A strait is a narrow body of water that separates two land areas that connects adjacent bodies of water or parts thereof. In this article we will consider the largest straits in the world, their features and characteristics.
The longest
The Mozambique Channel 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, combines a group of islands that are the territory of an independent state, which is called the Union of Comoros.
The fauna is characteristic of the tropical region. In the waters of the strait are found:
- numerous species of commercial fish: anchovies, horse mackerel, tuna, mackerel and others;
- stingrays;
- gigantic sea turtles ;
- Sharks
- coelacanths - fish that were once considered extinct;
- crustaceans: shrimp, spiny lobsters;
- sea snakes and many other underwater inhabitants.
The widest in the world
The Drake Strait rightfully earned the title of the broadest. It is the link between the 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 less and amounts to 460 km. The maximum depth is within 5250 m. This widest strait of the world separates Tierra del Fuego and the southernmost continent - Antarctica. Its waters are washed by the coast of countries such as Chile and Argentina.
The Drake Strait is not only the widest, but also the deepest in the world. The weather conditions in this region are quite severe. Frequent storms are observed here. This strait has always been one of the most difficult trials for shipping. About a fourth of the reservoir is covered by 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 that drift to reach the shores of the South American continent.
List of the largest straits
Fans of geography will be interested to know the names of the straits of the world, whose length exceeds 500 km. As mentioned above, the widest is the Drake Channel, and the longest is Mozambique. Now consider the others.
| Title | Length in km | Minimum width in km | Maximum width in km | Maximum depth in m |
| Davis | 1170 | 338 | 644 | 3660 |
| Malacca | 805 | 2,8 | 250 | 113 |
| Hudson | 800 | 115 | 240 | 407 |
| Makassar | 710 | 120 | 200 | 2553 |
| Tatar | 713 | 40 | 328 | 1773 |
| Florida | 650 | 80 | 150 | 1 829 |
| English Channel | 578 | 32 | 240 | 174 |
| Magellans | 575 | 2.2 | 20 | 1,080 |
The narrowest
Of all the straits in the world, the Small Belt is considered the narrowest. Its length is 125 km, and its width varies between 0.5-28 km. The maximum fairway depth is 75 m and the minimum is 12. Small Belt connects the Kattegat Strait and the Baltic Sea. In winter, in areas with a weak current, the pond freezes.
The shallowest
The Kerch Strait, dividing the homonymous and Taman Peninsulas, is the shallowest in the world. Its length is 41 km, and its width varies between 4-45 km. The maximum depth does not exceed 18 m, and the minimum is 5 m. Despite the fact that it is the smallest strait in the world, there are several large ports on its coasts:
- Bulrush-Burun;
- Crimea;
- Caucasus;
- Kerch Trade.
This strait connects the Black and Azov Sea.
The most forced passage
The English Channel divides two European states: France and Great Britain. It is the connecting link between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. The English Channel is 578 km long. Its narrowest part is 32 km wide, and about 250 km wide. More than four thousand people tried to conquer the strait, but about one thousand people managed to cross it. Not a single strait of the world was forced so often as the English Channel.
Naturally, swimmers choose the narrowest part of the reservoir - the Pas de Calais, where the width does not exceed 32 km. Crossing the strait is quite difficult, since even in the summer period the water temperature does not exceed 18 ° . Of great difficulty is the currents that form during the tides, as well as strong winds and waves.
In 2012, the Australian swimming record was set by Trent Grimsey. He swam across the English Channel in 6 hours 55 minutes. Among women, the record belongs to Ivette Glavachova, 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 does not cease to amaze, every corner of it is unique and beautiful. Straits, seas and oceans - these are all one links in one chain called the World Ocean, without which life on Earth would be impossible.