††††Canals are artificial waterways constructed for drainage, navigation or irrigation.
Canals began to be built in Mesopotamia around 4000 BC for irrigation and to link rivers together for navigation. Canals became important transport routes, and were a vital part of the industrial revolution. Nowadays canals are less used for navigation, but canals between seas, such as the Suez and Panama canals, are important trade routes. Canals are still widely used for irrigation and drainage.
