The Suez Canal Pavilion at the Exposition
Panorama of the Suez Canal Project (1858-1869)
(Click the image for a LIGHTBOX view)
“In 1858, Ferdinand de Lesseps formed the Suez Canal Company for the express purpose of building the canal. It offered vessels a direct route between the North Atlantic and northern Indian oceans via the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, avoiding the South Atlantic and southern Indian oceans and reducing the journey distance from the Arabian Sea to London by approximately 8,900 kilometers (5,500 miles).
“The canal had an immediate and dramatic effect on world trade. Combined with the American transcontinental railroad completed six months earlier, it allowed the world to be circled in record time. It played an important role in increasing European colonization of Africa.” — Wikipedia
