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The Suez Canal was important to the British because of the fact that they had such a large overseas empire. By the time that the canal was built, the most important part of their empire was India. The Suez Canal made it much easier for them to transport goods to and from India.
Subsequently, one may also ask, why did the British want the Suez Canal?
It had originally been built by a French company, but British troops moved in to protect the canal from a civil war that was happening in Egypt. At that point, the British government owned part of the canal because the ruler of Egypt sold it to Britain when Egypt needed money.
Additionally, why was the Suez Canal important?
The Suez Canal's ability to stay open is important mainly for one reason: it is the shortest trade link between Europe and countries on the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Because the majority of the world's goods are transported via sea, the Suez Canal greatly reduces the time and cost of transporting goods.
Great Britain wanted to control the Suez canal which connected the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, because it allowed them quicker access to its colonies in Asia and Africa.