The Suez Canal

The Suez canal is an important waterway in Egypt, and controlled by Egypt,  that connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. The canal is important because it is one of the world's most frequently used shipping lanes. The canal is the shortest route between Europe and land around the Indian and western Pacific oceans. It also separates Africa and Asia. Egypt makes ships that pass through pay tolls to collect money. Over 18,000 ships passed through the canal in the year of 2007. It is very important in today's world because a very large amount of oil is passed through here daily. If the canal would no longer be of use, this would cost anyone who buys anything that passes through here a ton of money because it would take so much longer to reach its destination.