The Suez Canal is a world-famous artificial river dug on the Isthmus of Suez in northeastern Egypt. It is the transportation hub that connects Asia, Africa and Europe, and is the international trade channel that connects the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, and then connects the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It started construction in April 1859 and was officially opened to navigation in November 1869. It took ten years and eight months. About 120,000 Egyptians died in order to dig the canal. The canal starts from Port Said in the north, passes through Lake Timsa, the Great Bitter Lake and the Little Bitter Lake in the middle, and ends in Port Taufik at the top of the Gulf of Suez in the south. It is 161 kilometers long, plus extends to the Mediterranean Sea (9 kilometers) and Suez. The river section of the Bay (3 kilometers) has a total length of 173 kilometers, a width of 180 to 200 meters, and a water depth of 15 meters. Originally, it could only allow ships with a draft of 11.5 meters and a load of 65,000 tons to pass. After expansion in recent years, it can now pass super-giant ships with a draft of 20 meters, a load of 260,000 tons and an empty load of 700,000 tons. In order to facilitate travel between the two sides of the canal, Egypt built the 5,912-meter-long Suez Canal underwater tunnel in 1980, which became an important link connecting Asia and Africa.

The excavation and navigation of the Suez Canal has greatly shortened the voyage from Europe and North America to the coasts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. From the Atlantic coast of Europe to the Indian Ocean via the Mediterranean Sea - Suez Canal - Red Sea, the voyage is 5,500 to 8,000 kilometers shorter than going around the Cape of Good Hope. For countries along the Black Sea, the voyage is shortened by more than 10,000 kilometers. The route is short and the voyage period is shortened, which reduces the freight. The freight per ton of oil tanker from the Gulf to Europe is about 30% lower than that around the southern tip of Africa. At the same time, it is much safer for ships to pass through the canal than through the "Cape of Storms" - the Cape of Good Hope. As a result, the Suez Canal quickly became the busiest shipping route in the world, with more than 20,000 ships from more than 100 countries passing through it every year. 80% of Asia-Europe shipping cargo and a quarter of the world's oil tanker tonnage pass through this canal. An artificial river. The Suez Canal has a special significance in Egypt's economic activities. On the one hand, it improves Egypt's status in the world, and on the other hand, it also increases income. In addition to paying tolls based on tonnage, ships passing through the canal also have to pay fees for water diversion and navigation marks. In recent years, the canal has increased Egypt's foreign exchange earnings by about US$700 million every year, averaging nearly US$2 million per day. Canal revenue, together with oil, remittances, and tourism, are Egypt's four major financial sources.

This "Great Oriental Waterway" that the Egyptian people dug into their own land with their blood, sweat and lives has been occupied by imperialism for a long time and has become a tool for them to carry out economic plunder and military aggression. After the canal was built, France took control of the operation rights. Starting in 1882, the British occupied the canal for 74 years, becoming Britain's "Eastern Lifeline." In 1956, Egypt announced that it would nationalize the canal, giving it a new lease of life. However, due to the unstable situation in the Middle East, the canal was often closed. For example, after the Middle East War in June 1967, the canal became the front line of the confrontation between Egypt and Israel, forcing Egypt to close the canal for eight years before it was reopened in June 1975.