Along with the world's widest straits, our blog introduces you to the longest straits on Earth. Being of great strategic importance, most of the straits known to the world connect the waters of the seas and oceans, separate land areas.
Danish strait
- Length: 530 km
Separates Greenland and Iceland. Also called the Greenland Strait. It was first discovered by the Vikings, and later became a battlefield for military fleets during the Second World War. It is distinguished by a large number of icebergs that are hazardous to navigation. It is famous for its underwater waterfall, the largest in the world, with a depth of about 4 km.
Strait of Magellan
- Length: 575 km
Separates Africa and the Tierra del Fuego islands. It owes its name to the navigator Fernand Magellan. This strait has always been important for shipping, as with its help merchants significantly shortened their way.
English Channel
- Length: 578 km
Located between England and France, it connects the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. According to scientists, the age of this strait does not exceed 400 thousand years, which makes it relatively young. Distinguished by dangerous weather, fogs and storms, which has always played into the hands of the British Navy. In 1994, an underwater tunnel was opened under the strait, thanks to which the territories of England and France were connected.
Tatar Strait
- Length: 663 km
Location of the Strait - Far East Russia. It divides the mainland and Sakhalin Island between themselves. The water area of the Tatar Strait is considered unique, since it is the place of maximum ice formation in the entire water area belonging to the Sea of Japan. It has a harsh climate and ideal living conditions for some species of marine life.
Florida strait
- Length: 650 km
Located between Cuba and American Florida, it connects the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. In this area, there is active navigation, despite frequent storms and strong winds. A feature of the strait is a strong current that requires special knowledge and skills to overcome it. There are many sharks in the warm waters of the strait.
Makassar Strait
- Length: 710 km
Located between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi. The wide and deep, long strait is the cause of controversy among many scientists, who have not yet established its true age. Suitable for crossing by large ships. It is the site of the Wallace Line, dividing the Australian from the Asian flora, was the site of the battle of the military fleets during the Second World War.
Hudson Strait
- Length: 806 km
Named after the navigator Henry Hudson, separates Labrador and Baffin land. It is actively used by modern shipping companies, but it is open for the passage of ships only a few months a year. Differs in stormy weather. A characteristic feature is high tides.
Strait of malacca
- Length: 937 km
Located between the Malay Peninsula and Indonesian Sumatra, it is open for shipping. The waters of the strait have economic value, but due to the saturation of merchant ships, piracy flourished here until recently, however, the number of attacks has decreased significantly over the past 2 decades.
Davis Strait
- Length: 1170 km
Separates Greenland and Baffin's Land. Famous for a large number of drifting icebergs - a block of ice that the Titanic came across, originally from the Davis Strait. The bottom of the strait is rich in oil and gas deposits, and the waters are rich in marine life and commercial fish.
Mozambique strait
- Length: 1760 km
The world's longest strait separating Africa from the island of Madagascar has always been in demand among Arab traders. Rich in sandy beaches and a variety of the underwater world. It has coral reefs and islands are created by underwater volcanoes.
