Construction of the Suez Canal.
Drawing of the Suez Canal (1881)
Maybe, back in the days of the Twelfth Dynasty, pharaoh Senusret III (BC - BC) laid from west to east a canal dug through Wadi Tumilat connecting the Nile to the Red Sea, for unhindered trade with Punt.
Later, the powerful Egyptian pharaohs Ramses II and Necho II were engaged in the construction and restoration of the canal.
Herodotus (II. 158) writes that Necho (609-594) began to build a canal from the Nile to the Red Sea, but did not finish it.
The canal was completed around 500 BC by King Darius I, the Persian conqueror of Egypt. In memory of this event, Darius erected granite steles on the banks of the Nile, including one near Carbet, 130 kilometers from Pie.
In the III century BC. e. the canal was brought into a navigable state by Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247). He is mentioned by Diodorus (I. 33. 11-12) and Strabo (XVII. 1. 25), he is mentioned in an inscription on a stele from Pythomas (16th year of the reign of Ptolemy). It began a little higher up the Nile than the former channel, in the area of Facussa. It is possible, however, that under Ptolemy the old canal was cleared, deepened and extended to the sea, supplying the lands of Wadi Tumilat with fresh water. The fairway was wide enough - two triremes could freely disperse in it.
Its fixed capital was equal to 200 million francs (all the costs of the enterprise were calculated by Lesseps in this amount), divided into 400 thousand shares of 500 francs each; Said Pasha subscribed to a significant part of them. The English government, and Palmerston at its head, fearing that Suez Canal lead to the liberation of Egypt from Turkish rule and to the weakening or loss of England's dominance over India, put all sorts of obstacles on the way to the implementation of the enterprise, but had to yield to the energy of Lesseps, especially since Napoleon III and Said Pasha patronized his enterprise, and then (since 1863) his heir, Ismail Pasha.
The technical difficulties were enormous. I had to work under the scorching sun, in a sandy desert, completely devoid of fresh water. At first, the company had to use up to 1,600 camels just to deliver water to workers; but by 1863 she had completed a small freshwater canal from the Nile, running in approximately the same direction as the ancient canals (the remains of which were somehow used), and intended not for navigation, but solely for the delivery of fresh water - first to workers, then to the settlements that were supposed to arise along the canal. This freshwater channel runs from Zakazik near the Nile east to Ismailia, and from there southeast, along the sea channel, to Suez; channel width 17 m on the surface, 8 - along the bottom; its depth is on average only 2¼ m, in some places even much less. His discovery facilitated the work, but still the death rate among the workers was high. The workers were provided by the Egyptian government, but European workers also had to be used (in total, from 20 to 40 thousand people worked on the construction).
The 200 million francs determined by Lesseps' original project soon ran out, especially as a result of the huge spending on bribery at the courts of Said and Ismail, on widespread advertising in Europe, on the costs of representing Lesseps himself and other bigwigs of the company. I had to make a new bond loan of 166,666,500 francs, then others, so that the total cost of the canal by 1872 reached 475 million (by 1892 - 576 million). In the six-year period in which Lesseps promised to complete the work, the canal was not built. The earthworks were carried out using the forced labor of the poor in Egypt (in the early stages) and took 11 years.
The northern section was completed first through the swamp and Lake Manzala, then the flat section to Lake Timsakh. From here, the excavation went to two huge depressions - the long-dried Bitter Lakes, the bottom of which was 9 meters below sea level. After filling the lakes, the builders went to the end southern section.
The canal officially opened to navigation on November 17, 1869. On the occasion of the opening of the canal, the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi was commissioned for the opera Aida, the first production of which took place on December 24, 1871 at the Cairo Opera House.
One of the first travelers in the 19th century.
Economic and strategic importance of the canal
The canal had an immediate and invaluable impact on world trade. Six months earlier, the First Transcontinental Railroad had been put into operation, and the whole world could now be circumnavigated in record time. The channel played an important role in the expansion and further colonization of Africa. Foreign debts forced Ismail Pasha, who succeeded Said Pasha, to sell his stake in the canal in 1875 in favor of Great Britain. The "General Suez Canal Company" essentially became an Anglo-French enterprise, Egypt was removed from both the management of the canal and the profits. England became the actual owner of the channel. This position was further strengthened after she occupied Egypt in 1882.
present tense
The Egyptian Administration of the Suez Canal (Suez Canal Authority, SCA) reported that in 2009, 17,155 ships passed through the canal, which is 20% less than in (21,170 ships). For the Egyptian budget, this meant a reduction in revenue from the operation of the canal from 5.38 billion US dollars in pre-crisis 2008 to 4.29 billion US dollars in 2009.
According to Ahmad Fadel, the head of the Canal Administration, 17,799 ships passed through the Suez Canal in 2011, down 1.1 percent from a year earlier. At the same time, the Egyptian authorities earned $5.22 billion from the transit of ships ($456 million more than in 2010).
In December 2011, the Egyptian authorities announced that tariffs for the transit of goods, which have not changed over the past three years, will increase by three percent from March 2012.
According to 2009 data, about 10% of the world's maritime traffic passes through the channel. The passage through the canal takes about 14 hours. On average, 48 vessels pass through the canal per day.
Connection between shores
Since April 1980, an automobile tunnel has been operating near the city of Suez, passing under the bottom of the Suez Canal, and connecting Sinai and continental Africa. In addition to the technical excellence that made it possible to create such a complex engineering project, this tunnel attracts with its monumentality, is of great strategic importance and is rightfully considered a landmark of Egypt.
The opening of the Suez Canal was attended by Empress Eugenia of France (wife of Napoleon III), Emperor of Austria-Hungary Franz Joseph I with the Minister-President of the Hungarian government Andrássy, a Dutch prince with a princess, a Prussian prince. Never before has Egypt known such celebrations and hosted so many distinguished European guests. The celebration lasted seven days and nights and cost Khedive Ismail 28 million gold francs. And only one item of the celebration program was not fulfilled: the famous Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi did not have time to finish the opera Aida ordered for this occasion, the premiere of which was supposed to enrich the opening ceremony of the channel. Instead of the premiere, a large celebratory ball was arranged in Port Said.
see also
Notes
Literature
- Dementiev I. A. Suez Canal / Ed. acad. L. N. Ivanova. - Ed. 2nd. - M .: Geografgiz, 1954. - 72 p. - (At the map of the world). - 50,000 copies.(reg.) (1st ed. - M.: Geografgiz, 1952. 40 p.)
Links
- V. V. Vodovozov// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
- The Suez Canal at 140: The Story of the Making of a 19th-Century Legend. RIA Novosti (November 17, 2009). Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2009.
The Suez Canal will connect the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. Thus, the waterway from the Mediterranean to the waters of the Indian Ocean is significantly reduced. There is no need to go around Africa, which is a huge plus for maritime navigation. The channel is considered the geographical boundary between Asia and Africa.
This most important sea route was put into operation on November 17, 1869. It connected 2 seaports - Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea and the port of Suez - the north of the Gulf of Suez of the Red Sea. To the east of the canal lie the lands of the Sinai Peninsula, while the western coast belongs to Africa. This waterway is considered the property of Egypt and annually brings the state treasury at least 5 billion dollars, passing through it about 18 thousand ships.
At the beginning of its operation, the length of the waterway was 164 km with a depth of 12 meters. Today, after several extensions, the length has increased to 193 km with a depth of 24 meters. The length of the northern access is 22 km, the channel itself has a length of 163 km, and the length of the southern access is 9 km. The width of the water mirror varies from 120 to 150 meters. To the bottom, the width narrows and reaches 45-60 meters.
The waterway connecting the Red and Mediterranean Seas has no locks. This is very convenient, since ships can get from one salty reservoir to another without any obstacles.
There are lakes on the canal. These are the Big Bitter Lake and the Small Bitter Lake. The large one is located to the north, and its water surface area is 250 sq. km. The area of the Small Gorky Lake is 30 sq. km. As for the currents, in the winter months the water from the bitter lakes flows north, and in the winter it receives water from the Mediterranean Sea. To the south of the lakes, the current changes depending on the tides.
History of the Suez Canal
Ancient times
The ancient Egyptians set themselves the task of connecting the Nile River with the Gulf of Suez. They needed this in order to establish a trade route with Punt, an ancient state located on the Horn of Africa peninsula. The goods were very valuable - ebony, various paints, ivory, gold, animal skins, myrrh (gum resin).
It is assumed that as early as the 19th century BC. e. such a canal was laid, and the Nile joined the Red Sea. This waterway was tirelessly maintained by the pharaohs in working condition. But centuries passed, people and states changed. The water bridge gradually lost its relevance and fell into decay, and then again there was a need to restore it.
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus reports that in the 7th century BC. e. The Egyptians again began to dig the canal, but did not finish it. Only 100 years later, the Persian king Darius I completed this waterway. In the III century BC. e. he passed into the possession of Ptolemy Philadelphus, who became the king of ancient Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great. Judging by the mentions of ancient historians, the water stream was so wide that 2 ships freely dispersed on it. In the 2nd century AD, the Roman emperor Troyan deepened the canal and widened it. But then another era came, and the waterway from Africa to the Red Sea was abandoned.
Canal construction in the 19th century
Centuries passed, and Napoleon Bonaparte stood at the head of France. In 1798, he ordered a thorough study of the construction of the Suez Canal, which could connect the Mediterranean Sea with the Red. A commission was organized, but its conclusion disappointed the emperor. Experts came to the conclusion that the water level of the Red Sea is 9 meters higher than the similar level of the Mediterranean Sea. That is, it was necessary to build a whole cascade of gateways. The emperor was also named the sum of all the works - 45 million francs.
But it was not the financial issue that prevented Napoleon from carrying out the construction. Circumstances intervened. The emperor was overthrown and sent into exile on the island of St. Helena, and talk of a grandiose project died out by itself.
40 years have passed and already other experts have proved that the French commission was wrong. There is no water drop. After that, the idea was born to build a canal. She began to actively promote Ferdinand de Lesseps- French diplomat with extensive connections and excellent reputation. With his idea, he interested the ruler of Egypt, Muhammad Said Pasha. This man once studied in Paris and received an excellent education.
Said Pasha granted Lesseps a concession for construction work, which began in 1859. The cost of the work was estimated at 200 million francs. For this amount, shares were issued and sold on account of future dividends. The governments of Egypt and France acted as guarantors, so this financial project was considered quite reliable.
The construction work was extremely difficult. People worked in the desert under the sizzling rays of the sun. The main problem began supplying workers not with building materials, but with water. Fortunately, the bed of the old canal, which was used in antiquity, was discovered. It was through him that they let fresh water from the Nile.
However, technical and domestic issues that were not foreseen at the beginning very quickly “ate” the amount originally included in the estimate. I had to issue additional shares. In total, the cost of all costs amounted to almost 580 million francs. Lesseps promised to build the waterway in 6 years, but the work dragged on for almost 11 years.
At first, we made the northern part of the water section and went to the long, dry bitter lakes. They were depressions with a depth of 8-10 meters below sea level. Then it was the turn of the southern part, which was connected to the Gulf of Suez.
The grand opening of a new waterway, which shortened the path from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean by 8 thousand km, took place on November 17, 1869. The celebration was attended by representatives of almost all European powers. The celebrations lasted for a week, and their cost was 30 million francs.
Later history of the Suez Canal
In 1888, the maritime powers signed the International Convention. It guaranteed free passage through the canal to ships of all states. However, during the World Wars, control over this strategically important area was carried out by Great Britain and its allies. In 1956, Egyptian President Nasser announced the nationalization of the channel.
This caused a great stir in the world, since 20% of all world transportation and 80% of US oil transportation were carried through the Suez Canal. Economic interests gave rise to a war in which Egypt was defeated, and the strategically important waterway came under the jurisdiction of the UN.
Another conflict arose in 1973, when the Arab-Israeli war began. Active hostilities were going on in the canal area, and his work was paralyzed. The waterway was launched only in June 1975. Currently, it is under the jurisdiction of Egypt and brings good money to the state treasury.
ship on the canal
The capacity of the waterway is 76 vessels per day. The movement is one-way. One ship is given from 12 to 16 hours. Ships from Suez come first, then ships from Port Said. Disperse oncoming ships in the Great Bitter Lake. The movement is organized strictly according to the schedule.
Huge loaded tankers cannot cross the shallow waterway due to their deep draft. Therefore, they are unloaded, pass the channel and are loaded again at its other end. This creates some inconvenience. The transportation of such goods is carried out by ships belonging to Egypt.
In 1981, an underwater road tunnel was put into operation near Suez. It passes right under the bottom of the Suez Canal and connects the Sinai Peninsula with Africa. This architectural creation is considered one of the sights of Egypt. In 2001, railway and road bridges were opened in the northern part of the waterway. The height of the road bridge reaches 70 meters. The railway bridge is a drawbridge. Thus, these structures do not impede the passage of ships of any size.
For the global economy, this man-made creation is of great importance. It saves a lot of time, and, therefore, reduces the cost of transportation. The benefit is obvious, it remains only to hope for a stable political situation in this troubled region.
On November 17, 1869, a short route was opened for ships sailing from Europe to the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia and other regions of the planet, which previously could only be reached by going around Africa. Fifteen years of construction progressed dramatically, hampered by political controversy, labor shortages, cholera epidemics, and many other problems. Now it is enough for ships to overcome only 101 kilometers, and they will find themselves in the Red Sea. 145 years after the opening of the Suez Canal, it is time to highlight some Interesting Facts associated with its history.
1. The canal was conceived in ancient Egypt
The Egyptian pharaoh Senusret III initiated the construction of the shortest route linking the two seas (Mediterranean and Red). Then, according to historians, an attempt to implement the project was made by Pharaoh Necho II and the Persian conqueror Darius, but both then refused further work. Some information suggests that in the 3rd century BC, during the era of the Ptolemaic dynasty, this “Pharaonic Canal” was nevertheless completed, and Cleopatra herself traveled along it. Be that as it may, it had a winding channel and through the desert connected the Nile River with the Red Sea, along which ships could enter the Mediterranean basin.
2. Napoleon Bonaparte considered a canal project
After the conquest of Egypt in 1798, the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte sent a team of surveyors to study the possibility of digging a canal across the Isthmus of Suez. The scouts came to the wrong conclusion that the level of the Red Sea was 30 feet higher than that of the Mediterranean. They erroneously argued that any attempt to create a canal could lead to catastrophic floods in the Nile Delta. As a result, Napoleon abandoned the project, and construction plans were not considered until 1847, when a group of explorers finally confirmed that the difference in the levels of the Mediterranean and Red Seas was not so great.
3. The British government objected
Planning for the Suez Canal officially began in 1854, when the French diplomat Lesseps, with the support of Emperor Napoleon III, agreed with the Egyptian governor to establish the Suez Canal Company. Britain saw in this construction an encroachment on its naval power and launched a powerful propaganda campaign against the plan. France was accused of "blatant robbery of ordinary people" (meaning the shareholders), British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston made heated speeches against Lesseps, who even challenged the English railway engineer Robert Stevenson to a duel, who risked doubting his innocence.
All this did not prevent the British government in 1875 from buying 44% of the company's shares for next to nothing, taking advantage of Egypt's financial difficulties.
4. The canal was built by hand and using the most modern machines
Excavation of such a large mass of soil (75 million cubic meters of sand) required huge labor costs, and at first the canal was dug by forcibly driven poor Egyptian peasants. At the end of 1861, tens of thousands of workers were using only picks and shovels, and progress was slow. Especially serious difficulties arose after the Egyptian ruler Ismail Pasha banned the use of forced labor in 1863. Faced with a severe labor shortage, Lesseps and the Suez Canal Company changed strategy and began using several hundred steam engines and dredgers. New technology increased productivity in the last two years of construction. About three-quarters of the canal has been dug with heavy equipment.
5. The Statue of Liberty was originally conceived for a canal
In 1869, construction was nearing completion. The French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi tried to persuade Lesseps and the Egyptian government to allow him to install his sculpture "Egypt Bringing the Light of Asia" on the Mediterranean coast at the entrance to the canal. He proposed to put up a huge (90 feet high) statue of a woman dressed in the traditional clothes of Egyptian peasant women with a torch in her hand, which also serves as a beacon. The project remained unrealized. In 1886 Bartholdi created new version for New York Harbor, known worldwide as the Statue of Liberty.
6. There is a connection between the Suez and Panama Canals
It was Lesseps who first proposed to dig a shipping route through the Isthmus of Panama in Central America. Work began in 1881, but despite the assurances of a French diplomat that the new canal would be easier to build than the Suez, everything turned out to be exactly the opposite. Thousands of people died during construction in the stuffy jungle, the company spent $ 260 million (crazy money at the time), and without completing the project, it burst in 1889. Only a quarter of a century later, the Panama Canal was finally built.
7. The canal was instrumental in the Cold War
In 1956, the Suez Crisis caused a short war between Egypt and the combined armed forces of England, France and Israel. The conflict had its origins (the British occupation of the coastal zone, which continued even after Egypt gained independence in 1922). Contradictions escalated in July 1956, when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal. Already in October, the combined forces of Great Britain, Israel and France launched an offensive against Egypt. The aggressors almost managed to achieve a military victory, they were stopped only by an ultimatum Soviet Union. British Prime Minister Anthony Eden resigned and the Suez Canal remained under Egyptian control.
8. A whole fleet of ships stood in the canal for more than eight years.
In June 1967, after the Six Day War, the Suez Canal was closed by the Egyptian government due to the large number of mines and sunken ships. At this point, 15 ships from different countries were moored in the middle of the channel near the Big Bitter Lake. They remained there for eight years, earning the nickname "Yellow Fleet" from the color of the desert sands that covered them. In 1975 the ships were finally allowed to leave the canal. Only two ships were able to leave on their own, the rest had to be towed.
9. Suez will be reconstructed
Approximately 50 ships pass through the Suez Canal daily. The fees provide Egypt with an annual income of $ 5 billion, but traffic load is growing. Both width and depth have become insufficient to pass all types of vessels and ensure two-way traffic of modern tankers. In August 2014, Egypt announced an ambitious plan to deepen the canal and create a new 22-mile additional lane. Preliminary design already started. The cost of the project is estimated at $ 8.5 billion. Egyptian authorities say that after the reconstruction in 2023, the income from the canal will double.
SUez Canal
SUez Canal
waterway of international importance. Length - 161 km from Port Said (Mediterranean Sea) to Suez (Red Sea). It includes the canal itself and several lakes. Built in 1869, width 120-318 m, waterway depth 18 m, no locks. The volume of transportation is 80 million tons, mainly oil and oil products, ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals. It is considered conditional geogr. border between Africa and Asia.
Brief geographical dictionary. EdwART. 2008 .
Suez Canal
(Suez Canal), navigable, lockless channel in Egypt, connects Red sea at Mr. Suez co mediterranean sea at Mr. Port Said , crossing Isthmus of Suez . Opened in 1869 (construction lasted 11 years). The authors of the project are French and Italian engineers (Linan, Mugel, Negrelli). Nationalized in 1956, before that it belonged to the Anglo-French "General Company of the Suez Canal". As a result of the Arab-Israeli military conflicts, the canal court was interrupted twice - in 1956-57 and 1967-75. It is laid along the Isthmus of Suez and crosses a number of lakes: Manzala, Timsakh and Bol. Bitter. To supply the canal zone with river water from the Nile, the Ismailia Canal was dug. The route of the canal is considered to be a conditional geographical border between Asia and Africa. Length 161 km (173 km including sea approaches). After reconstruction, the width is 120–318 m, the depth is 16.2 m. up to 55 ships: two caravans in the south and one in the north. channel transit time - approx. 14 hours. In 1981, the first stage of the project for the reconstruction of the canal was completed, which made it possible to navigate through it tankers with a deadweight of up to 150,000 tons (up to 250,000 tons upon completion of the second stage) and cargo ships with a deadweight of up to 370,000 tons. For Egypt, the operation of the S. to.
Dictionary of modern geographical names. - Yekaterinburg: U-Factoria. Under the general editorship of Acad. V. M. Kotlyakova. 2006 .
Suez Canal
navigable lockless canal in Egypt, on the border between Asia and Africa, connects the Red Sea near the city of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea near the city of Port Said. The shortest waterway between the ports of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Opened in 1869 (construction lasted 11 years). Nationalized in 1956, previously owned by the Anglo-French General Suez Canal Company. It is laid along the desert Isthmus of Suez and crosses a number of lakes, including Bolshoye Gorkoye. To supply the canal zone with river water from the Nile, the Ismailia Canal was dug. Length Suez Canal 161 km (173 km including sea approaches), lat. (after reconstruction) 120–318 m, depth 16.2 m. up to 55 ships - two caravans to the south, one - to the north. The average time for passing the canal is approx. 14 hours.
Geography. Modern illustrated encyclopedia. - M.: Rosman. Under the editorship of prof. A. P. Gorkina. 2006 .
Suez Canal
one of the most important artificial waterways in the world; crosses the Isthmus of Suez, stretching from Port Said (on the Mediterranean Sea) to the Gulf of Suez (on the Red Sea). The length of the canal, the main channel of which runs almost straight from north to south and separates the main part of the territory of Egypt from the Sinai Peninsula, is 168 km (including 6 km of access channels to its ports); the width of the water surface of the channel in some places reaches 169 m, and its depth is such that ships with a draft of more than 16 m can pass through it.
Channel route. The canal crosses a low-lying section of the sandy desert where the laying of its channel was favored by the lakes Manzala, Timsakh, Bolshoye Gorkoye and Maloye Gorkoye. The water surface of both Gorky Lakes lies below sea level, but they had to be excavated because their depths were less than required for the canal. On the section from Port Said to El Kantara, 38 km long, the route passes through Lake Manzala, which is, in essence, a shallow lagoon of the Mediterranean Sea. The nature of the soils in the Suez Canal zone made it possible to carry out earthworks easily and quickly, and due to the even terrain here - in contrast to, for example, the Isthmus of Panama - it was not necessary to build locks. Drinking water in the area of the Isthmus of Suez is supplied from the Nile through the Ismailia freshwater canal, which begins just north of Cairo. With Cairo and the Nile Valley, the Suez Canal zone is connected by a network of railways originating from the cities of Port Said, Ismailia and Port Taufik.
The first canals on the Isthmus of Suez. The ancient Egyptians built a shipping canal from the Nile to the Red Sea as early as c. 1300 BC, during the reigns of the pharaohs Seti I and Ramesses II. This canal, which was first dug as a channel for the flow of fresh water from the Nile to the area of \u200b\u200bLake Timsah, began to be extended to Suez under Pharaoh Necho II c. 600 BC and brought it to the Red Sea a century later. During the construction of the modern Suez Canal, part of this old channel was used to build the Ismailia freshwater canal. Under the Ptolemies, the old canal was maintained in working order, during the period of Byzantine rule it was abandoned, and then restored again under Amr, who conquered Egypt during the reign of Caliph Omar. Amr decided to connect the Nile to the Red Sea in order to supply Arabia with wheat and other foodstuffs from the Nile valley. However, the canal, the construction of which Amr undertook, calling it Khalij Amir al-mu "minin" ("Canal of the Commander of the Faithful"), ceased to function after the 8th century AD.
At the end of the 15th century The Venetians were studying the possibilities of laying a canal from the Mediterranean to the Gulf of Suez, but their plans were not put into practice. At the beginning of the 19th century Europeans mastered the way to India through Egypt: along the Nile to Cairo, and then on camels to Suez. The idea of constructing a canal across the Isthmus of Suez, which would help to significantly reduce the cost of time and money, was then considered unrealizable, based on the findings of Leper, an engineer who was commissioned by Napoleon to conduct research on the canal project. But Leper's conclusions were erroneous because of the misconception he took on faith about the difference in the levels of the water surface of the Mediterranean and Red Seas (allegedly in the Mediterranean it was 9 m lower than in the Red).
modern channel. In 1854, Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French consul in Egypt, received from Said Pasha, the ruler of Egypt, a concession to establish the General Suez Canal Company (La Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez). It was formed in 1858. Work on the construction of the canal began in April 1859, while a freshwater canal was being laid from Cairo to Ismailia. According to the original terms of this agreement, the Egyptian government was to receive 15% of the gross profit from navigation through the canal, and 99 years after the canal was put into operation, it was to become the property of Egypt. Most of the shares were purchased by the French, the Turks and Said Pasha, who bought almost half of all the shares. In 1875, Disraeli, Prime Minister of Great Britain, bought 176,602 shares of the Company from Khedive Ismail for £4 million, leaving Great Britain with 44% of the shares.
The opening of navigation through the canal took place on November 17, 1869. 29,725 thousand f.st. were spent on its construction. The initial depth of the fairway was 7.94 m, and its width along the bottom was 21 m; later, the canal was deepened so much that ships with a draft of up to 10.3 m began to pass through it. After the nationalization of the canal by Egypt (in 1956), work was carried out to further improve it, and in 1981 ships with a draft of up to 16.1 m began to pass through it.
The role of the channel in world trade. Thanks to the Suez Canal, the length of the waterway between Western Europe and India has been reduced by almost 8,000 km. In the northern direction, it transports mainly oil and oil products for Western Europe. Industrial products are transported to the south for African and Asian countries.
The international value of the channel. The significance of the canal was recognized by the leading powers of the world in the Constantinople Convention of 1888, which guaranteed the passage of ships of all countries through it in conditions of peace and war. The Turks allowed Italian ships to pass through the canal even during the Italo-Turkish war of 1911 (during the Russo-Turkish war of 1877–1878, the canal was closed to Russian ships). Serious problems on these issues did not arise during both world wars. However, after the formation of the State of Israel (1948), Egypt detained ships heading through the canal to or from Israel and confiscated their cargoes. There were no military fortifications in the canal zone, but British troops had been in Egypt since 1882. Before the nationalization of the canal, its administration consisted mainly of the British and French. Then the Egyptians began to dispose of the canal.
LITERATURE
Perminov P.V. Sphinx smile. M., 1985
Encyclopedia Around the World. 2008 .
Suez Canal
Suez Canal is located in Egypt (cm. Egypt), laid through the Isthmus of Suez, connects the Red Sea near the city of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea near the city of Port Said. In ancient times, there was a connecting route from the Mediterranean along the Nile and several channels to the Red Sea. According to ancient chronicles, the Suez Canal was built by King Darius. This is also evidenced by the inscriptions of Darius on the stones, which stand 20 km north of Suez. The Darius route ran along the western bank of the modern canal.
Canal in decline after the 2nd c. BC e., restored by the Roman emperor Trajan. For 2 centuries, Roman ships sailed along it to the shores of Arabia and India. After the conquest of Egypt by Byzantium, the canal did not operate from the middle of the 9th century until the middle of the 19th century. During new history the idea was repeatedly expressed to dig a canal through the isthmus, but all attempts ended in failure, since the difference in water levels in the two seas was too large (9.9 m). Only Ferdinand de Lesseps, an engineer and French consul in Egypt, managed to start building the canal in 1859. It was supposed to go from Suez, inspect its harbor, and then go to Pelusa. In the final version of the project, it was decided to move the northern mouth of the canal to where the harbor of Port Said later arose in honor of the Khedive of Egypt.
Construction was successfully completed by 1869, and on October 4, 1869, the Suez Canal was opened. F. de Lesseps organized a ceremony of unprecedented pomp for 6,000 guests. Composer Giuseppe Verdi was commissioned an opera for the inauguration of a canal and a new Italian theater in Cairo. This is how the immortal "Aida" was created. The next day, 48 flagged ships set off across the canal in a predetermined order. The French Empress Eugenie, as an honored guest, sailed on the first ship. Many crowned heads of Europe and from other continents took part in the celebrations. Immediately, the efficient travel agent Thomas Cook organized a tourist trip through the new canal. So, with fireworks, dancing, music, the Suez Canal was transferred to the general use.
Thanks to the Suez Canal, the long and dangerous journey around Africa for ships traveling from Europe to the East was significantly shortened. Economically and strategically important, the canal from the very beginning fell into the sphere of interests of the great powers, primarily Great Britain and France. In 1875, the government of the British Prime Minister B. Disraeli purchased the shares of the Suez Canal Company from the Egyptian Khedive. Since 1880, the management of the Suez Canal was carried out by the Anglo-French "General Company of the Suez Canal". Nasser's nationalization of the company that owned the Suez Canal caused a crisis in 1956. Nasser responded to Israel's occupation of the Sinai Peninsula with a blockade of the canal, which was lifted only in 1975. Today, this route serves 14% of all world trade. The length of the canal is 162.5 km, and its channel was expanded and deepened several times. About 50 ships pass through the canal every day. This takes 14-16 hours. In the Port Said area, as in three other places, the canal bifurcates to allow for two-way traffic.
Encyclopedia of Tourism Cyril and Methodius. 2008 .
See what "SUEK CANAL" is in other dictionaries:
Suez Canal- - navigable lockless sea channel in the north-east of Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The Suez Canal is the shortest waterway between the ports of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans (8,15 thousand kilometers less than the route around Africa) ... Encyclopedia of newsmakers
Suez Canal- Suez Canal. The Suez Canal, in Egypt, is laid through the Isthmus of Suez, connecting the Red Sea at the city of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea at the city of Port Said. Opened in 1869. Length 161 km, depth 16.2 m, width 120,318 m, without locks. Suez Canal... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
In Egypt, it is laid through the Isthmus of Suez, connects the Red Line near the city of Suez with the Mediterranean Line near the city of Port Said. It was opened in 1869. Since 1880, the management of the Suez Canal was carried out by the Anglo-French General Company of the Suez Canal. Nationalized in ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
Suez Canal- (Suez Canal), a shipping channel 171 km long, linking the Mediterranean Sea at Port Said with the Red Sea. Opened in 1869. Bought by England in 1875; from 1882 to 1955 the canal zone had the status of English. military bases. In 1956, Egypt nationalized ... ... The World History
SUez Canal- a canal connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean and is essential for international shipping. Legal regime channel is determined by the Constantinople Convention of 1888, which provides that both in war and in peace ... ... Legal Encyclopedia
The Suez Canal, قناة السويس (Arabic, pronounced "kana as-Suwais"), Suez canal (English) is the shortest waterway between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean region in the Atlantic Ocean. The canal is located in Egypt and connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas between Port Said (Būr Sa "īd) on the Mediterranean Sea and Suez (al-Suways) on the Red Sea.
The geographical position of the channel in the center of international maritime communications connecting the oil-producing region of the Near and Middle East with Western Europe, providing its links with Asia, Australia and East Africa
The Suez Canal Zone is considered a conditional border between two continents, Africa and Eurasia. The Suez Canal allows water transport to pass in both directions between Europe and Asia without going around Africa, thereby reducing the distance by 8-15 thousand km. Prior to the opening of the canal, transportation was carried out by unloading ships and by land transport between the Mediterranean and Red Seas.
In the Foto
The total length of the Suez Canal, including the approach sections, is 174 km. Part of the route runs along the fairway in the lakes Timsakh, Bolshoi and Maloy Gorky, along the bottom of which sea channels are laid. Including these lakes, the length of the route is 192 km, including the following sections: 78 km from Port Said to Ismailia and 84 km from Ismailia to Port Taufik (Suez). The smallest width of the channel is 300 meters (the width of the fairway between the buoys is 180 meters). The maximum permitted draft of ships is 53 feet, the depth of the channel is 20 meters. The 2005 reconstruction to deepen the canal made it possible for supertankers with a displacement of up to 360,000 tons to pass through it.
Currently, about 10% of all world shipping is carried out through the Suez Canal. On average, up to 50 ships pass through the canal per day. The speed of ships, depending on the tonnage and category, is limited to 11-16 km / h, the average time for passing the canal is 14 hours.
In the Foto Maersk Line's Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller, currently the largest container ship in the world, freely uses the Suez Canal for its maritime travel.
The history of the Suez Canal dates back to ancient times. It is known that the creation of a canal connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas took place already during the reign of Pharaoh Necho II (late 7th - early 6th century BC). Subsequent rulers of Egypt also supported the maintenance and improvement of the canal, which continued until the end of the pharaonic era, after which the canal was abandoned and fell into a state of decline. In 642, it was restored, but in 776 it again ceased to function and was finally filled up by order of Caliph Mansur, who did not want to allow the diversion of trade routes from the center of the Caliphate.
Location of the Suez Canal on the geographic map of the world
More than a thousand years later, in 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte, while in Egypt, became interested in the possibility of building a canal connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas. At the same time, the commission, headed by engineer Leper, came to grips with the creation of a construction project, which, however, was not subsequently realized. The project was completed at the end of 1800, when Napoleon was already in Europe, having lost hope of conquering Egypt and therefore abandoned the idea of building a canal.
The total number of employees for the entire construction period is more than 1.5 million people
On this, the idea of creating a canal did not disappear, since at that time Egypt remained the subject of interest of the leading colonial countries, primarily France and Great Britain, due to its territorial location close to Europe relative to the rest of the continent. In 1846, the international society "Société d'etudes du canal de Suez" was formed, also engaged in research on the possible construction of a canal between the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Finally, in 1854, the French diplomat and businessman Ferdinand Marie Lesseps received from the Egyptian ruler a concession to build the Suez Canal on favorable terms. The Suez Canal General Company, which he created, led the construction, with Egypt (44%) and France (53%) becoming the main shareholders of the company.
In the Foto Suez Canal in the last century
Construction of the canal began in April 1859. The main work was carried out by the Egyptians, who were forcibly recruited 60 thousand people a month, as well as by Europeans. The number of people employed in construction at one time reached 30,000 people. Due to the difficult working conditions, as well as the geographical and climatic features of the region, the death rate among workers was high. The work lasted more than 10 years, which is almost twice as long as originally planned; the total cost of the Suez Canal ended up being 576 million francs.
The canal was opened for navigation on November 17, 1869. Significant expenses for the construction of the Suez Canal complicated the economic situation in Egypt. Taking advantage of this, in 1875 the British government acquired a controlling stake in the canal. Egypt was removed from government as well as from profits. England became the actual owner of the channel, which was even more aggravated after the British occupation of Egypt in 1882.
The July Revolution of 1952 led to the expulsion of the English royal dynasty from the country. In 1953, Egypt was proclaimed a republic, and on July 26, 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal. This was the pretext for the Anglo-French-Israeli aggression against Egypt at the end of October 1956, as a result of which the Suez Canal was significantly damaged and the movement of maritime transport was interrupted. Shipping was again suspended for periods of hostilities in 1967 and 1973. In 1975, the canal was reopened to navigation, and the process of its restoration also started, including a large-scale reconstruction of the Suez Canal, which began in 2005.
To date, the Suez Canal is one of the main budget-forming projects in Egypt. Transit duties levied by Egypt make up a significant share of government budget revenue along with oil production and tourism. For example, in May 2013, the income of the Suez Canal amounted to 438.1 million US dollars.
According to the International Convention of 1888, ships of all countries that are not at war with Egypt can use the right of passage through the Suez Canal. However, due to the conflict in Syria, in August 2013, the Suez Canal was closed to warships passing for the purpose of fighting against Syria, as Egyptian Defense Minister General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made a statement. He also added that Egypt will not allow the transformation of the Suez Canal into a corridor for the attack of any Arab state.
Currently, under the bottom of the Suez Canal runs a road tunnel connecting the Sinai and continental Africa. In 1998, a transmission line was built over the canal. It is also worth mentioning the Hosni Mubarak automobile bridge crossing the Suez Canal, built in 2001. The 70 m high bridge is part of a highway between the cities of Port Said and Ismailia, and in fact connects Africa with Asia. Another interesting project, opened in the same year 2001, is the El Ferdan Railway Bridge, the longest swing bridge in the world, connecting the eastern bank of the Suez Canal with the Sinai Peninsula.
The Suez Canal has been and remains one of the busiest and most relevant shipping lanes in the world. It connects Western Europe with areas of the Near and Middle East, as well as with East Africa, Asia and Australia. Up to 50 ships pass through the canal every day, and due to the high density of maritime transport, two-way traffic is provided at four points in the canal. On August 9, 2013, 68 ships crossed the Suez Canal with a total load of 4.8 million tons, setting a new record for the most cargo sent through it in one day.
