Friday, January 7, 2011

The Suez Canal

Suez Canal is the largest man-made artificial sea-level waterway found in Egypt. It was opened in the 1869 to allow water transportation between Europe and Asia to avoid ships navigation around Africa. The canal original size was 164 km long and 8metre deep. However enlargements have been undertaken and it now has a length of 193.30 km and its 24 metres deep. It also has a northern access channel of 22 km and 9 km southern access. The canal has a northern terminus known as Port Said and a southern terminus called Port Tewfik.

Suez Canal is owned and maintained by the Suez Canal Authority of the Arab Republic of Egypt. A treaty signed under the International Treaty Act shows that the canal can be used in times of war or peace by every vessel of commerce or of war and no flag is required for distinction. The canal allows passage of ships up to 20 metres and with weight of 240,000 tons. The height allowed above water is a maximum of 68 metres. Big ships offload their cargo to canal- owned boats to reduce their weight and reload later at the end of the canal.
Suez Canal attracts a lot of visitors who come to see the amazing wonders of this man made sea. It serves as the first salt water passage between the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The canal has attracted attention from film makers. A film known as Suez was made in 1938 and it's based on the canal's history. Also in the novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, a character known as Nautilus travels through an underwater passage beneath the Suez Canal. All these highlight the canal as a very import part in opening up Africa to other parts of the world.
Dickson is the Chief Tour Guide and one of the Directors of Adventure Africa Expedition, he has traveled in many countries in Africa where he built the spirit of adventure and discovered nature hidden wonders in especially tailored walking trails like in Kisoro in Rwanda and Bwindi in Uganda both for Gorilla tracking.