when did the suez canal start functioning and howdid it benefit india
Answers
On November 17, 1869, the Suez Canal was opened to navigation. The Canal connecting the Mediterranean and the Red seas, is inaugurated in an elaborate ceremony attended by French Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III.
There are many reasons why India considers the Suez Canal to be of great importance. The following are some of the benefits.
1) It reduces the distance to Europe: The construction of the Suez Canal reduced the distance between India and Europe considerably. The reduced distance has led to faster transportation of Indian merchants. Goods can now be transported within a day across Asia to Europe all because of the lesser distance between the two continents.
2) Increased Trade flows for India: Before the construction of the Suez Canal, India had to transport its goods to Europe using the Cape of Good Hope which was a longer route and played a major obstacle to trade between Europe and India. However, after the construction of the canal trade started to grow. Ships and other vessels travel to Europe from India on a daily basis and trade flows have increased significantly because of this waterway.
3)Security Improvement: One of the major benefits of using the Suez Canal in transporting goods is because of its secure route. This is because the canal experiences less piracy activities as compared to the rest of the water trade routes.