The canal was first opened on November 17, 1869. This canal divided Africa and Asia. The construction of the canal linked the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. After this, shipping traffic around the world changed.
Before the Suez Canal, to reach Asian countries such as India, China and other coasts, European countries had to circumnavigate the entire Atlantic Ocean, pass through the Cape of Good Hope, the last tip of Africa, and head to the Indian Ocean and the Sea. Arabic. Mar. This required an additional 6000 mile round trip.
Direct route to Asia and East Africa opens
Thanks to the Suez Canal, a simple and direct route was opened from Europe to Asia and East Africa and this saved the distance of about 6,000 miles. This has greatly facilitated trade with many countries, East Africa, Iran, Arabia, India, Pakistan, Far East Asian countries, Australia, New Zealand, etc. and trade has increased greatly.
Inaugurated in a grand ceremony
The Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, was inaugurated in a grand ceremony, also attended by Queen Eugenie of France, wife of Napoleon III. In 1854, Ferdinand de Lesseps, former French consul in Cairo, negotiated an agreement with the Ottoman governor of Egypt to build a 100-mile-long canal across the Isthmus of Suez.
Initially the workers began digging only with shovels.
An international team of engineers prepared construction plans and in 1856 the Suez Canal Company was formed, which was granted the right to operate the canal for 99 years after construction began in April 1859. At first , excavation was done by hand and workers used picks and shovels. Later European workers arrived with dredgers and steam shovels.
Previously, the Suez Canal was only 25 feet deep.
Labor disputes and cholera epidemics delayed construction. However, on November 17, 1869, the Suez Canal was opened to navigation. When it opened, the Suez Canal was only 25 feet deep, 72 feet wide at the bottom, and 200 to 300 feet wide at the surface.
Initially the company that built the canal had the right to exploit it.
As a result, fewer than 500 ships passed through it in its first full year of operation. Major improvements then began in 1876 and the canal soon became one of the busiest shipping routes in the world. In 1875, Britain became the largest shareholder in the Suez Canal Company when it purchased the shares of the new Ottoman governor of Egypt.
Great Britain took possession again
Seven years later, in 1882, Britain invaded Egypt. Because of this, the country remained under occupation for a long time. The Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 made Egypt virtually independent, but Britain retained the rights to protect the canal. After World War II, Egypt pushed for the withdrawal of British troops from the Suez Canal zone, and in July 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal.
The Suez Canal came under Egyptian control after World War II.
A toll was expected to be levied on the construction of a massive dam on the Nile River. In response, Israel invaded in late October and British and French troops occupied the Canal Zone in early November. Under pressure from the UN, Britain and France withdrew in December, and Israeli forces also did so in March 1957. That month, Egypt regained control of the canal and reopened it to commercial shipping.
The Suez Canal remained closed for 8 years
Ten years later, after the Six-Day War and the Israeli occupation of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt closed the canal again. For the next eight years, the Suez Canal, which separates the Sinai from the rest of Egypt, was the scene of a conflict between Egyptian and Israeli forces. In 1975, Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat reopened the Suez Canal as a gesture of peace following negotiations with Israel. Today dozens of ships pass through the canal every day, transporting more than 300 million tons of cargo a year.
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At first, the movement of ships was carried out only during the day.
This channel today is 168 km long, 60 m wide and has an average depth of 16.5 m. It was ready in ten years. Previously, ships used to cross the canal only during the day, but from 1887 AD they began crossing at night as well. In 1866 AD, it took 36 hours to cross this channel, but today it takes less than 18 hours. It is currently under the control of Egypt.
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important events
The Third Round Table began on November 17, 1932.
On November 17, 1966, Indian Rita Faria won the title of Miss World. She was the first Asian woman to become Miss World.
November 17, 1933: The United States recognized the Soviet Union and agreed to trade.
On November 17, 1966, the Soviet Union landed a remotely piloted unmanned vehicle on the surface of the Moon.
On November 17, 1989, police brutally suppressed anti-government protests in Czechoslovakia.
