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Geography teaches that a strait is a body of water that separates land. Straits are characterized by length, depth and speed of flow. They can connect both one pool (sea, ocean), and different ones. These are important objects that allow not only to reduce the time of sea travel, but are also of strategic importance.
We have collected in one top 10 longest straits in the world.
10 Danish, 530 km
Danish strait located between Greenland and Iceland, so its other name is Greenlandic. Its depth is 226 m. The bottom of the strait is uneven; a ridge runs along it, separating the Atlantic Ocean and the Greenland Sea. Due to the fact that the water never mixes here, the temperature on opposite sides of the crest differs by 9°C.
The Vikings were the first to discover the strait, exploring the seas in search of new lands. During the Second World War, several battles of the British Navy with the ships of the Reich took place in the waters of the Dust Strait.
Currently, shipping is poorly developed here, in particular due to the large number of drifting icebergs. But fishing boats are constantly scurrying along the water: the water area is rich in various species of fish and arthropods.
The real attraction is the underwater waterfall, the largest in the world. Water overthrows into a fault to a depth of more than 3 km. This is a spectacle that is truly breathtaking. It is possible due to the different amount of salts and the density of water, because of which it can fall into depths that have not yet been studied.
9. Magellan, 575 km
Separates Africa and the Tierra del Fuego island group. The strait was named after the great traveler Ferdinand Magellan. A round-the-world expedition under his leadership fell into a storm and, trying to hide from it, entered the bay, and from it into the strait, which, after half a kilometer, brought them to the Pacific Ocean. Magellan himself gave him the name of the feast of All Saints, but it did not take root.
For some time, the archipelago south of the continental part was considered part of the unexplored new land, but the aspirations of the discoverers did not come true. Before the construction of the Panama Canal Strait of Magellan was of great importance for trade, as it allowed to significantly shorten the path.
8. English Channel, 578 km
english strait, his second name, separates the coasts of Great Britain and France. It was formed relatively recently 200-400 thousand years ago as a result of major floods. The glacier that bounded the lake melted, and water flooded the isthmus that made Britain a peninsula. English Channel connect the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea.
The weather here is changeable and dangerous. Fogs and storms are normal for the English Channel. Weather conditions have always been an advantage for the British Navy.
Since 1994, the longest underwater tunnel has been operating under the strait, which connected two countries: France and Great Britain.
7. Tatarskiy, 663 km
The Tatar Strait is located in the Far East of Russia and separates Sakhalin from the mainland. This is a unique body of water. Over the course of many years of observations, it records the maximum formation of ice in the entire Sea of Japan.
At the same time, the strait is quite deep: in some places, the depth a few meters from the coast is estimated at 30-35 meters. The minimum depth is 10m.
The climate here is not easy for humans: high humidity and low temperatures. But marine life feels very good in local waters. Pink salmon, sockeye salmon, perch and other commercial fish are found here.
The strait is named after the Tatars, although they live thousands of kilometers away. The fact is that for a long time all the peoples of Eurasia, who lived east of the Urals, were called Tatars, not really understanding ethnic differences. Fortunately, today the difference in cultures is obvious, but the name stuck.
6. Florida, 650 km
As the name implies, the strait washes the shores of American Florida, and on the other hand, the islands of Cuba. It connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
The territory of the strait is divided between the United States and Cuba by a special agreement, the main ports are Miami and Havana. At the same time, the waters are actively used for navigation by the countries of North and South America.
The climate here is tropical, storms and strong winds are not uncommon. But they are not the only danger. By Florida Strait passes the current of the same name, so strong that it is difficult to cope with it without special training. And in warm waters expanse for sharks. These factors are the main danger for refugees crossing the strait in primitive boats.
5. Makassarsky, 710 km
It is located in Indonesia and separates the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi. Its width varies in the range of 100-300 km, and its depth reaches 2,5 km. Scientists are still arguing about the age and origin of the strait, but they agree that the islands used to be much closer to each other and diverged as a result of seismic processes.
Macassar Strait – navigable, large ships pass through it, which is difficult to overcome other waters. It also has historical and biological significance. The so-called Wallace line runs along it – a conditional border dividing biological species into Asian and Australian fauna.
It was the site of a battle in 1942 between the Nazis and the US Army allied with Holland. Japan managed to win and strengthen its position in the East Indies.
4. Hudson, 806 km
In the early 17th century, Henry Hudson discovered the long strait separating the Labrador Peninsula and Baffin Island. It was in honor of this navigator that the strait and the large bay were named.
It is quite wide: from 115 km to 240 km in the south, while the depth can reach 700 m. The strait is used for navigation, but you can safely pass through it only a few months a year. Hudson Strait famous for high tides, which can reach 13 m, and strong storms.
3. Malacca, 937 km
It is located in Asia and separates the Malay Peninsula from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Strait of Malacca almost a kilometer long is of great economic and strategic importance. It transports tons of goods from China to India and neighboring countries, and the amount of goods is one fifth of the total world trade.
The main difficulties of traveling through the strait are associated with the high economic value of these waters. In the early 2000s, pirates rampaged here, they seized more than 70 ships a year. If one of the attacked ships stood in shallow water, this would lead to a stoppage of movement and a colossal crisis. Therefore, measures were taken to protect security in the strait. And although the pirates have not disappeared anywhere, the attacks have become much less.
The second problem is smoke from forest fires. It reduces visibility to 200 m and gives odds to pirates and terrorists.
2. Davisa, 1170 km
cold waters Davis Strait flow between the Canadian island of Baffin Island and Greenland. It was named after the navigator John Davis, who explored the northern seas in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. And the opening of the strait belongs to him.
Pieces of ice are constantly breaking off from Greenland and floating through the strait into the Atlantic Ocean. The infamous Titanic disaster was caused by a collision with an iceberg that appeared from here. Davis Strait is sometimes referred to as a glass of ice.
The shores are covered with moss, and the bottom contains deposits of oil and natural gas, which are still intact. Fishing is carried out here, but it is strictly monitored by Greenland and Canada so as not to harm the strait’s ecosystem.
1. Mozambique, 1760 km
The title of the longest on Earth belongs to the strait between continental Africa and Madagascar. It has been known since ancient times and was used by the Arabs for trade. But about the European discoverer, disputes are still ongoing. The main candidates are Vasco da Gama and Marco Polo.
Length Mozambique Channel more than 1,5 km, its depth reaches 3 km, and the width at its narrowest point is 420 km. Its sandy beaches stretch for hundreds of meters, and the rich underwater world attracts divers from all over the world. Numerous underwater volcanoes create islands that are replaced by coral reefs.