A treaty signed in 1888 still shapes how the world's goods move.

The Suez Canal opened in 1869, giving ships a shortcut between Europe and Asia without sailing around Africa. But who could use it, especially in wartime?

On October 29, 1888, the major European powers and the Ottoman Empire signed the Convention of Constantinople. It declared that the canal would be open to vessels of every nation, merchant and warship alike, in war and in peace.

The principle of free passage at Suez remains central to global trade today.

How do you think world trade would look without the Suez Canal?

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