Panama and suez canals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Panama and suez canals - Essay Example The Suez Canal is an important route for the transportation of oil from the Gulf Countries to around the globe. Primarily, the most important reason for the construction of the Panama Canal was to facilitate the voyage of ships travelling from Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean and vice versa. Voyages prior to the construction of the canal took a long time. Alessandro Malaspina during his expedition of 1788-1793 expressed the need for the construction of a canal which would prove beneficial for trade. He also produced a detailed outline for the construction of the canal. US interests in creating the Panama Canal were sparked during the Spanish American War. On the other hand, the Suez Canal was not the first attempt to connect the Egyptian Nile to the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. The first canal to connect Nile delta and the Red Sea was constructed approximately in the 13th century for the economic development of the area. The construction of a modern canal on the Suez isthmus was first proposed by Napoleon Bonaparte during the late 1700s, in an attempt to create trade problems for the British. According to Napoleon, the construction of the canal controlled by French would force British to either pay dues or transport their goods via the route involving southern Africa. However, due to various reasons including miscalculation of measurements, Napoleon’s ideas never materialized and the construction was stopped. Attempts to construct a canal on the Suez isthmus began again in mid 1800s. In 1858, the construction of the Suez Canal was started by The Universal Suez Ship Canal Company. The major aim of the construction was to provide an easy and short route for the transportation of goods and oil around the world. Secondly, oil is the major export product of most Gulf Countries and a speedy route was required to transport the oil from these countries to the world. The strategic