Straits of the world: famous record holders. The most important straits for seafarers Straits by length

“Strait” and “Gulf” are geographical terms that are familiar to many. These concepts, along with many others, are studied in the school geography course. and the strait? The answer will be given in our article.

What is a strait: definition

A strait is a part of a body of water, a relatively narrow strip of water that connects adjacent water basins or parts of water basins delimited by land. These are a kind of “water bridges” between two different water bodies. Their most important characteristics include such parameters as depth, width (maximum and minimum), length.

The route through the straits is usually the shortest in length between two adjacent landmasses. Therefore, bridges are often built across them, which greatly facilitates transport communication.

Classification

What a strait is was briefly discussed in the previous section, now let's talk about what they are.

The following types of straits are distinguished:

In addition to these parameters, the speed of the current in the straits and its direction are usually taken into account.

Champion Straits

The champion in length is located between the island of Madagascar and Africa: approximately 1,760 kilometers. The current here is stable, from north to south, speed is approximately 1.5 knots (1.852 - 2.778 kilometers per hour). The strait has a maximum depth of 3,292 kilometers. Its smallest width is 42 meters.

The champion in width is between South America and Antarctica. Its maximum width is 950 kilometers (minimum - 820 kilometers). It is also the deepest on Earth at 5,840 kilometers. This strait is extremely difficult to navigate, and hundreds of ships have found their deaths here. Before the opening of the Panama Canal, many sailors attempted to go around Cape Horn, which crowns Tierra del Fuego in the south, and these attempts often ended tragically. The powerful cold current of the Western Winds passes through the Drake Passage. Powerful storms often rage here, with wind speeds that can reach 126 kilometers per hour. In addition, icebergs are often found in it, carried away by the current from west to east. All these factors together make sailing in the Drake Passage extremely unsafe. It is possible only for ships of substantial displacement and under relatively calm weather conditions.

Bays and Straits

What is a bay? This issue should also be clarified to avoid possible confusion, since the names of the bay and strait are so similar. A bay is a part of the ocean or sea that extends into land. If the strait is a kind of “bridge” between two water basins, then the bay is this water basin itself. For example, the so-called Tenth Degree Strait in the Indian Ocean connects the Andaman Sea with the Bay of Bengal.

Finally

The article answered the question of what a strait is, discussed their classification, and the differences between a strait and a bay. Information was also provided about the longest and widest and deepest straits.

A strait is a narrow body of water that separates two land areas and connects adjacent bodies of water or parts thereof. In this article we will look at the largest straits in the world, their features and characteristics.

The longest

It is considered the longest on the planet. It separates the island of Madagascar from the African continent. Its length reaches 1760 km. The minimum width is 422 km, and the maximum is 925 km. The dimensions of the longest strait in the world are impressive. No less impressive is its maximum depth - 3292 m.

The archipelago, located in the northern part of the strait, unites a group of islands that are the territory of an independent state called the Union of the Comoros.

The fauna is characteristic of a tropical region. In the waters of the strait are found:

numerous types of commercial fish: anchovies, horse mackerel, tuna, mackerel and others;
stingrays;
marine sizes;
sharks;
coelacanths - fish once considered extinct;
crustaceans: shrimp, lobsters;
sea snakes and many other underwater inhabitants.

Widest in the world

The Drake Passage has rightfully earned the title of the widest. It is a link between two oceans: the Pacific and the Atlantic. The minimum width of the strait is 820 km, and the maximum reaches 1120 km. The length is much smaller and is 460 km. The maximum depth is 5250 m. This widest strait in the world separates Tierra del Fuego and the southernmost continent - Antarctica. Its waters wash the coasts of countries such as Chile and Argentina.

Not only the widest, but also the deepest in the world. The weather conditions in this region are quite harsh. Frequent storms are observed here. This strait has always been one of the most difficult tests for shipping. About a quarter of the reservoir is covered with ice cover, which lasts from April to November. In the summer season, in the waters of the strait you can find a huge number of icebergs, which, drifting, reach the shores of the South American continent.

List of largest straits

Geography lovers will be interested in learning the names of the world's straits, whose length exceeds 500 km. As mentioned above, the widest is the Drake Passage, and the longest is the Mozambique Passage. Now let's look at others.

The narrowest

Of all the straits in the world, the Little Belt is considered the narrowest. Its length is 125 km, and its width ranges from 0.5-28 km. The maximum depth of the fairway is 75 m, and the minimum is 12. The Small Belt connects the Baltic Sea. In winter, in areas with weak currents, the reservoir freezes.

Shallowest

The Kerch Strait, separating the eponymous and Taman peninsulas, is the shallowest in the world. Its length is 41 km, and its width ranges from 4-45 km. The maximum depth does not exceed 18 m, and the minimum is 5 m. Despite the fact that this is the shallowest strait in the world, there are several large ports on its coasts:

Kamysh-Burun;
Crimea;
Caucasus;
Kerch trading.

This strait connects the Black and Azov Seas.

The most forced strait

The English Channel separates two European countries: France and Great Britain. It is the connecting link between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. The length of the English Channel is 578 km. At its narrowest part its width is 32 km, and at its widest it is about 250 km. More than four thousand people tried to conquer the strait, but about one thousand people managed to swim across it. No strait in the world has been crossed as often as the English Channel.

Naturally, swimmers choose the narrowest part of the reservoir - Pas de Calais, where the width does not exceed 32 km. Crossing the strait is quite difficult, since even in summer the water temperature does not exceed 18 °C. Greater complexity is caused by currents that form during the ebb and flow of tides, as well as strong winds and waves.

In 2012, the Australian Trent Grimsey set the swim time record. He swam the English Channel in 6 hours 55 minutes. Among women, the record belongs to Ivetta Hlaváčova, a swimmer from the Czech Republic. She covered the distance in 7 hours 25 minutes and 15 seconds. Her record was set in 2006.

Our planet never ceases to amaze; every corner of it is unique and beautiful. Straits, seas and oceans are all single links in one chain called the World Ocean, without which life on Earth would be impossible.

International straits- these are straits connecting seas and oceans, which are integral, integral parts of the world's waterways used for international shipping and air navigation by all states on the basis of equality of all flags. Such straits (Pas de Calais, English Channel, Baltic, Black Sea, Gibraltar, Mapakka, Singapore, Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb, Korean, etc.), being natural and, as a rule, the only or shortest exits to the ocean , are of paramount importance for most countries of the world as a global transport route.

Unhindered passage through international straits covered by the territorial sea was formalized by convention in the 1958 Geneva Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone (clause 4 of Article 16) and in a new capacity - “transit passage” - in Part III of the 1982 Convention.

Transit passage- is the exercise, in accordance with the 1982 Convention, of freedom of navigation and overflight solely for the purpose of continuous and rapid transit through a strait between one part of the high seas or exclusive economic zone and another part of the high seas or exclusive economic zone. The requirement for continuous and rapid transit does not exclude passage through the strait for the purposes of entry, exit or return from a state bordering the strait, subject to the conditions of entry into such state (Article 38).

In such straits, all ships and aircraft enjoy the right of transit passage, which should not be interfered with. Transit passage does not apply to straits, passage in which is regulated in whole or in part by long-existing and in force international conventions that specifically apply to such straits (the Black Sea and the Straits of Magellan).

Exercising the right of transit passage, ships and aircraft, including military ones, regardless of weapons and type of power plant, proceed without delay through the strait or over it; refrain from any threat or use of force; refrain from any activity other than that which is characteristic of their normal order of continuous and rapid transit, unless such activity is caused by force majeure or disaster.

Vessels during transit passage comply with generally accepted international regulations, procedures and practices relating to maritime safety, including international regulations for the prevention of collision at sea and the prevention, reduction and control of pollution from ships.

Aircraft during transit flight comply with the Rules of Flight established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as they relate to civil aviation; government aircraft will generally comply with such safety measures and operate at all times with due regard to aviation safety; constantly monitor the radio frequencies allocated by the competent internationally designated air traffic control authority or the corresponding international frequencies allocated for the transmission of distress signals.

During transit passage through the straits, foreign vessels, including marine research and hydrographic vessels, may not conduct any research or hydrographic surveys without the prior permission of the states bordering the straits.

States bordering straits must not impede or suspend transit passage and must give appropriate notice of any danger known to them to navigation in the strait or overflight of the strait; they have the right, by agreement and with the approval of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), to establish sea lanes and prescribe traffic separation schemes for navigation in the straits, indicating them on charts and duly publishing them.

States bordering straits may adopt laws and regulations relating to transit passage through straits in relation to all or any of the following matters: safety of navigation and regulation of vessel traffic (sea lanes and traffic separation schemes); preventing, reducing and controlling pollution by enforcing applicable international regulations relating to the discharge of oil, oily wastes and other toxic substances into the Strait; preventing fishing, including the removal of fishing gear (for fishing vessels); loading or unloading any goods or currency, embarking or disembarking persons in violation of the customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws and regulations of the countries bordering the straits. All these laws and regulations must be properly published.

In international straits between an island and a continent (if there is an equally convenient route seaward from the island), innocent passage applies between the high seas area and the territorial sea and cannot be suspended.

Black Sea Straits(Bosphorus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) is the only natural waterway from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean and Atlantic Oceans, which is of great importance for most countries in the world. Passage to (and from the Black Sea) is regulated by the 1936 Convention on the Regime of the Black Sea Straits.

The Black Sea straits are open to the free passage of merchant ships without any discrimination of flags; sanitary control, mandatory pilotage (for a fee), and payment of certain fees (lighthouse fees, etc.) are carried out. If Türkiye participates in a war, then enemy ships are deprived of the right of passage.

A special passage procedure has been established for warships. The Convention prohibits the passage into the Black Sea and the presence in it of aircraft carriers and submarines of non-Black Sea states (except for courtesy visits to the ports of the straits), and also restricts the entry into the Black Sea of warships of other classes of non-Black Sea countries by tonnage(in total it should not exceed 45 thousand tons), by number of units(no more than 9), by length of stay(no more than 21 days), according to the caliber of guns (no higher than 203 mm). Notification of the Turkish government about the passage of such ships must be carried out 15 days in advance.

The Black Sea states have the right to conduct any warships through the straits, with battleships being escorted one by one, accompanied by no more than two destroyers, submarines alone, during daylight hours, on the surface, subject to two significant restrictions: submarines can pass through the straits for repairs at shipyards located outside the Black Sea (provided that accurate information in this regard is provided to Turkey), or for the purpose of returning to Black Sea bases if they are built or purchased outside this sea (if Turkey has been notified in advance bookmark or purchase). Notification of the Turkish government about the passage of warships of the Black Sea states is carried out 8 days in advance.

If Türkiye is not involved in the war, warships of any warring states do not have the right of passage.

For non-military aircraft flying through the straits, the Turkish government specifies air routes with proper warning. For occasional flights, notification to the Turkish government is given 3 days in advance, for regular air flights - general notification of the dates of flight.

It should be noted that as a result of qualitative changes in the means of warfare (the emergence of nuclear missile weapons, space assets, etc.), the 1936 Convention has almost completely lost the role of a protective barrier and currently does not ensure the security of the states of the Black Sea basin. Türkiye is making attempts, bypassing the 1936 Convention, to limit the passage of Russian tankers through the straits.

Baltic Straits(Big and Small Belts, Sound) - the only natural waterway from the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. With regard to the Baltic Straits, there is only one Copenhagen Treaty of 1857, which confirmed the freedom of navigation through the Baltic Straits and which does not concern issues of military navigation at all, abolishing only the collection of duties on merchant ships and cargo when passing through the straits.

The issue of extending the transit passage regime to the Baltic Straits is highly controversial. The position and practice of the Danish government regarding the passage of warships through the Danish part of the straits is aimed at restricting foreign military navigation in the strait zone. Danish laws or decrees were passed in 1913, 1927, 1938, 1951 and 1976. (the latter was adopted already during the III UN Conference on the Law of the Sea). The restrictions introduced by the 1976 Decree cannot be considered lawful. The concept of “peacetime” has been changed; warships include all vessels that are not used exclusively for commercial purposes; passage means innocent passage; the number of warships that can simultaneously pass through the strait zone has been reduced by more than three times; the possibility of overflight of aircraft, etc., has been completely eliminated.

In peacetime, the Baltic Straits are open to the passage of any ships, including warships of all classes, regardless of the type of propulsion system. There are no restrictions on the passage of warships through the Swedish part of the Baltic Straits; if passage through the Danish part of the Great Belt and Sound straits lasts more than 48 hours, or more than three ships of one state pass simultaneously, it is necessary to give the Danish government advance notice; for the passage of warships through the Little Belt, advance notice is given 8 days in advance. Submarines pass through the straits only on the surface.

Strait of Magellan connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, both coasts belong to Chile. The legal regime was established by treaties between Argentina and Chile in 1881 and 1941. The strait is open to the free passage of non-military vessels and warships of all flags; control over the passage of vessels and mandatory pilotage have been introduced.

In the English Channel and Pas de Calais the northern part is recommended for the movement of ships from east to west, the southern part - from west to east.

International channels- these are artificial structures connecting the seas and oceans, located on the routes of intensive international shipping and used by all states without discrimination in accordance with existing international agreements, generally recognized principles and norms of international law and the national legislation of the states that own the canals.

Canals of global importance include Suez and Panama, and regional ones - Kiel and Corinth. These canals, being artificial waterways, form an integral part of the territory of the states that own the canals. The legal regulation of navigation through such canals is based on the following basic principles and norms:

respect for the sovereign rights of the state that owns the channel and non-interference in its internal affairs; non-use of force or threat of force when resolving disputes regarding the use of the channel; prohibition of military operations in the canal zone (Suez and Panama);

passage for warships and non-military vessels of all flags without discrimination; ensuring freedom of navigation and protection of the canal by the forces and means of the state that owns the canal (for Panama and the Panama Canal - after 1999); the obligation of canal user states to comply with international rules and national laws relating to navigation and navigation safety, and to pay passage fees established without discrimination; the inadmissibility of using the channel to the detriment of the interests of peace and international security.

Suez Canal, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean, is the property of Egypt and is under its sovereignty, opened for navigation in 1869. By Decree of July 26, 1956, the Egyptian government nationalized the Suez Canal Company and canceled all concession acts for the construction and operation of the canal, by Decree of On January 1, 1957, the enslaving agreements imposed by England regarding the operating conditions of the canal were annulled.

The international legal regime for navigation along the canal is regulated by the Constantinople Convention regarding ensuring free navigation along the Suez Canal of 1888 and the legislative acts of Egypt, the main provisions of which are as follows:

The canal in times of peace and war is always free and open to the passage of all warships and non-military vessels without distinction of flags. User states are obliged not to violate the free use of the canal in times of peace and war and not to allow attempts to violate the inviolability of the canal, its material part, institutions and buildings;

a channel should never be blocked; military operations are not permitted either in the canal or its entry ports, or at a distance of up to 3 miles from these ports, even if Egypt becomes one of the belligerents; in wartime, in the canal and at its entry ports, belligerents are prohibited from landing and receiving troops, shells and military supplies on warships.

To guarantee freedom of navigation and neutralize the canal, foreign states are strictly prohibited from building and owning military bases in the canal zone, constructing fortifications and keeping warships there;

warships of the belligerent parties have the right to replenish food and supplies in the canal and its entry ports only in such quantities as will allow them to reach their nearest port. The passage of such ships is carried out in an extremely short time and without stops, unless they are caused by the needs of the canal service. The period of stay of warships of the warring parties in Port Said and in the Suez roadstead should not exceed 24 hours, except in cases of forced stop. An interval of 24 hours must always be maintained between the departure of warships of different belligerents from the same port.

The management and operation of the canal is carried out by the Suez Canal Administration on the basis of the Egyptian Law of July 19, 1957 and special navigation rules mandatory for all users of the canal. Passage is carried out for a fee after receiving a measurement certificate; non-military vessels are required to take a pilot and canal searchlight workers.

Notification of the intended passage of foreign warships is sent to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs at least 10 days before the date of their arrival at one of the entry ports. Warships, as a rule, are allowed into the canal first and follow at the head of the caravan; if the caravan has already started moving, they follow at the end. Warships and non-military vessels of the parties at war with Egypt do not have the right to claim free passage through the canal.

The channel was put out of action twice: in 1956 (aggression of England, France and Israel against Egypt) and in 1967-1974. as a result of Israeli aggression. The most modern warships and large-tonnage tankers can pass through the canal.

Panama Canal, opened for navigation in 1914, connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, is located on the territory of Panama and is subject to its sovereignty. The international legal regime for navigation through the canal and its use are regulated by the Treaty between Panama and the United States on the Panama Canal of 1977, the Treaty on Permanent Neutrality and the Operation of the Panama Canal of 1977 with its Protocol and the Rules for Navigation on the Panama Canal issued by the US Administration.

The channel is managed by a specially created commission of 9 people - currently 5 people, including the Chairman, from Panama and 4 people from the USA. Until 2000, the United States had primary responsibility for the defense and protection of the canal, American military personnel and civilian officials were required to refrain from political activities in Panama and any interference in its internal affairs, the United States was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the canal, gradually transferring all functions to the government of Panama. At exactly noon on December 31, 1999, the Panama Canal will become the property of Panama. From 2000, only Panama will operate the canal and maintain military forces, defensive fortifications and structures in the canal zone.

In both peace and war, the canal is open to the peaceful passage of ships of all nations on the basis of equality of flags, without discrimination of any kind, subject to payment of tolls and charges for passage and compliance with the rules ensuring the safety of the canal and navigation. The procedure for the passage of warships and non-military vessels, the technical conditions of passage, including mandatory pilotage, and the rules for ensuring the safety of the canal and navigation are set out in detail in the Rules for Navigation through the Panama Canal.

The Canal as an international transit waterway is permanently neutralized; the Canal and the Isthmus of Panama should not be the object of reprisals in any military conflict between other countries of the world. All states, respecting the neutrality of the channel, can accede to the Protocol on Permanent Neutrality of the Channel and strictly comply with the established rules. (Russia, by way of legal succession, is considered to have acceded to the Protocol.)

Warships and auxiliary vessels of all states have the right to transit through the Canal at all times, regardless of their internal regulations, armament, propulsion, place of construction, place of destination, without being subject to inspection, search or search as a condition for transit. However, such vessels may be required to certify that they are complying with all applicable health, sanitary and quarantine regulations.

Kiel Canal, opened for navigation in 1895, connects the Baltic and North Seas, is located on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany and is subject to its sovereignty. The canal is an international waterway of regional importance; the navigation regime is determined by the national legislation of the Federal Republic of Germany.

In accordance with the Navigation Rules, non-military vessels of all flags can pass through the canal at any time of the day, having paid transit fees and received a passage pass. The order of passage and locking order are determined by the canal administration, taking into account the time of arrival of ships at the canal roadsteads. Vessels are required to strictly comply with all rules of navigation and canal safety. All vessels are subject to mandatory pilotage and the use of canal helmsmen, and for non-military vessels there is an additional mandatory sanitary inspection before entering the canal and customs inspection while traveling through the canal. Mandatory towing may also be introduced.

A permitting procedure for passage has been established for foreign warships. Having received permission to pass, warships can refuse the services of canal helmsmen; in the canal, warships enjoy complete immunity from the jurisdiction of the German authorities, fulfilling the conditions for peaceful passage through the territorial sea.

A strait is a body of water separating two land areas, which in turn connects adjacent bodies of water. As you know, the widest strait on Earth is the Drake Passage, connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in the south. However, each section of the strait can have completely different widths, so this rating is compiled taking into account the narrowest parts of the straits.

1. Drake Passage (800 km)

Located to the south of the tip of South America, the Drake Passage is bounded on the north by the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, numbering about 40 thousand large and small islands, and on the south by the South Shetland Islands, which belong to the continent of Antarctica. This strait is the only artery (other than the Panama Canal) that connects the two largest oceans on Earth - the Pacific and the Atlantic.
The Drake Passage has always been dangerous for sailors, who became convinced of this when they first passed through it on sailing ships. There are several reasons for this. The first is terrible weather and violent storms, driving up waves up to 20 meters high, while hurricane-force winds blow at a speed of 40 m/s. In addition, there are many icebergs in the Drake Passage that have broken off from neighboring Antarctica. There is also a very strong circumpolar current here. The southernmost point of South America - the Diego Ramirez Islands - is also located here. However, tourists, rare in these places, more often visit Cape Horn, which is much easier to get to. The strait is named after the Englishman Francis Drake, who was the first European to pass here in 1578.

2. Mozambique Channel (422 km)

This strait, located in the western Indian Ocean, separates the island of Madagascar from Africa. By the way, this is the longest strait on the planet (1760 km). It has the greatest depth in the south and north, but there is also a lot in the middle of the strait - 2.4 km. Much earlier than the Europeans, the strait was actively used by Arab merchants who traded with the inhabitants of Madagascar. It remains unclear who was the first European to sail here. Vasco da Gama is considered one of the candidates for this role, but other historians are inclined towards Marco Polo, who could have sailed here two centuries earlier.

3. Davis Strait (338 km)

The Davis Strait separates the largest island on the planet, Greenland, from Baffin Island, which belongs to Canada (province of Nunavut). Its width ranges from 338 kilometers at its narrowest to 950 at its widest, and its maximum depth is 3660 m. The British named this strait after their navigator John Davis, who sailed in these waters several times during the 1580s to explore both islands bordering the strait. It was he who discovered this strait in 1583, along with a piece of land adjacent to it. Davis Strait connects the Baffin Sea, which belongs to the marginal seas of the Arctic Ocean, from the Labrador Sea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. And the Hudson Strait connects it to the Fox Basin and Hudson Bay.

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4. Denmark Strait (290 km)

It is otherwise called the Greenland Strait because it separates the island of Greenland from the island of Iceland. At the same time, it connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Greenland Sea. The Greenland Strait is quite shallow, even in the fairway its shallowest depth is only 227 meters. From south to north, closer to the shores of Iceland, a branch of the warm Irminger Current passes here, and closer to the Greenland shores, the East Greenland Current, which carries ice all year round, rushes in the opposite direction. The Denmark Strait is unique with the largest underwater “waterfalls” known to science - a vertical convergent current running from a 600-meter depth to a 4-kilometer depth.

5. Bass Strait (240 km)

Bass Strait separates the island of Tasmania from Australia and at the same time connects the Pacific and Indian oceans. The strait is very shallow - the average depth is 50 meters. Such a shallow depth indicates the “young” age of Bass Strait, which is only about 10 thousand years old, and it appeared only due to rising sea levels. Before this, Tasmania was just a piece of the Australian mainland. This strait was discovered by the Englishman Matthew Flinders in 1798 and decided to name it in honor of his ship's doctor, George Bass. The opening of this strait was useful for merchant ships sailing from India or Europe to Sydney, since by passing through it they saved 1,300 km of distance. A reminder of a very recent era of land life in the strait, by geological standards, are the small islands scattered throughout it, which were once Australian hills and hillocks.

6. Korea Strait (180 km)

The Korea Strait separates the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese islands of Kyushu, Iki and the southwestern part of Honshu. It connects the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea, which belong to the Pacific Ocean. In former times, the strategic importance of this strait existed only for these two countries. But when the era of isolationism ended in Japan in the middle of the 19th century, the United States, Russia and other countries began to be interested in the Korea Strait. Now ferries constantly travel along this strait between the Korean port of Busan and Jeju Island and the Japanese Tsushima, Fukuoka and others. The strait also provides communication between Busan and China. Recently, plans have been made to build an underwater tunnel or bridge connecting Korea with Japan.

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7. Long Strait (146 km)

Between Wrangel Island and Eurasia there is the Long Strait, which simultaneously connects the Chukchi and East Siberian seas. A conventional date line runs through its waters. The strait is named after Thomas Long, an American whaler who became the discoverer of Wrangel Island. The strait located in the Arctic is almost always covered with ice, but nevertheless, the northern sea route passes through it. But navigation here is extremely difficult due to powerful hummocks, so it is carried out only in the short summer months. To ensure year-round shipping, many icebreakers would be required, which turned out to be unprofitable. Mostly ships sail along the Long Strait, providing the regions of the Far North with essential goods.

8. Taiwan Strait (130 km)

In the past, this strait, separating the island of Taiwan from the Asian continent, was called the Formosan Strait. It starts at the South China Sea and ends at the East China Sea. The strait has a large difference in depth in the fairway - from 60 m to 1773 m. The mainland coastline of the strait is indented by bays, and there are many islands near it, but the coast of the island of Taiwan has a flat coastline. In the south of the strait is the Penghu Archipelago. The government of mainland China has proposed the construction of a transport tunnel under the strait with a length of 127-207 kilometers - in any case, if the plans are implemented, it will be the longest underwater railway tunnel on the planet.

9. Makassar Strait (120 km)

This fairly wide strait separates the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi and Kalimantan, and at the same time connects the Java Sea and the Sulawesi Sea. There is a southward current here, which in winter is intensified by the monsoon. The port of Balikpapan operates on Kalimantan, and Ujungpandang on Sulawesi. The conventional Wallace Line runs through this strait, separating the fauna of Asia from the Australian.

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10. Hudson Strait (115 km)

This strait, named after Henry Hudson, who was the first to sail through it in 1610, is located in the Arctic Ocean within Canadian territory. It is limited to the north by Baffin Island, and to the south by the Labrador Peninsula. The Hudson Strait connects the Labrador Sea with the inland Fox and Hudson Bays. In the southeast it connects with Ungava Bay, famous for its powerful tides. Storms often occur here, and shipping is carried out only for 4 months.