The Suez Crisis: Key maps

• Suez Canal opened to traffic in November 1869
• It was built by Frenchman Ferdinand de Lesseps using Egyptian forced labour; an estimated 120,000 workers died during construction
• It stretches 192km (120 miles) between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea
• It is 300m (984ft) wide at its narrowest point
• By 1955 approximately two-thirds of Europe's oil passed through the canal
• The waterway closed 1967 due to the Six Day War, reopened 1975
• About 7.5% of world sea trade is carried via the canal today
• Receipts from the canal July 2005 to May 2006 totalled $3,246m
• In 2005, 18,193 vessels passed through the canal

1. 29 October: Israeli paratroops dropped east of town of Suez
2. 30 October: More paratroops dropped to the east of Mitla Pass. Troops begin crossing the border at Qussaima.
3. 31 October: British bombs dropped on Cairo and Cairo international airport
4. 2 November: Israeli paratroops land near Al Tor, west of Sinai
5. 5 November: British paratroops land west of Port Said. French paratroops land south of Port Said
6. 5 November: Israelis capture Sharm al-Sheikh to lift blockade of Gulf of Aqaba.
7. 6 November: Anglo-French invasion force bombardment and landings
8. 7 November: Anglo-French forces claim to have occupied most of the Suez Canal zone as far as Ismailia, when UN orders a halt to fighting
21 November: First UN troops land at Port Said
23 November: British and French forces begin withdrawal from Egypt
22 December: Withdrawal completed at midnight