The canal today is taken for granted, much like the Bosphorus or the Strait of Gibraltar.

ECONOMIST: The Suez Canal

What was once a voyage of under 20km across the Strait of Gibraltar can now be more than 1, 000km from ports in Senegal.

ECONOMIST: Spain and immigration: Still they come | The

And if plans for a rail tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain to Morocco are finalized, trains could link Europe and Africa by 2025.

CNN: The high-speed rail revolution

Three Saudis and seven Moroccans went on trial this week in Casablanca, Morocco, accused of planning an attack against NATO ships in the Strait of Gibraltar and plotting to kill tourists.

ECONOMIST: The hunt continues | The

Earlier this year, Tangiers opened an expanded storage facility for oil, gas and other refined materials aimed at the more than 70, 000 ships that pass through the Strait of Gibraltar each year.

FORBES: Saudi Arabia Helps Morocco Kick-Start Solar Program

The Saudi announcement of the arrests came just over a week after security services in Morocco said that they had detained three Saudi citizens, who they said were al-Qaeda members, for plotting to attack NATO warships in the Strait of Gibraltar.

ECONOMIST: A clear and present danger | The

The country is a crossroads, a place where East meets West and Africa shakes hands with Europe across the narrow Strait of Gibraltar.

CNN: Moroccan multisport

In fact, neighboring Morocco, separated from Spain by the narrow strait of Gibraltar, is home to 4.5 million Islamic fundamentalists, who may become angered at Spain's generous support of America.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: It is a Global War on Terror