Passage Based Questions: Transport and Communication | Geography Class 12 - Humanities/Arts PDF Download

Direction: Read the case study given below and answer the questions that follow:

The Suez Canal was constructed in 1869 in Egypt, between Port Said in the north and Port Suez in the south, linking the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. It provides Europe with a new gateway to the Indian Ocean and shortens the direct sea-route distance between Liverpool and Colombo compared to the Cape of Good Hope route. It is a sea-level canal without locks, approximately 160 km long and 11 to 15 meters deep. About 100 ships travel daily, with each ship taking 10-12 hours to cross the canal. The tolls are so high that some ships find it cheaper to use the longer Cape Route when the delay is not critical. A railway runs along the canal to Suez, and from Ismailia, there is a branch line to Cairo. Additionally, a navigable freshwater canal from the Nile joins the Suez Canal in Ismailia to supply freshwater to Port Said and Suez.

Answer the following questions: (1×3=3)

Q1: In which year was the Suez Canal constructed?
Ans: The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway which was built in 1869.

Q2: Which country currently owns the Suez Canal?
Ans: The Suez Canal was owned and operated for 87 years by the French and the British. The current owner of the Suez Canal is Egypt.

Q3: What makes the Suez Canal significant?
Ans: The Suez Canal is important because it is the shortest maritime route from Europe to Asia. The Suez Canal allows transportation between Europe and Asia without having to go around the entire continent of Africa.

Q4: Which two bodies of water are connected by the Suez Canal?
Ans: The Suez Canal was constructed as a waterway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.