Red Sea Connection to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal

The Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea are connected by the Suez Canal, a 193-km (120-mile) artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt. Completed in 1869 after 10 years of construction, it allows ships to transit between Europe and Asia without circumnavigating Africa, saving ~7,000 km. The canal is a critical global shipping artery, handling ~12% of world trade. It has no locks; water flows freely between the seas, though the Red Sea is slightly higher and saltier.