The Suez Canal Zone, also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation around Africa. The canal is owned and maintained by the Suez Canal Company (French: Compagnie de Suez). Under the Convention of Constantinople (1888), it may be used "in time of war as in time of peace, by every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag.