| Suez Canal A ship canal, about 166 km (103 mi) long, traversing the Isthmus of Suez and linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea. Built under the supervision of Ferdinand de Lesseps, it was opened in 1869 and came under British control after 1875. The British withdrew in 1956, and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal, precipitating a crisis in which Israel invaded Egypt, and Great Britain and France sent armed forces to retake the canal. United Nations intervention forced an armistice, and the canal was reopened in April 1957. The canal was again closed during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and remained closed until June 1975. |
Suez Canal
n
(Placename) a sea-level canal in NE Egypt, crossing the Isthmus of Suez and linking the Mediterranean with the Red Sea: built (1854-69) by de Lesseps with French and Egyptian capital; nationalized in 1956 by the Egyptians. Length: 163 km (101 miles)
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| Noun | 1. |  Suez Canal - a ship canal in northeastern Egypt linking the Red Sea with the Mediterranean SeaArab Republic of Egypt, Egypt, United Arab Republic - a republic in northeastern Africa known as the United Arab Republic until 1971; site of an ancient civilization that flourished from 2600 to 30 BC |
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