Major straits of the world

Major straits of the world

What is Strait?

A strait is a naturally formed, narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger bodies of water. Most commonly it is a channel of water that lies between two landmasses. Some straits are not navigable, for example, because they are too shallow, or because of an unnavigable reef or archipelago. Straits are also known to be loci for sediment accumulation.

What is the name of the largest Strait in the world?

Strait of Malacca Connect Andaman sea with South China is the largest strait of the world

Which is the smallest or Narrowest island?

Bosporus Island is the narrowest Strait in the world.

List of Straits:

Alor strait

(the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia)

• Alor strait also called Alloo Strait divides the Solor Archipelago from the Alor Archipelago, in the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia.
• It lies mainly between the larger islands of Pantar and Lembata. It connects the western part of the Banda Sea in the north to the Savu Sea in the South.

The Bab-el-Mandeb

(It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden – Arabian sea)

• The Bab-el-Mandeb is a strait between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, Djibouti, and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa.
• It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

Bass Strait

(between mainland Australia and Tasmania)

• The Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.
• The strait formed 8,000 years ago by rising sea levels, the Bass Strait was named after explorer and physician George Bass.

The Bering Strait

(Between Asia and North America)

• The Bering Strait is a strait between the Pacific and Arctic Oceans.
• It separates the Chukchi Peninsula of the Russian Far East from the Seward Peninsula of Alaska (North America – US state). The Strait is named after Vitus Bering, a Danish explorer in the service of the Russian Empire.

Bali Strait

(Between the Indonesian Island of Java and Bali)

Bali Strait is a stretch of water separating Java and Bali. It connects the Indian Ocean and the Bali Sea.

The Bosporus or Bosphorus

(between Europe and Asia)

• The Bosporus or Bosphorus, also known as the Strait of Istanbul, is a narrow, natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in north-western Turkey.
• It forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia.
• The strait divides Turkey by separating Anatolia from Thrace
• Bosporus strait connects various seas along the Eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans, the Near East, Western Eurasia, and especially connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara.
• The Bosporus allows maritime connections from the Black Sea all the way to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean via Gibraltar and the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal, making it a crucial international waterway, in particular for the passage of goods coming in from Russia.

The Bungo Channel

(Between Kyushu and Shikoku in Japan)

• The Bungo Channel is a strait separating the Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku.
• The strait connects the Pacific Ocean and the Seto Inland Sea on the western end of Shikoku.
• The narrowest part of this channel is the Hoyo Strait.

The strait of Bonifacio

(Between Corsica and Sardinia)

• It is between the Corsica and Sardina and divides the Tyrrhenian sea from the western Mediterranean Sea.

Clarence Strait

(Between Prince of Wales Island and mainland Alaska)

• The strait separates Prince of Wales Island, on the west side, from Revillagigedo Island and Annette Island, on the east side.

Cook Strait

(between the North Island and the South Island of New Zealand)

• It separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand.
• The strait connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast and runs next to the capital city, Wellington.

Coco Channel

Between The Burmese Coco Island and the Indian North Andaman Island

Davis Strait

(Between Greenland and Canada)

• It is a northern arm of the Atlantic Ocean that lies north of the Labrador Sea.
• It lies between mid-western Greenland and Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. To the north is the Baffin Bay.

Dominica Passage

(Between Dominica and Guadeloupe)

• The strait is in the Caribbean
• It separates the island of Dominica, from Guadeloupe.
• It is a pathway from the Caribbean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean.

 

The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait

(Between Great Britain and France)

• Also called Dover Narrows- is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel, marking the boundary between the Channel and the North Sea, separating Great Britain from continental Europe.

Dardanelles Strait (Between Asia and Europe)

The Dardanelles Strait is also known as the Strait of Gallipoli. It is a natural strait in northwestern Turkey that forms part of the continental boundary between Asia and Europe.

• Dardanelles strait separates Asian Turkey from European Turkey.
• The Dardanelles from Turkish Straits with the Bosphorus strait.
• The Dardanelles connects the Sea of Marmara with the Agean and Mediterranean seas while also allowing passage to the Black Sea by the extension via the Bosphorus.
• Dardanelles allows maritime connections from the Black Sea all the way to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean Via Gibraltar, and the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal, making it a crucial international waterway, in particular for the passage of goods coming in from Russia.

English Channel

(Between Southern England Northern France)

• It is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France and links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end.
• It is the busiest shipping area in the world.
• The French paddle steamer Elise (ex Scottish-built Margery or Margory) was the first steamer to cross the Channel on March 1816
• Captain Matthew Webb was the first recorded person to swim the English Channel for sport without the use of artificial aids. In 1875, Webb swam from Dover to Calais in 21 hr 45 minutes.
• Gertrude Caroline Ederle, On August 6, 1926, she became the first woman to swim across the English Channel in 14 hrs.

The Florida Strait

(between Florida – USA and Cuba)

• The Strait joins the water bodies between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between the Florida Keys (U.S.) and Cuba

The Strait of Gibraltar

(Between Europe and Africa)

• The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea
• It separates the Iberian Peninsula in Europe from Morocco in Africa.

Gulf of Mannar

(between India and Sri Lanka)

• Gulf of Mannar is a large shallow bay forming part of the Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean with an average depth of 5.8 m (19ft)
• It lies between the west coast of Sri Lanka and the south-eastern tip of India, in the Coromandel Coast region.

Hudson Strait

(Between Baffin Island and Labrador Peninsula)

• The strait links the Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea to Hudson Bay in Canada.
• This strait lies between Baffin Island and Nunavik, Labrador, and Resolution Island off Baffin Island.

Hormuz Strait

(Between Iran and Oman)

• It Connects the water bodies of The Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf.

The Jamaica Channel

(Between Jamaica and Hispaniola- Hispaniola island in West Indies)

• The Jamaica Channel a strait separating the islands of Jamaica and Hispaniola, in the Caribbean Sea. Along with the Windward Passage to its north

The Korea Strait

(Between South Korea and Japan)

• The strait connects the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean.
• The strait is split by the Tsushima Island into the Western Channel and the Tsushima Strait or Eastern Channel

The Strait of Messenia

(Between Sicily and mainland Italy)

• The Strait of Messenia is a narrow strait between the eastern tip of Sicily and the western tip of Calabria in Southern Italy
• It connects the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north with the Ionian Sea to the south, within the central Mediterranean

The Strait of Malacca

(Between Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra)

• The Strait is a narrow stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
• It is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world as the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean

The North Channel

(Between north-eastern Northern Ireland and south-western Scotland.)

• The Channel Connects the water bodies Irish Sea with the Atlantic Ocean

The Palk Strait

(Between India and Sri Lanka)

• The strait connects between the Tamil Nadu state of India and the Jaffna District of the Northern Province of the island nation of Sri Lanka.
• It connects the Bay of Bengal in the northeast with Palk Bay/ Arabian Sea in the southwest.
• The unique feature around Palk Strait is that the waves around it, to its north and south, are of high contrast

The Prince of Wales Strait

• The strait in the Northwest Territories of Canada
• It separates Banks Island to the northwest from Victoria Island to the southeast.
• It extends from Viscount Melville Sound in the northeast to the Amundsen Gulf in the southwest

Sunda Strait

(Between Java and Sumatra)

• It is a strait between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra.
• It connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean
• The name came from the Sunda Kingdom, a kingdom ruling the west part of Java.

The Strait of Sicily

(between Sicily and Tunisia)

• The Strait divides the Tyrrhenian Sea and the western Mediterranean Sea, from the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

The Ten Degree Channel

(Between Car Nicobar Island and Little Andaman)

• The water bodies related to it Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

 

You can also read: 

• List of main volcanoes in the world 
• Volcanoes- Definition, Types, & Facts
• List of Ramsar sites in India
• important dams in India
• List of Mountain Passes of India

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_straits

 

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