canal

Canal is a waterway, natural or artificial, designed to enable water transport, irrigation, or drainage. Artificial canals are created by digging or blasting and are typically lined with masonry or concrete. They commonly require structures such as locks to raise or lower vessels, culverts to manage water flow, and aqueducts to cross terrain or obstacles.

Notable canals have transformed trade and military logistics. The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Isthmus of Panama, shortening ocean voyages. The Suez Canal links the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea and facilitates a direct route between Europe and Asia. Inland waterways such as the Erie Canal in the United States and the Kiel Canal in Germany connect multiple seas and lakes to shorten travel times for freight and passengers.

China's Grand Canal, a historic network, linked northern and southern China for centuries and remains one of the longest artificial waterways in the world. Other important canal projects include water-management canals built for irrigation and flood control in arid regions.

Anatomically, canal denotes a tubular passage within an organism. Examples include the external auditory canal, which channels sound from the outer ear to the eardrum, and the spinal canal, which houses the spinal cord within the vertebral column.