The navigable canals of the world connect lakes, seas, and rivers. They offer shorter transport routes through some of the world’s most important commercial regions, and they end up saving everyone from producers, shippers, and consumers significant time and money.
Following are 10 of the world’s most important shipping canals. They range from less than 4 miles long to over 1,000, and some are now bigger tourist attractions than transport passages. However, all have played a vital role in enabling ship transport, and many still do.
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1. Panama Canal
Arguably the most famous canal in the world, this Central American waterway in Panama connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Before its existence, ships traveling between the east and west coasts of the U.S. had to go all the way around the tip of South America. Now, this 51-mile waterway shaves more than 9,000 miles off that trip.
2. Suez Canal
The other contender for the world’s most famous canal, this Egyptian canal connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, facilitating ship passage between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It’s the world’s most used maritime canal and also separates Africa from Asia.
3. Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal
This canal connects the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers in China. At just over 1,100 miles, it’s the world’s longest and oldest canal.
4. Corinth Canal
With a width of only 82 feet, this is the narrowest canal in the world and the deepest. Located in Greece, it connects the Aegean and Ionian Seas. Because of its narrowness, large ships cannot use it.
5. Volga-Don Canal
This canal connects the Russian rivers of the same names. It’s an essential link between the Azov and Caspian Seas and the ocean. It was built almost entirely by forced gulag labor during the Soviet years.
6. Kiel Canal
The traffic of about 250 ships per day makes this Europe’s busiest canal. It’s located in Germany and connects the Baltic Sea to the North Sea, creating a safer and faster alternative to the longer route through Denmark.
7. Houston Ship Canal
Connecting the city of Houston, Texas, to the Gulf of Mexico, this is one of the busiest ports in the U.S. Since its opening in 1914, it has been widened and deepened to ensure sustainability as ships have grown.
8. Rhine-Main-Danube Canal
Construction of this canal connecting the three most important rivers in Western Europe began during the turmoil of WWI. It allows ships to travel between the Black Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, and it can accommodate barges with a capacity of nearly 2,500 tons.
9. Erie Canal
Probably the most famous U.S. canal, the Erie links the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and Atlantic Ocean. It runs through upstate New York from Buffalo to Albany. Construction began in 1817, and when completed, it reduced shipping costs for merchant ships by 95%. Today, it gets more tourists than commercial traffic.
10. Caledonian Canal
This canal in Scotland is unusual compared to the rest on this list. Only about a third is hand-built; the rest consists of several lochs, including the famous Loch Ness. It’s one of the oldest operating canals in the world, and it’s been deepened to allow for the passage of heavier vessels.
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