Shipping canal
Topic: World Transport and Communication · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 7 "Transport and Communication"
Meaning
A shipping canal is a man-made channel that joins two water bodies so that ships can take a shorter route. It saves time, fuel and money on long sea voyages. The two most important are the Suez Canal (1869) and the Panama Canal (1914). They are called the "gateways of commerce" for the eastern and western worlds.
Example
The Suez Canal in Egypt joins the Mediterranean Sea at Port Said with the Red Sea at Suez. It saves ships between Europe and Asia the long voyage around Africa.
Don't confuse with
- Irrigation canal: this carries water to farm fields, not ships.
- Inland waterway: this uses rivers, lakes and canals within the land. A shipping canal links seas or oceans for ocean ships.
Related concepts
- Sea-level canal and lock canal
- Suez Canal
- Panama Canal
- Panama Canal Zone
- Panama Canal water crisis
- Maritime chokepoint
- Northern Sea Route
- Northwest Passage