constantinople
A straight line
the shortest air route is a great circle
since air travel can fly a more direct route, not having to circumnavigate land mass, it would be the shortest distance.
chennai to tehran, paris and london
who am I
The shortest route between 2 points on the surface of a planet is a great circle route, which is a path that follows the circumference of a circle formed by the intersection of the planet's surface and a plane passing through its center. This route represents the shortest distance between the two points.
Great Circle Route
It was the Suez Canal, which was a short cut between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean, leading to India, Australia and Asia.
The geographical position of the Suez Canal makes it the shortest route between East and West as compared with the Cape of Good Hope. The Canal route achieves saving in distance between the ports north and south of the Canal.
Because that location is the lowest, shortest route between oceans.
straight line