A ship canal, about 160 km (100 mi) long, traversing the Isthmus of Suez and linking 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. British withdrawal and Egyptian nationalization of the canal precipitated a crisis during which the canal was temporarily closed to traffic (1956-1957). It closed again during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and reopened in 1975.