Names of major canals of the world, location and name of the country concerned.
A canal is a man-made structure for water transport and transfer. The word canal refers to a waterway which is not natural but man-made. Mainly it is used to transport water from one place to another for agriculture. Canals carry the water of rivers to different areas for irrigation. Such waterways have been built since ancient times. Let us know about some of the major canals of the world which connect two lakes, two countries, two seas or even states.
List of major canals of the world:
| Canal | Year of Manufacture | Connects whom |
| Erie Canal (United States of America) | 1825 AD | From Lake Horaz to Lake Superior |
| Sue Canal (United States of America) | 1855 AD | Lake Erie and Lake Michigan |
| Gota Canal (Sweden) | Between 1810 and 1832 AD | To Stockholm and Gutenberg |
| Kiel Canal (Germany) | Between 1887 to 1895 AD | To the North Sea and the Baltic Sea |
| North Sea Canal (Germany) | Between 1865 and 1876 AD | To the North Sea and Amsterdam |
| Manchester Canal (Great Britain) | 1887 AD | To Manchester and Liverpool |
| New Water Way (Germany) | Between 1863 and 1872 AD | To the North Sea and Rotterdam |
| Volga Dan Canal (Russia) | Between 1948 and 1952 AD | To Rostov and Stalingrad |
| Beland Canal (United States of America) | To Erie and Ontario | |
| K. C. Canal (India) | Between 1863 and 1870 AD | Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu |
| Suez Canal (Egypt) | 1869 AD | To the Red Sea and the Mediterranean |
| Panama Canal (Panama) | Between 1903 and 1914 AD | To the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean |
| Albert Canal (Western Europe) | Between 1930 to 1934 AD | Antwerp League and Venelux |
Important facts related to the main canal of the world:
- Canals are essentially man-made rivers which are mostly used for transporting goods through ships.
- Canals are important in the commerce industry for transporting bulk products due to their low cost.
- The canals date back to ancient Mesopotamia around 2400 BC. The Tigris and Euphrates provided fertile soil for settlement and agriculture. Therefore, the canal was built to provide water for both drinking and crops. Now used for a different purpose, this ancient canal paved the way for what we call the canal today.
- At first, only contour canals were built. This meant that the canal followed the natural landscape of the route rather than passing through deep ditches. Contoured canals were efficient, but took longer to build and travel. Therefore, engineers from all over the world got the job. The key to a successful canal was versatility in a variety of environments.
- This important feature of a canal allows a boat to be carried from different heights of water. Now with canal locks, a canal can be built through any area.
- Canals work in two main ways: an aqueduct and a waterway. There are many aqueduct canals like the Naharvan Canal in Egypt. This type of canal carries water from one place to another for agriculture, utility or human consumption.
- Waterways canals are more prominent today. These canals connect two bodies of water or cities for ships to navigate. Both methods have transformed economies over the past few centuries.
- The Panama Canal is widely recognized for expanding global shipping trade routes. Today, the canal has helped millions of passengers traveling from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
- Research is being done on canal construction to improve the whole process. The United States Army Corps of Engineers tests scale models to install the best canal gates and locks.
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☞ Major Canals of the World GK Questions and Answers 🔗
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Canals of The World FAQs:
The name of India's largest irrigation canal is "Indira Gandhi Canal". This canal was earlier also known as Tonga Canal, but was renamed after Indira Gandhi in 1984.
The Ganga Canal irrigates the state of Uttar Pradesh. This canal originates from the river Ganga and supplies water to various districts of Uttar Pradesh. The important purpose of Ganga Canal is strategic supply of water, water harvesting, utilization of back water and irrigation facilities.
The Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt. This canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez, dividing Africa and Asia.
The Panama Canal was built on 14 August 1914. When this canal was built, about 1000 ships used to pass through it every year and now after a hundred years, their number has increased to about 42 ships per day.
The Kiel Canal connects the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. It is located in the city of Kiel, Germany and is also known as the Kattegat Canal. The Kiel Canal is located at the southern insistence of the Namibian Bay of the Baltic Sea and drains into the Bitz of the North Sea.