The Great Bitter Lake is one of several lakes located along the Suez Canal, which connects the eastern Mediterranean and Red Seas. As the canal is built only to allow ships to travel in a single lane, the Great Bitter Lake is a location where ships can change their position in line before proceeding to either Port Said to the north, or the port of Suez to the south. The lake also provides an intermediate harbour for ships traversing the Canal, a journey that typically takes 14 hours end to end. Several ships, some under power and some anchored, are visible in the right of this image. The town of Fayid (also spelled as Fayed), visible along the western shore of the lake (bottom of image) is a tourist destination for residents of Cairo, particularly in the summer months
Photograph: ISS/NASA
The Guardian
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