Suez Canal, Egypt is one of the largest artificial maritime canals of the world.
It is not only Egypt's largest canal but is also an identity of Egypt similar
to pyramids and the Nile River. 163 km long and 300 meter wide at its narrowest
point, Suez Canal is considered as the significant geographic oil transit point
between Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea.
Located in the west of the Sinai Peninsula, Suez Canal serves as a two-way
water transportation route between Europe and Asia. Almost 8% of the total world's
shipping traffic is controlled by Suez Canal.
The first appearance of Suez Canal on the political scene was in 1956 during
the Suez crisis. In 1967, the canal was closed due to the war with Israel and
was reclaimed by the Egyptians in another war with Israel that took placed in
1973. But the re-opening of the Canal took place only in 1975 and since then
the traffic at Suez Canal is going smoothly.
The cities and beaches located close to the Suez Canal serve as a popular summer
resorts for the tourists visiting Egypt. The Suez Canal Bridge built by the
assistance of Japanese government is also known by the name of Egyptian-Japanese
Friendship Bridge. It is a high-level fixed Road Bridge that has a 70-meter
clearance over the canal constructed at El Qantara.
Suez Canal, Egypt is comprises of two parts-north and south of the Great Bitter
Lake. Great Bitter Lake is a salt-water lake that flows between north and south
part of Suez Canal. As Suez Canal contains no locks so the water flows freely
into the Great Bitter Lake from the Mediterranean and Red Sea. This salt lake
acts as a buffer to the canal, protecting canal from the tidal current's effect.
|
