About: List of canals by country

This is a compilation list, by country, of canals used mainly for navigation. Historically, canals are human-made structures, built for water control, flood prevention, irrigation, and water transport. Their exact design varies depending upon the local importance of each function. This is still the case today, and new canals generally serve multiple functions. Instead of the formal expression 'inland waterways’, the vernacular term 'canal' is often used to describe both human-made canals and river navigations, whether free-flowing waterways, or those with locks and dams or weirs.