Suez Canal trivia

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Suez Canal Mini Quiz

Test your knowledge with these top questions!

Question 1

Which French diplomat directed the building of the Suez Canal and secured permissions for its construction?

Ferdinand de Lesseps obtained a concession from Egypt in 1854, allowing him to lead the construction of the Suez Canal, which was completed in 1869.

Question 2

The opening of the Suez Canal increased Egypt's strategic value, leading which European country to take control in 1882?

Britain maintained control over Egypt—and thus the Suez Canal—until 1956, using it as a vital route for trade and access to its colonial empire.

Question 3

The Suez Canal's construction relied on tens of thousands of workers, many forced to work under what labor system?

Corvée was a system of unpaid, forced labor imposed by the Egyptian government, and during the Suez Canal's construction, it resulted in the deaths of thousands of workers.

Question 4

Before the Suez Canal, ships between Europe and Asia had to travel around which southern tip of Africa?

Rounding the Cape of Good Hope was so dangerous that it was originally named the "Cape of Storms" by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias in 1488.