In this article, You are going to know the complete list of major straits of the world for UPSC Prelims Examination.
Strait: A strait is a thin channel of waterways i.e. narrow passage of water that connects two seas or two other large areas of water.
The following are the main characteristics of a strait:
- Formed by natural processes
- Narrower than the seas it connects
- Navigable
Major Straits Of The World
Straits of the world are used by commercial shipping to travel from one sea or exclusive economic zone to another and they are of immense strategic and commercial importance. Straits serve as a channel through which ocean currents pass, modifying the climate of that area.
1. Malacca Strait
Joins: Andaman Sea & South China Sea
Location: Indonesia –Malaysia
2. Palk Strait
Join: Palk Bay & Bay of Bengal
Location: India-Sri Lanka
3. Sunda Strait
Join: Java Sea & Indian Ocean
Location: Indonesia
4. Yucatan Strait
Join: Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea
Location: Mexico-Cuba
5. Mesina Strait
Join: Mediterranean Sea
Location: Italy-Sicily
6. Otranto Strait
Join: Adriatic Sea & Ionian Sea
Location: Italy-Albania
7. Bab-el-Mandeb Strait
Join: Red Sea & Gulf of Aden
Location: Yemen-Djibouti
8. Cook Strait
Join: South Pacific Ocean
Location: New Zealand (North & South Islands)
9. Mozambique Strait
Join: Indian Ocean
Location: Mozambique -Madagascar
10. North Channel
Join: Irish Sea & Atlantic Ocean
Location: Ireland-England
11. Taurus Strait (Torres Strait)
Join: Arafura Sea & Gulf of Papua
Location: Papua New Guinea — Australia
12. Bass Strait
Join: Tasman Sea & South Sea
Location: Australia
13. Bering Strait
Join: Bering Sea & Chuksi Sea
Location: Alaska-Russia
14. Bonne-Fasio Strait
Join: Mediterranean Sea
Location: Corsika — Sardinia
15. Bosporous Strait
Join: Black Sea and Marmara Sea
Location: Turkey
16. Dardanelles Strait
Join: Marmara Sea and Agean Sea
Location: Turkey
17. Davis Strait
Join: Baffin Bay & Atlantic Ocean
Location: Greenland-Canada
18. Denmark Strait
Join: North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean
Location: Greenland-Iceland
19. Dover strait
Join: English Channel & North Sea
Location: England-France
Strait of Dover or Dover Strait is the narrowest part of the English Channel
20. Florida Strait
Join: Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean
Location: USA-Cuba
21. Hormuz Strait
Join: Gulf of Persia & Gulf of Oman
Location: Oman-Iran
22. Hudson strait
Join: Gulf of Hudson & Atlantic Ocean
Location: Canada
23. Gibraltar Strait
Join: Mediterranean Sea & Atlantic Ocean
Location: Spain-Morocco
- The Strait of Gibraltar is located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.
- The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Gibraltar and Peninsular Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa.
- The two continents are separated by 14.3 kilometers of the ocean at the Strait’s narrowest point.
- The Spanish side of the Strait is protected under El Estrecho Natural Park.
- On the northern side of the Strait are Spain and Gibraltar(a British overseas territory in the Iberian Peninsula); while on the southern side are Morocco and Ceuta (a Spanish autonomous city in northern Africa).
- Due to its location, the Strait is commonly used for illegal immigration from Africa to Europe.
- The Iberian Peninsula: The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme south-west of Europe and includes modern-day Spain, Portugal, Andorra, and Gibraltar. At the nearest point, it is only 5 miles (8km) from the continent of Africa.
24. Magellan strait
Join: Pacific and South Atlantic Ocean
Location: Chile
25. Makkassar Strait
Join: Java Sea & Celebeze Sea
Location: Indonesia
26. Tsugaru Strait
Join: Japan Sea and Pacific Ocean
Location: Japan (Hokkaido-Honshu Island)
27. Tatar Strait
Join: Japan Sea & Okhotsk Sea
Location: Russia (East Russia-Sakhalin Islands)
28. Foveaux Strait
Join: South Pacific Ocean
Location: New Zealand (South Island- Stewart Island)
29. Taiwan Strait (Formosa Strait)
Join: South China Sea & East China Sea
Location: China-Taiwan
Bohai Strait
The Bohai Sea is connected to the Yellow Sea via the Bohai Strait.
The Bohai Sea is a marginal sea which is the north-western extension of the Yellow Sea.
30. Korea Strait
Join: East China Sea and Sea of Japan
Location: Japan and South Korea
31. Jamaica Channel
Join: The Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic
Location: Jamaica and Hispaniola
32. Ten Degree Channel
Join: The Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal
Location: Car Nicobar Islands and Little Andaman
33. English Channel
The English Channel 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.
34. Kerch Strait
- The Kerch Strait is a strait connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
- It separates the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea from the Taman Peninsula of Russia’s Krasnodar Krai.
35. Straits of Lombok
Join: Java Sea & Indian Ocean
Location: Indonesia (Bali and Lombok)
36. Bali strait
Join: Bali Sea & Indian Ocean
Location: Indonesia (Bali and Java)
Isthmus: A narrow strip of land with sea on either side, forming a link between two larger areas of land. The Isthmus of Panama is a narrow strip of land at the southernmost end of Central America. It lies between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea while linking North and South America.
