meant to have a practical purpose, serving as lighthouse to passing ships. The project of making Suez Canal took 10 years to complete and it was officially functional from November 17, 1869. (byEliot Keirl) Below you’ll read 10 of the most incredible facts that contribute to the Canal… There was a call for enormous celebrations including the heads of the state after their successful ten years of spectacular engineering and construction works. French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi came up with the idea of building a grand statue to celebrate the Canal, and pitched it to the Egyptian government and developer Ferdinand de Lesseps.