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Capacity of the Suez Canal. Suez Canal, Egypt: description, photo, where it is on the map, how to get there. The Suez Canal is, the definition

The Gulf of Suez separates the Sinai Peninsula from Africa, the Suez Canal opens the shortest route from Europe to the countries of Asia and East Africa.
The Suez Canal is one of the most important waterways in the world. This waterway begins in Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, passes through the Suez Canal and goes to the Indian Ocean, to the countries of Asia and Africa. The channel runs between the dry and sparsely populated Sinai Peninsula and the Eastern Desert, its largest ports are and.
The Gulf of Suez of the Red Sea has an elongated shape and is one of three branches formed as a result of the movement of the earth's crust 20 million years ago, when the Arabian Peninsula broke away from Africa. Other branches are itself and the Gulf of Aqaba, located to the east.
The climate here is very hot, there are no permanent rivers, and only dry wadis run into the bay, without bringing a drop of water for years. Therefore, evaporation in the bay is very high, and the salinity is higher than in many other marine areas of the World Ocean. On the other hand, all year round the water in the bay is very warm and unusually clear (visibility reaches 200 m), which created the conditions for the development of coral reefs.

Story

Throughout the history of human civilization, the area of ​​the Gulf of Suez was the most important center of world trade, for the possession of which the greatest empires of antiquity fought.
People settled on the coast of the bay 30 thousand years ago. 6 thousand years ago, the great Egyptian culture was born here. A thousand years ago, the entire territory was occupied by Arab tribes. For some time, the Turks entrenched here, who created the Ottoman Empire, but then left, leaving these lands to the Arabs.
In the XX century. small coastal villages of fishermen turned into centers of prosperous resorts, where millions of tourists poured in, appreciating the beauty and climate of the Gulf of Suez.
Tourism is not the only wealth of the bay: at the entrance to it, in the Gems area, on the western shore, there are rich deposits of oil and natural gas.
In the middle of the Gulf of Suez and along the Isthmus of Suez there is a conditional border between Africa and Asia.
In the northern part of the gulf is the Egyptian city of Suez, where the navigable Suez Canal begins, linking the Red Sea with the Mediterranean.
The Suez Canal (in Arabic "Kana al-Suwais") significantly shortened the path for ships that previously had to go around all of Africa to get into the Indian Ocean. The canal crosses the Isthmus of Suez in its lowest and narrowest part, passing several lakes along the way.
The main difference between the Suez Canal and similar ones is that the terrain here is flat and there are no locks on the canal, and sea water moves freely along it.
Attempts to build a canal between the Mediterranean and Red Seas were made in ancient times. Around 1300 B.C. e., during the reign of the pharaohs Seti I and Ramses II, in ancient Egypt, the canal of the Pharaohs was laid, connecting the Nile River and the Red Sea.
As ancient Egypt declined, the canal was destroyed. In the III century. BC e., under the Egyptian king Ptolemy II, the canal was restored, and in the days of Ancient Rome it was called the "River of Trajan" - in honor of the Roman emperor.
In 642, the Arabs conquered Egypt and hurried to restore the strategically important canal, calling it Khalij Amir El-Mu'minin, or the canal of the Commander of the Faithful. However, in 776 the Arabs themselves filled it up in order to direct trade through the main regions of the Arab Caliphate. There were plans to restore the canal at the end of the 15th century. Venetians, in the middle of the XVI century. under the Turks, in the Ottoman Empire, as well as at the end of the 18th century. during the Egyptian expedition of the French troops under the command of Napoleon, but these plans were not destined to come true.
It was possible to build a canal only in the second half of the 19th century.
In 1854, the French diplomat and businessman Ferdinand de Lesseps managed - with incredible efforts - to obtain from the Egyptian ruler Said Pasha a concession to build a canal between the Gulf of Suez in the Red Sea and the Pelusian Gulf of the Mediterranean Sea for a period of 99 years from the day the canal began operation. After this period, the canal was to become the property of Egypt.
The construction of the canal was started on April 25, 1859. Giant work was done. The construction of the canal was facilitated by the dried-up lakes that were on its way, they were below sea level, which facilitated the laying. Despite this, a huge amount of soil had to be excavated. The work was carried out by hand, under the rays of the sun, in a waterless desert. Egyptian fellahs worked on the construction, whom the local authorities drove here at 60 thousand people a month, with a population of Egypt of only 4 million people. It is not surprising that about 120 thousand people died from hard labor and epidemics.
Lesseps failed to meet the six-year deadline, as stipulated in the contract: the work took 11 years.
The grand opening of the Suez Canal took place on November 17, 1869. For this event, as well as for the opening of a new theater in Cairo, the Italian composer G. Verdi, commissioned by the Egyptian Khedive, wrote the opera Aida.
The initial depth of the canal's fairway was 7.94 m, the width was 21 m.
In 1875, under pressure from international debts, the Egyptian government was forced to cede its share of the canal to the British. Egypt lost control of the canal and profits. England became the owner of the channel. During the First and Second World Wars, Great Britain controlled all shipping on the canal. Egyptian ships paid the same fees for passage through the canal as foreign ships did, and could not use the canal to communicate within the country.
On July 26, 1956, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal. The UK, France, and the US first attempted to "internationalize" the channel. When these attempts failed, the British, French and Israeli troops began the so-called Suez War of 1956, which lasted a week. The canal was partially destroyed, but subsequently rebuilt by Egypt with the help of the allies.
After the Six-Day Arab-Israeli War of 1967, the canal was closed again. This happened again during the Arab-Israeli war of 1973. After the end of the war, the canal had to be cleared for a long time by the forces of the Soviet Navy.
Egypt is constantly working to deepen the canal. Now the channel makes it possible to pass loaded ships with a draft of up to 20.1 m, a displacement of up to 240 thousand tons, a height of up to 68 m and a width of up to 77.5 m.
The Suez Canal has only one fairway, but to facilitate the passage of ships through it, there are several sections where the ships diverge. Currently, about 8% of the world's maritime traffic passes through the canal. On average, 48 ships pass through the canal per day, the movement along the canal is one-way.
Operation of the Suez Canal is Egypt's second largest source of income after tourism.
On the route of the canal there are large Egyptian cities: Port Said (with Port Fuad) on the Mediterranean Sea, Ismailia - approximately in the middle, and Suez (With Port Taufik) on the Red Sea.
The sights of the Suez Canal are the Ahmed Hamdi automobile tunnel crossing it under the bottom of the canal, the cable-stayed automobile bridge "Shohada on January 25", a unique power line with masts 221 m high and the El Ferdan railway bridge.

general information

gulf of suez

Location: northwestern section of the Red Sea, between Africa and the Sinai Peninsula (Asia).

Gulf facing countries: Arab Republic of Egypt.
Language: Arabic.

Currency unit: Egyptian pound.

Major port: Suez. 478 553 people (2004).
Suez kacal Location: between Africa and the Sinai Peninsula (Asia).

Basins: Indian and Atlantic oceans.

The most important ports (population, cargo turnover): Suez (300 million tons), Port Said (603,787 people / over 1 million tons, 2010), Ismailia (750,000 people, 2010), Port Fuad (560,000 people, 2003) .

Major lakes: Big Bitter Lake, Small Bitter Lake, Manzala, Timsakh (Crocodile), Bala.

Numbers

gulf of suez

Length: 314 km.
Maximum Width: 32 km.

Average depth: 40 m

Max Depth: 70 m
Tides: semi-diurnal, height - 1.8 m.

Salinity: 40-42% o.

Average annual water temperature: up to 30°С.
Difference in water level during currents: from 0.5 m to 1 m.

Suez Canal (status as of 2010).

Length: 193.25 km.

Depth: 24 m.

Width: 205 m.
Suitable areas: northern - 22 km, directly the channel - 162.25 km. southern - 9 km.
Channel pass time: around 14 o'clock.

Vessel speed depending on tonnage and category: 11-16 km/h.

Economy

Minerals (Gulf of Suez): oil and natural gas.

Operation of the kakala:$5.2 billion (2011).

■ Ahmed Hamdi Road Tunnel.

■ Road bridge "Shohada 25 January".
■ Power line.
■ El Ferdan railway bridge.
■ Coral reefs of the Gulf of Suez.

Curious facts

■ During the construction of the modern Suez Canal, part of the old channel of the Pharaohs' Canal was used to build the freshwater Ismailia Canal.
■ In the XVIII-XIX centuries. the idea of ​​building a canal across the Isthmus of Suez was considered impossible for political and technical reasons. The French engineer Jacques Lepert, who worked on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte, claimed that the water level in the Mediterranean Sea was 9.9 m lower than in the Red Sea, and they still did not know how to build large locks in those days. In addition, Emperor Napoleon had already abandoned his plans to conquer Egypt.

■ Since there are no locks on the Suez Canal, the sea water in it north of the Great Bitter Lake flows north in winter and south in summer.
■ In the 38 km section from Port Said to El Kantara, the canal's route passes through Lake Manzala, which is actually a shallow lagoon in the Mediterranean Sea.
■ Design work in the canal zone was carried out by French and Italian specialists, and the canal was built by the General Suez Canal Company, owned by Lesseps, although legally it was considered Egyptian. The Egyptian government got 44% of the shares, France - 53%, other participants - 3%.
■ In 1863, the Egyptian khedive (ruler) Ismail Pasha banned the use of forced labor in the construction of the Suez Canal. But Ferdinand de Lesseps managed to get Egypt to pay a huge amount of 84 million francs in damages as reimbursement of costs.
■ The Suez Canal significantly reduced the duration of sea voyages: if the route from Marseille (France) to Bombay (India) around Africa was 16.7 thousand km, then through the Suez Canal it was 7.3 thousand km, and from Odessa to Vladivostok - instead of 25.6 thousand km in total 14.8 thousand km.
■ The construction of the Suez Canal used 1,600 camels to carry water to workers until a freshwater canal was built from the Nile in 1863.

Here's what I read this morning: Egyptian military thwarted suicide attack on Suez Canal

The Egyptian authorities reported that they managed to prevent a terrorist attack on the Suez Canal. The criminals were going to attack the Panamanian container ship Cosco Asia to stop traffic on the waterway, reports Reuters.

The vessel did not receive any damage, the servicemen sorted out the situation.

Officials did not say what kind of attack the perpetrators were planning, but agency sources said they heard two explosions as the container ship passed through the canal.

Let's find out more about this facility and why it attracts terrorists:

SUez Canal, one of the world's most important artificial waterways; 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 this lockless 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 Suez Canal Zone is considered a conditional border between two continents: Asia and Africa. Main ports of entry: Port Said from the Mediterranean and Suez from the Red Sea. The Suez Canal runs along the Isthmus of Suez in its lowest and narrowest part, crossing a series of lakes and the Menzala lagoon.

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.

Port Said

The first canals on the Isthmus of Suez.

The idea of ​​digging a canal through the Isthmus of Suez arose in ancient times. Ancient historians report that the Theban pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom era tried to build a canal connecting the right branch of the Nile with the Red Sea.

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.

The expansion and improvement of the canal was carried out by order of the Persian king Darius I, who conquered Egypt, and later by Ptolemy Philadelphus (first half of the 3rd century BC). At the end of the era of the pharaohs in Egypt, the canal fell into a state of decline. However, after the conquest of Egypt by the Arabs, the canal was restored again in 642, but in 776 it was filled up to direct trade through the main regions of the Caliphate.

Drawing of the Suez Canal (1881)

Plans for the restoration of the canal, developed later (in 1569 by order of the vizier of the Ottoman Empire Mehmed Sokollu and by the French during the Egyptian expedition of Bonaparte in 1798-1801), were not implemented.

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 ​​building a canal across the Isthmus of Suez, which would help to significantly reduce the time and cost.

Napoleon Bonaparte, while in Egypt on a military mission, at the same time visited the site of the former majestic building. The ardent nature of the Corsican caught fire with the idea of ​​reviving such a grandiose object, but the engineer of his army, Jacques Leper, cooled the ardor of the commander with his calculations - they say the level of the Red Sea is 9.9 meters higher than the Mediterranean and if they are connected, it will flood the entire Nile Delta with Alexandria, Venice and Genoa. It was not realistic to build a channel with locks at that time. The idea was considered unfeasible. In addition, the political situation soon changed and Napoleon was not up to building a canal in the sands of Egypt. As it turned out later, the French engineer was not correct in his calculations.

The idea of ​​building the Suez Canal arose again in the second half of the 19th century. The world during this period experienced an era of colonial division. North Africa, the closest part of the continent to Europe, attracted the attention of the leading colonial powers - France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain. Egypt was the subject of rivalry between Britain and France.

The main opponent of the construction of the canal was Britain. At that time, she had the most powerful fleet in the world and controlled the sea route to India through the Cape of Good Hope. And if the channel was opened, France, Spain, Holland and Germany could send their small-tonnage vessels through it, which would seriously compete with England in maritime trade.

modern channel.

In the second half of the 19th century, another Frenchman, Ferdinand de Lesseps, was able to organize the construction of the Suez Canal. The success of this venture was based on personal connections, indefatigable energy, adventurism of a French diplomat and businessman. In 1833, while working as the French consul in Egypt, Lesseps met Bartolemy Enfantin, who infected him with the idea of ​​building the Suez Canal. However, the then Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali was cool about the grand undertaking. Lesseps continues his career in Egypt and becomes a mentor to the ruler's son. Between Ali Said (that was the name of the son of the Egyptian pasha) and the mentor, friendly and trusting relations began, which in the future will play a paramount role in the implementation of the grandiose plan.

Ferdinand de Lesseps

The plague epidemic forced the French diplomat to leave Egypt for a while and move to Europe, where he continues to work in the diplomatic field, and in 1837 he marries. In 1849, at the age of 44, Lesseps resigns, disillusioned with politics and a diplomatic career, and settles to live on his estate in Shen. After 4 years, two tragic events occur in the life of a Frenchman - one of his sons and his wife die. Staying on his estate becomes an unbearable torment for Lesseps. And suddenly fate gives him another chance to return to active work. In 1854, his old friend Ali Said became the Khedive of Egypt, who called Ferdinand to him. All thoughts and aspirations of the Frenchman are now occupied only by the channel. Said Pasha, without much delay, gives the green light to the construction of the canal and promises to help with cheap labor. It remains only to find money to finance the construction, draw up a project and solve some diplomatic delays with the nominal ruler of Egypt - the Turkish Sultan.

Returning to his homeland, Ferdinand Lesseps meets his old friend Anfontaine, who for all these long years, with his like-minded people, has been working on the project and estimate of the Suez Canal. The former diplomat manages to convince them to transfer their developments, promising to include Anfontaine and his comrades among the founders of the channel in the future. Ferdinand never fulfilled his promise.

The canal project is in your pocket and Ferdinand Lesseps rushes in search of money - the first thing he visits is England. But in Foggy Albion they reacted coolly to this idea - the mistress of the seas already received huge profits from trade with India and she did not need competitors in this matter. The United States and other European countries also did not support the French adventure. And then Ferdinand Lesseps takes a risky step - he begins a free sale of shares in the Suez Canal Company at 500 francs per security. An extensive advertising campaign is being carried out in Europe, its organizer is also trying to play on the patriotism of the French, calling for beating England. But financial tycoons did not dare to get involved in such a dubious event. In England, Prussia and Austria, a general ban was introduced on the sale of company shares. Great Britain conducts anti-PR of the French adventure project, calling it a soap bubble.

Unexpectedly, the success of this risky venture was believed by the French middle class - lawyers, officials, teachers, officers, merchants and moneylenders. Shares began to sell like hot cakes. In total, 400 thousand shares were sold, of which 52% were bought in France, and 44% were acquired by an old friend Said Pasha. The total share capital of the company amounted to 200 million francs, or in terms of 3 billion modern dollars. The Suez Canal Company received huge benefits - the right to build and operate the canal for 99 years, tax exemption for 10 years, 75% of future profits. Egypt received the remaining 15% of the profit, 10% went to the founders.

In 1854, the French diplomat and businessman Ferdinand Marie Lesseps (Ferdinand Marie vicomte de Lesseps), taking advantage of the growing influence of France in Egypt and personal connections, received from the Egyptian ruler a concession to build the Suez Canal on favorable terms. The construction of the canal was led by the General Company of the Suez Canal (La Compagnie Universelle du Canal Maritime de Suez), created by Lesseps.

The company began financing the construction of the canal. Only the British, who benefited the most from a speedy journey to India, did not buy a single share, although the canal reduced the distance between London and Bombay by 7,343 km. The British government did everything to prevent this project. It condemned it as physically impossible, too expensive and unprofitable, believing that the hot sands of the desert would immediately absorb the water, and Lesseps' calculations were a gross geodetic error, because the level of the Red Sea is 9 meters higher than the level of the Mediterranean, and the civilization of Europe will perish under water. . Then this opinion changed to the fact that the canal would turn into a fetid puddle. Meanwhile, the British were quickly laying the rails of the railway line just not far from the future canal.

The British pulled the rails from Cairo to Suez in 1859.

The construction of the canal began in April 1859 and lasted more than 10 years and cost 120,000 workers' lives.

The main work on the Suez Canal was carried out by the Egyptians, who were forcibly recruited 60 thousand people a month. Many of them died from overwork and epidemics. And only when labor-intensive operations were mechanized, workers from Europe began to arrive here. However, the work was carried out in difficult desert conditions, and drinking water was delivered for many kilometers on camels and donkeys.

The daily norm of each is two cubic meters of earth, which was pulled out of the bed of the future canal in matting bags or baskets. The only thing that the advanced science of Europe gave to the workers was the first version of the excavator, which the Europeans themselves stared at as a miracle. On the Mediterranean Sea, where the canal began, Port Said literally arose out of nothing. It is built on a pier that protects the canal from silt. The length of the pier is 7 km (it is the longest pier in the world). From there, 25,000 workers traveled south to the work sites until, by 1863, a special fresh water canal was built, which finally made it possible to set up camps along the entire route. The length of the finished canal was 163 km. A spare bay was dug every 10 km.

Until a canal with drinking water was dug along the future route, the canal was laid from north to south, and only with the improvement of working conditions did it become possible to continue work in both directions. Although 25 thousand people worked at this construction site at the same time, the work went on for many years, and all this time Lesseps personally controlled each site.

In parallel, a freshwater canal was being laid from Cairo to Ismailia.

Construction continued uninterrupted for three years until Britain intervened. London put pressure on Istanbul, and the Turkish Sultan on Said Pasha. Everything stopped and the company was threatened with a complete collapse.

And here personal connections again played a role. Lesseps' cousin Eugenia was married to the French emperor. Ferdinand Lesseps wanted to enlist the support of Napoleon III before, but he did not show much desire to help. For the time being. But since the shareholders of the Suez Canal Company included thousands of French subjects, its collapse would have led to social upheaval in France. And this was not in the interests of the French emperor and he forced the Egyptian pasha to change his mind.

By 1863, to supply fresh water, the company built an auxiliary canal from the Nile to the city of Ismailia. In the same 1863, Said Pasha dies and Ismail Pasha comes to power in Egypt, who demands to revise the terms of cooperation. In July 1864, an arbitration tribunal under the leadership of Napoleon III considered the case and ruled that Egypt should pay compensation to the Suez Canal Company - 38 million was due for the abolition of forced labor of the Egyptian fellahs, 16 million for the construction of a canal with fresh water and 30 million for the seizure of lands granted to the Suez Canal Company by the former ruler Said Pasha.

To further finance the construction, several bond issues had to be made. The total cost of the canal rose from 200 million francs at the start of construction to 475 million by 1872, and in 1892 reached 576 million francs. It should be noted that the then French franc was backed by 0.29 grams of gold. At current gold prices (about $1,600 per troit ounce), a 19th-century French franc equals 15 21st-century American dollars.

The opening of the Suez Canal took place on November 17, 1869 in Ismailia and was of international importance.

The canal has become a symbol of Egypt's intentions to take its rightful place in the world, a symbol of a modern country located on the border between East and West. Ismail Pasha, who became Khedive of Egypt after the death of Mohammed Said, invited all the crowned persons of the civilized world, artists and scientists to celebrate the event that changed the map of the world. Among the guests were the French Empress Eugenia, the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph, the Dutch prince and princess, the Prussian prince, writers Emile Zola, Theophile Gauthier, Henrik Ibsen. Russia also did not remain indifferent to this important event. The celebrations were attended by Count Nikolai Ignatiev, Ambassador to Turkey, writer Vladimir Sollogub, artist Aivazovsky and other famous compatriots. For 6,000 guests, 500 chefs and 1,000 footmen were invited. Forty-eight flagged ships arrived at Port Said, and then this powerful flotilla moved across the canal. Many people from different countries crowded on the shore of Lake Timsah. At half past six, a ship flew under the French flag. From the ship, the French Empress Eugenie and Ferdinand de Lesseps greeted the people who met them. The Eagle is the first ship to pass through the Suez Canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.

£29,725,000 was 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 huge cost of building the canal complicated the economic situation of Egypt.

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.

In 1880, the Egyptian government was forced to sell its right to 15% of the profits from the Suez Canal. Egypt was removed from running the canal and sharing in the profits. After the occupation of Egypt by British troops in 1882, the canal became the main British military base in the Middle East. In 1888, an international convention was concluded in Istanbul to ensure freedom of navigation through the Suez Canal.

The English light cruiser Euryal passes the Sueda Canal.

The opening of the Suez Canal sharply aggravated the Anglo-French struggle for Egypt, and the huge costs of building the Suez Canal complicated the economic situation of Egypt.

Taking advantage of this, and the weakening of France after the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-1871, which forced her to cede a leading role in Egyptian affairs to Great Britain, the British government bought a controlling stake in the canal in 1875.

In 1876 joint Anglo-French control of Egyptian finances was established. However, during the Egyptian crisis of 1881-1882, caused by the rise of the patriotic movement in Egypt (the movement of Arabi Pasha), Great Britain managed to push France into the background.

As a result of a military expedition in July-September 1882, Egypt was occupied by the British and became the main British military-strategic base in the Middle East.

After 6 years, an international convention was concluded in Istanbul on ensuring freedom of navigation along the Suez Canal, which is still the main document regulating navigation along the canal.

Britain established a protectorate over Egypt in 1914. In 1919–1921, the protectorate was abolished and Egypt was proclaimed an independent kingdom.

However, the economy, foreign and domestic policy was controlled by Great Britain, there were British troops in the country.

The July Revolution of 1952, led by the Free Officers group led by Gamil Abdel Naser, expelled the royal dynasty from the country. In 1953 Egypt was proclaimed a republic. In 1956, British troops were withdrawn from Egypt, the Suez Canal was nationalized

The nationalization of the channel served as a pretext for the Anglo-French-Israeli aggression against Egypt at the end of October 1956. The Suez Canal suffered significant damage, traffic on it was interrupted and resumed only on April 24, 1957, after the completion of the cleaning of the canal.

As a result of the Arab-Israeli “six-day war” of 1967, navigation through the Suez Canal was again interrupted, since the canal zone actually turned into a front line separating Egyptian and Israeli troops, and during the October 1973 war, into an area of ​​active hostilities.

The annual damage caused by inaction to the Suez Canal was estimated at 4-5 billion dollars.

In 1974, after the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Suez Canal zone, Egypt began clearing, restoring and reconstructing the canal. On June 5, 1975, the Suez Canal was reopened to navigation.

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 (upon completion of the second stage - up to 250,000 tons) and cargo ships with a deadweight of up to 370,000 tons.

In 2005, a new reconstruction of the Suez Canal was started. The reconstruction plan provides for the deepening of the fairway, which will allow more than 90% of the existing international merchant fleet to pass through the canal. From 2010, supertankers with a displacement of up to 360,000 tons will be able to navigate the canal. Today, the length of the canal itself is 162.25 km, with sea approaches from Port Said to Port Taufik - 190.25 km. Width at a depth of 11 meters 200–210 m. Depth along the fairway 22.5 m.

Currently about 10% of all world shipping is carried out through the Suez Canal. On average, 48 ships pass through the Suez Canal per day, the average time for passing the canal is about 14 hours.

According to the existing rules, ships of all countries that are not at war with Egypt can pass through Suez. The operating rules prohibit the appearance in it only of ships with nuclear power plants.

To date, the Suez Canal is the main budget-forming project of Egypt. According to some experts, the canal gives the country more money than oil production, and much more than the rapidly developing tourism infrastructure allows to receive today.

The monthly volume of fees for passage through the canal is 372 million dollars.

In fiscal year 2007-2008, the Suez Canal brought in more than $5 billion to Egypt, a record figure in the canal's history.

In fiscal year 2008–2009, shipping through the Suez Canal decreased by 8.2%, while Egypt's income from operating the canal fell by 7.2%. Experts attribute this to the consequences of the global financial crisis, as well as the actions of pirates off the coast of Somalia.

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 Suez Canal, one of the world's most important artificial waterways, crosses the Isthmus of Suez, stretching from Port Said (on the Mediterranean Sea) to the Gulf of Suez (on the Red Sea). The construction of the Suez Canal was one of the most adventurous and revolutionary projects of the 19th century. As usual, at first few people believed in the success of a grandiose event. However, according to the latest estimates, the operation of the canal annually brings the Egyptian treasury up to one and a half billion dollars in income.

History of the Suez Canal

The canal passes about 50 vessels for various purposes every day, and more than 600 million tons are transported through the canal annually.

The Suez Canal turned out to be a very profitable project. It brings in annually 2 billion dollars of profit. The minimum fee for which a small vessel can pass the canal is 6-10 thousand dollars. The cost of passage of the canal by a large tanker or aircraft carrier reaches up to 1 million dollars.

The most important artificial channel in , stretching from to . Located to the west of the Sinai Peninsula, it marks the border between the two continents. The length of the canal with approach sections reaches 170 km. This shipping channel is included in the version of our site.

The Suez Canal originates in Port Said and stretches to the bay of the same name in the Red Sea. Water transport can pass through it in both directions. Prior to the opening of this waterway, the transportation of goods between Africa and Eurasia was carried out only by land. The canal was opened for shipping in the second half of the 19th century.

According to historical facts, a canal was laid here during the 12th Dynasty of the Egyptian pharaohs in order to connect the Nile with the Red Sea. Many subsequent rulers completed the canal, and even the Persian king Darius I, who conquered Egypt. During the reign of Caliph Mansur, the canal was completely filled up. They thought about its restoration in the 16th century AD. during the time of the Ottoman Empire.

The reopening of the canal had an invaluable impact on world trade. During the First and Second World Wars, the Suez Canal was repeatedly invaded and partially destroyed. It is currently one of the main components of the Egyptian budget. Tariffs for the transport of goods through the canal increase every year.

Photo attraction: Suez Canal

29°55′55″ N sh. 32°33′47″ E d. HGIO - head, - mouth Audio, photo and video at Wikimedia Commons

Story

Antiquity

Construction of the Suez Canal

Drawing of the Suez Canal (1881)

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 II (610-595 BC) 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.

In 1569, on the orders of the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed Sokollu, a plan was developed to restore the canal, but it was not implemented.

Channel recovery

More than a thousand years passed before the next attempt to dig a canal. In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte, while in Egypt, considered building a canal connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas. He entrusted the production of preliminary surveys to a special commission headed by the engineer Leper. The commission came to the erroneous conclusion that the water level of the Red Sea was 9.9 m higher than the water level of the Mediterranean Sea, which would not have allowed the canal to be built without locks. According to Leper's project, it was supposed to go from the Red Sea to the Nile partly along the old route, cross the Nile near Cairo and end in the Mediterranean Sea near Alexandria. Leper considered it impossible to reach a particularly significant depth; its channel would have been unsuitable for deep-draft ships. Leper's commission calculated the costs of digging at 30-40 million francs. The project crashed not on technical or financial difficulties, but on political events; it was completed only at the end of 1800, when Napoleon was already in Europe and finally abandoned the hope of conquering Egypt. On December 6, 1800, when he accepted Leper's report, he said: this is a great thing, but I am unable to carry it out at the present time; perhaps the Turkish government will someday take it up, create glory for itself and strengthen the existence of the Turkish Empire» .

In 1841, British officers conducting surveys on the isthmus proved the erroneousness of Leper's calculations regarding the water level in the two seas - calculations that Laplace and the mathematician Fourier had already protested against on theoretical grounds. In 1846, partly under the patronage of Metternich, an international "Société d'etudes du canal de Suez" was formed, in which the most prominent figures were the French engineers Talabo, the Englishman Stephenson and the Austrian of Genoese origin Negrelli. Luigi Negrelli, on the basis of new, independent research, developed a new project: the channel was to become " artificial Bosphorus» directly connecting the two seas, sufficient for the passage of the most deep-sea vessels. French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps supported, in general terms, Negrelli's project.

In 1855, Ferdinand de Lesseps received concessions from Said Pasha, Viceroy of Egypt, whom de Lesseps had met while a French diplomat in the 1830s. Said Pasha approved the creation of a company for the purpose of building a sea canal open to ships of all countries.

In the same 1855, Lesseps achieved the approval of the firman from the Turkish Sultan, but only in 1859 was he able to establish a company in Paris. Construction of the canal began that year, spearheaded by the General Suez Canal Company created by Lesseps. The Egyptian government received 44% of all shares, France - 53% and 3% were acquired by other countries. Under the terms of the concession, the shareholders were entitled to 74% of the profits, Egypt - 15%, the founders of the company - 10%.

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 British government, led by Palmerston, fearing that the Suez Canal would lead to the liberation of Egypt from the rule of the Ottoman Empire and to the weakening or loss of England's dominance over India, placed all sorts of obstacles in the way of the enterprise, but was forced to retreat before the energy Lesseps, especially since Napoleon III and Said Pasha patronized his enterprise, and then (since 1863) his heir - Vali Ismail Pasha.

The technical difficulties facing the builders of the canal 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 exploited), and intended not for navigation, but solely for the delivery of fresh water - first to workers, then and the settlements that were to emerge 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).

In 1866, Ismail Pasha sent his trusted Nubar Bey to Constantinople, so that he would officially formalize in the proper manner with the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Abdul-Aziz, the fact of Ismail's accession to the rights of the Wali of Egypt; and also - confirmed the Egyptian concession for laying Suez Canal, designed to connect the Mediterranean and Red Seas . Nubar managed to convince the Sultan of the need to allocate a fabulous amount for the construction of the canal.

Satisfied with the results of the visit of the Armenian Nubar Bey to the Sultan, Ismail Pasha instructed him (non-foreign Christians were rarely trusted to do this) to take over the completion of the work on the Suez Canal. The technical difficulties facing the builders of the canal were enormous ... Nubar Bey went to Paris to settle disputes between Egypt and the French Canal Company. The decision of the issue was submitted to the arbitration of Emperor Napoleon III. It cost Egypt £4 million. Upon his return from Paris, Nubar Bey took the chair of the Minister of Public Works and was awarded the title of pasha. And soon he became the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt.

The 200 million francs determined by the original project of Lesseps soon ran out, especially as a result of the huge expenses for bribery at the courts of Said and Ismail, for widespread advertising in Europe, for 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. Earthworks were carried out using 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 total length of the canal was about 173 km, including the length of the canal itself through the Isthmus of Suez 161 km, the sea canal along the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea - 9.2 km and the Gulf of Suez - about 3 km. The width of the channel along the water table is 120-150 m, along the bottom - 45-60 m. The depth along the fairway was initially 12-13 m, then it was deepened to 20 m.

The canal officially opened to navigation on November 17, 1869. 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.

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 share in the British Canal in 1875. 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.

On July 26, 1956, the canal was nationalized by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. This led to the invasion of British, French and Israeli troops and the start of the week long 1956 Suez War. The channel was partially destroyed, some of the ships were sunk, as a result, navigation was closed until April 24, 1957, until the channel was cleared with the help of the UN. UN peacekeeping forces were brought in to maintain the status of the Sinai Peninsula and the Suez Canal as neutral territories.

present tense

The Suez Canal is one of Egypt's main sources of income, along with oil production, tourism, and agriculture.

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.

Second channel

In August 2014, construction began on a 72-kilometre-long parallel canal to allow for two-way traffic. Trial operation of the second stage of the canal began on July 25, 2015. The country's army actively participated in the construction. The population of Egypt participated in the financing.

On August 6, 2015, the grand opening ceremony of the new Suez Canal took place. The ceremony was attended, in particular, by the President of Egypt, Abdul-Fattah Al-Sisi, who arrived at the venue of the event on board the Al-Mahrusa yacht. This yacht gained fame as the first ship to pass in 1869 through the old Suez Canal.

Currently, the vessel is part of the Egyptian Navy, being the country's oldest active naval vessel, and is sometimes used as a presidential yacht. The ship goes to sea about three times a year, but usually only for one day. The yacht was built in 1865.

"New Suez" runs parallel to the old shipping route, laid 145 years ago and is the shortest water route between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The new channel, like the old one, will be state property.

The construction was financed from internal sources. The Egyptian government issued bonds with a yield of 12% per annum, and investors snapped them up within just eight days. Construction work was carried out around the clock with the large-scale participation of the engineering units of the Egyptian army.

It took only one year to build the Suez understudy (although it was estimated to have been built in three years). The project cost Egypt $8.5 billion. The project of the New Suez Canal consisted of widening and deepening the current tract and creating a parallel tract. The new channel should increase the capacity of the channel.

The purpose of the project is to ensure two-way traffic of ships. In the future, from south to north, they will follow the old, and from north to south along the new channel. Thus, the average waiting time of ships during the passage through the canal should be reduced by a factor of four, while its throughput will increase from 49 to 97 ships per day.

In addition, the backup is expected to increase Egypt's income from the operation of the waterway by 2.5 times by 2023, to $13.2 billion from the current $5.3 billion. The Suez Canal provides 7% of the world's maritime cargo turnover, plays a key role in supplying Europe with Middle Eastern oil, and for Egypt is the second source of foreign exchange earnings after tourism. In the future, it is planned to create a large logistics center and an industrial zone near the canal. A number of experts consider these forecasts to be overly optimistic.

Control

The Suez Canal was operated by the Suez Canal Company until 1956, attached to the Suez Canal Authority by Egyptian President Gamal-Abdel Nasser.

The chairs of the SCA were:

  • Bahgat Helmi Badawi (July 26, 1956 - July 9, 1957)
  • Mahmoud Younis (July 10, 1957 - October 10, 1965)
  • Mashhour Ahmed Mashhour (October 14, 1965 - December 31, 1983)
  • Mohamed Adel Ezzat (January 1, 1984 - December 1995)
  • Ahmed Ali Fadel (22 January 1996 – August 2012)
  • Mohab Mamish (August 2012 - present)

Connection between shores

Since 1981, an automobile tunnel has been operating in the area of ​​​​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.

In 1998, a power line was built over the canal in Suez. The pillars of the line, standing on both banks, have a height of 221 meters and are located 152 meters from each other.

On October 9, 2001, a new bridge was opened in Egypt. Hosni Mubarak on the highway connecting the cities