The Suez Canal is a navigable canal located in Egypt that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. The canal turned the Sinai region into a new peninsula, forming the border between the continents of Africa and Asia. Its length is 169 km between Port Saíd (on the Mediterranean shore) and Suez (on the Red Sea coast) and in the middle the city of Ismailia. It makes it possible to shorten the maritime trade route between Europe and South Asia, since it avoids having to go around the African continent (the Cape of Good Hope).
   The excavation works of the canal began officially in 1859 promoted by the French Ferdinand de Lesseps, authorized by the Egyptians of the time. It was inaugurated in 1869. At the time, it was one of the greatest engineering works in the world.
   The construction of the Suez Canal marked a milestone in the history of technology as, for the first time, excavation machines specially designed for these works were used, with yields unknown until that time. In just over two years, more than 50 million cubic meters were excavated, of the 75 million of the total work.
   On February 17, 1867, a first ship crossed the canal, although the official inauguration took place on November 17, 1869 with the presence of Empress Eugenia de Montijo.
   From 1956 it was administered by Naser until the blockade in 1967, due to hostilities between Egypt and Israel in the Six Day War. The closure took place, as in 1956, due to the blockade caused by the sinking of several ships within the canal. It reopened to international traffic in June 1975.
   The construction of the Suez Canal was preceded by the diversion of a small freshwater canal, called a freshwater canal from the Nile Delta to the future Suez Canal, with a north branch to Port Said and a south to Suez. It was completed in 1863, bringing fresh water to arid areas, initially for the construction of the canal, and later facilitating agriculture and the establishment of settlements around this canal.
   Currently mega projects are carried out on both sides of the canal and modern cities under construction. They focus on the development of the East Port Said area and the Ain Sokhna port, and are expected to be extended to four other ports: West Port Said, El-Adabiya, El Arish and El Tor.
   The region includes the three qualified industrial zones of Port Said, Ismailia and Suez, a 1996 US initiative to promote economic collaboration between Israel and its neighbors.