Why did the Suez Canal increase European interest in the Ottoman Empire?

The Suez Canal was completed in 1869, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, creating a shortcut between Europe and Asia. Because the canal was built in modern-day Egypt, which was, at the time, under the control of the Ottoman Empire, it became of immediate interest to European colonial powers, especially Britain and France, as an opportunity to more easily access their colonies in India and East Asia.

The colonial empires were interested in this new maritime route for both trade and military movement. Because the canal allowed navies and trade ships to avoid the long, dangerous trip around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa, European powers wanted to protect and influence the route.

This desire for an easier route drove imperial rivalries. As the Ottoman Empire weakened, the British and French both saw opportunities to expand their influence into Ottoman territory, especially in Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean.

The canal boosted European economic involvement in Ottoman lands through investment, loans, and infrastructure projects. When Egypt faced a debt crisis (partially as a result of the costs of constructing the canal), Britain and France intervened. Ultimately, the British would occupy Egypt in 1882, gaining control of the canal for a time.