A shipping canal connecting the Mediterranean at Port Said with the Red Sea. It was constructed between 1859 and 1869 by Ferdinand de Lesseps. From 1888 it was a neutral zone under British protection; its nationalization by Egypt in 1956 prompted the Suez crisis. The canal was considerably expanded between 2014 and 2015.
Definition of Suez Canal in US English:
Suez Canal
proper nounˈso͞oˌez
A shipping canal that connects the Mediterranean Sea at Port Said with the Red Sea. It was constructed between 1859 and 1869 under the direction of Ferdinand de Lesseps. From 1888 it was a neutral zone under British protection; its nationalization by Egypt in 1956 prompted the Suez crisis. The canal was considerably expanded between 2014 and 2015.