Narrow Passages: Straits and Channels That Join Seas

Start at the narrowest point of the English Channel, where southeastern England lies about 33 kilometers from northern France at the shortest crossing. The page records a maximum depth of 68 meters, and notes that it is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world with the Channel Tunnel running beneath it.

Move to the Indian Ocean, where this channel separates Madagascar from the southeastern African mainland. The page gives its area as about 700,000 square kilometers, which makes it far wider than a typical strait, and describes it as a corridor for ships rounding southern Africa with offshore natural gas reserves.

Next comes a shallow strait between the southeastern coast of India and the island of Sri Lanka. A chain of shoals known as Adam's Bridge links it to the Gulf of Mannar, and the page explains that its narrow, shallow waters limit passage to smaller vessels.

This strait lies between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra and connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean. The page points to the volcanic remnants of Krakatoa overlooking it and calls it a significant alternative to the busier Strait of Malacca.

Here the Sea of Japan meets the East China Sea between the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese island of Kyushu. The page describes heavy commercial and ferry traffic between South Korea and Japan.

This waterway separates Taiwan from the Fujian province of mainland China and connects the East China Sea to the South China Sea. The page gives a surface area of about 80,000 square kilometers and says it is almost entirely less than 150 meters deep, and it carries heavy commercial shipping.

Cross to the far north of Australia, where this strait lies between the tip of the Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea. It links the Coral Sea to the Arafura Sea, and the page notes that its many small islands are home to the Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This strait separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand and is named for the British explorer James Cook. The page notes that its often rough waters are crossed daily by ferries linking Wellington and Picton.

The trail ends at the southern tip of South America, where a navigable passage separates mainland Chile from Tierra del Fuego. The page says it was discovered by Ferdinand Magellan's expedition in 1520 and gave ships a sheltered alternative to rounding Cape Horn before the Panama Canal opened.