Answer:
The Suez Canal and the Panama Canal are the two most important artificial intermaritime passes in the world. The Suez Canal, which connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, basically connects Europe with the Middle East, that is, the European Union and its economic and industrial capacity with the main pole of fossil fuel production. In turn, the Panama Canal connects the two most important geopolitical and commercial oceans in the world, the Pacific and the Atlantic.
Given the importance that both canals have in commercial terms, the control of these is fundamental to cement the power and wealth of the countries that effectively exercise control over them, either directly or indirectly. Thus, the Suez Canal is controlled directly by Egypt, but indirectly influenced by the policies of Israel, the United Kingdom, France and Saudi Arabia, that obtain large quotas of power through the trade that passes through it. In turn, the Panama Canal benefits Panama economically, but is indirectly controlled by the United States.
In all cases, the countries that control these channels can charge tariffs for their use, increasing their economic power, as well as controlling international trade, increasing their geopolitical power vis-a-vis the other nations of the planet.