Egypt's Suez Canal is the 10th oldest man-made canal of the 19th century with its origins dating back to Ancient Egypt. Construction of the Suez canal started in 1859 that would link the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea allowing ships to travel between Europe and Asia at much shorter distances and faster shipping times.
The Suez Canal took 10 years to be completed employing an estimated 1.5 million people from various countries that by the time the canal opened in 1869, the final cost of construction more than doubled the initial estimated cost.
The Suez Canal also became a hotbed of economic and political disagreements. On October 29, 1956, Israel invaded Egypt which became known as the Suez Crisis. Later on, France and the United Kingdom also joined the conflict over control of the Suez Canal.
Today, the Suez Canal remains an important and busiest waterway that a governmental study estimated around 12% of global trade and 30% of global container traffic passes through Suez Canal.