Over 20,000 ships travelled through the Suez Canal in 2021, representing close to 30% of all ship traffic in the world today. The location of the canal had attracted the attention of kings as early as the second millennium BCE, but until the 19th century, proposals to build a tunnel were thwarted by cost, political unrest, and the constantly shifting sands.
Vocabulary:
• Ruler
One who rules.
• Isthmus
A narrow strip of land, bordered on two sides by water, and connecting two larger landmasses.
• Bound
Limited or confined to.
• Maritime
Related to sea or sailing
• Bypass
To avoid an obstacle; to ignore usual channels or procedures.
• Strife
Conflict or violence.
• Rekindled
Reawakened.
• Pursue
To follow or to chase.
• Flourishing
Prospering.
• Width
The measurement of something from side to side.
Source: Ted-ED