18 CultureShock! Egypt
Built by French companies starting in 1859, it opened on
17 November 1869. Great Britain acquired the Canal in
1875 and Egypt subsequently nationalised it in the 1950s. A
sea level artificial waterway with no locks, its total length is
169 km (105 miles) including approach channels. Renovation
of the Canal widened its narrowest point to 60 m (196 ft)
and increased its depth to 16 m (53 ft) to accommodate
larger ships.Sinai and Red Sea
The Sinai Peninsula is the place to go for the newest in
Egyptian beach resorts. Other than that, it is mostly a barren
desert wilderness with some oil rigs, military outposts and
a few historic sites. It is strategically important because it
is the only land bridge connecting Africa with the Eurasian
continent and provides the eastern boundary to the Suez
Canal. The Sinai is economically important because it
contains much of Egypt’s proven oil and gas reserves. A
few Bedouin (desert nomads) live in the area, but other
than that there is little habitation except in the developing
tourist villages. Projects are in development to provide a
fresh water source for more desert reclamation agriculture.This tanker makes its way through the Suez Canal, the artifi cal waterway
which brings in most of the foreign currency for Egypt. The Canal has
helped to revolutionise shipping by shortening the distance from Europe
to the Far East.