Is the Suez Canal the Shortest Route to North America?

No. The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea — serving Europe–Asia trade. It is irrelevant for North America routes.

Shortest Asia → North America Routes

1. Great Circle (North Pacific): Direct across Bering Strait / Aleutians — shortest distance (e.g., Tokyo → Anchorage ~5,500 km).
2. Trans-Pacific Shipping Lanes: Shanghai/Busan → LA/Long Beach / Vancouver — ~10,000 km.
3. Northern Sea Route (Arctic): Russia’s coast — emerging summer shortcut to Europe, not NA.

Suez Canal Role

• Europe ↔ Asia: Saves ~6,000 km vs. Cape of Good Hope.
• Not used for: Asia–North America, Europe–North America (direct Atlantic), intra-Americas.

Why the Confusion?

Suez = "major canal" → assumed universal shortcut. But canals serve specific vector pairs. For North America, Panama Canal (Atlantic–Pacific) is the relevant one — though even that is often bypassed by US intermodal rail.

Bering Strait = geographic shortcut. Suez = wrong ocean.