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Straits and Canals of the World
A compact, tabular revision of the world's important straits, canals and maritime chokepoints, the water bodies and lands they connect, and their strategic significance, for CAPF geography and maritime security
CAPF wiki•3 min read•6 sections
At a glance
SubjectGeography
RevisionGeographyStraitsCanalsChokepointsMaritime SecurityPaper 1
One screen per section. Cover the right column and test yourself. A strait is a natural narrow waterway connecting two larger water bodies; a canal is an artificial channel. Both serve as chokepoints whose control carries strategic and security weight, a recurring CAPF theme covered in coastal and maritime security and straits chokepoints and strategic waterways.
| Strait |
Connects |
Separates |
| Strait of Malacca |
Andaman Sea and South China Sea |
Malay Peninsula and Sumatra (Indonesia) |
| Strait of Hormuz |
Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman |
Iran and Oman/UAE; key oil chokepoint |
| Bab-el-Mandeb |
Red Sea and Gulf of Aden |
Arabia and the Horn of Africa |
| Strait of Gibraltar |
Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean |
Spain and Morocco |
| Bosphorus Strait |
Black Sea and Sea of Marmara |
European and Asian Turkey (at Istanbul) |
| Dardanelles |
Sea of Marmara and Aegean Sea |
European and Asian Turkey |
| Bering Strait |
Arctic Ocean and Pacific Ocean |
Russia (Asia) and USA (Alaska) |
| Strait of Dover |
English Channel and North Sea |
England and France |
| Palk Strait |
Bay of Bengal and Palk Bay |
India and Sri Lanka |
| Sunda Strait |
Java Sea and Indian Ocean |
Java and Sumatra |
| Magellan Strait |
Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean |
Mainland South America and Tierra del Fuego |
| Cook Strait |
Tasman Sea and South Pacific |
North and South Islands of New Zealand |
| Strait / channel |
Connects / separates |
| Palk Strait |
Separates India (Tamil Nadu) from Sri Lanka |
| Gulf of Mannar |
South of Palk Strait, between India and Sri Lanka |
| Ten Degree Channel |
Separates Andaman Islands from Nicobar Islands |
| Nine Degree Channel |
Separates Minicoy from the main Lakshadweep group |
| Eight Degree Channel |
Separates Minicoy (India) from Maldives |
| Duncan Passage |
Between South Andaman and Little Andaman |
| Canal |
Connects |
Note |
| Suez Canal |
Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea |
In Egypt; no locks; opened 1869; shortcut between Europe and Asia |
| Panama Canal |
Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean |
In Panama; uses locks; opened 1914 |
| Kiel Canal |
North Sea and Baltic Sea |
In Germany |
| Grand Canal |
Beijing and Hangzhou |
In China; one of the oldest and longest artificial waterways |
| Erie Canal |
Great Lakes and Hudson River / Atlantic |
In the USA |
| Corinth Canal |
Gulf of Corinth and Saronic Gulf |
In Greece |
| Feature |
Suez Canal |
Panama Canal |
| Country |
Egypt |
Panama |
| Connects |
Mediterranean and Red Seas |
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans |
| Locks |
None (sea-level) |
Yes (lock system) |
| Opened |
1869 |
1914 |
| Strategic value |
Europe to Asia without rounding Africa |
Atlantic to Pacific without rounding South America |
| Chokepoint |
Why it matters |
| Strait of Hormuz |
A large share of the world's seaborne crude oil passes through it |
| Strait of Malacca |
Busiest shipping lane linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans |
| Bab-el-Mandeb |
Gateway between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean; near the Gulf of Aden anti-piracy zone |
| Suez Canal |
A blockage disrupts global Europe to Asia trade |