Greetings, future warriors today we are going to discuss the Important Straits which comes under the geography section of the exams and is amongst the most frequently asked. This is one of the most important topics asked in NDA CDS AFCAT exams. This is also from an interview point of view, as IO expects you to know at least the basic geography of the World.
What are Straits?
Straits are the water bodies that connect two larger water bodies naturally. It is a narrow waterway that connects two geographical masses. Straits are very crucial and help in the world’s 90% trade route. It is said that straits were formed by the tectonic movement of the plates in the African continent. Unlike a gulf that connects both land and sea, Strait connects only water bodies.
Importance of Straits
- In the seaborne trade for commercial shipping, straits are crucial.
- They are significant in geopolitics.
- For thousands of years, the Straits have been vital to human civilization.
- They are significant in both military and economic affairs.
- Commercial shipping uses the world’s major straits to cross from one exclusive zone or sea to another.
- Straits are crucial both strategically and commercially. For many ships, straits offer a variety of passable paths. For instance, the Strait of Hormuz is crucial since it is where one-third of the world’s oil commerce passes.
Following is the list of various important straits:
| Name of the Straits | Joins of strait | Point of Meeting (Location) |
| Malacca Strait | The Andaman Sea & South China Sea | Indonesia – Malaysia |
| Palk Strait | Palk Bay & Bay of Bengal | India-Sri Lanka |
| Sunda Strait | The Java Sea & Indian Ocean | Indonesia |
| Yucatan Strait | The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea | Mexico-Cuba |
| Mesina Strait | Mediterranean Sea | Italy-Sicily |
| Otranto Strait | The Adriatic Sea & Ionian Sea | Italy-Albania |
| Bab-el-Mandeb Strait | Red Sea & Gulf of Aden | Yemen-Djibouti |
| Cook Strait | South Pacific Ocean | New Zealand (N & S islands) |
| Mozambique Strait | Indian Ocean | Mozambique – Malagasy |
| North Channel | The Irish Sea & Atlantic Ocean | Ireland-England |
| Taurus Strait | Arafura Sea & Gulf of Papua | Papua New Guinea – Australia |
| Bass strait | The Tasman Sea & South Sea | Australia |
| Bering Strait | The Bering Sea & Chukchi Sea | Alaska-Russia |
| Bonne-Fazio Strait | Mediterranean Sea | Corsica-Sardinia |
| Bosporus Strait | The Black Sea and the Marmara Sea | Turkey |
| Dardenleez Strait | The Marmara Sea and Aegean Sea | Turkey |
| Davis strait | The Baffin Bay & Atlantic Ocean | Greenland-Canada |
| Denmark strait | North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean | Greenland-Iceland |
| Dover strait | The English Channel & North Sea | England-France |
| Florida Strait | Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean | USA-Cuba |
| Hormuz strait | Gulf of Persia & Gulf of Oman | Oman-Iran |
| Hudson strait | Gulf of Hudson & Atlantic Ocean | Canada |
| Gibraltar Strait | The Mediterranean Sea & Atlantic Ocean | Spain-Morocco |
| Magellan strait | Pacific and South Atlantic Ocean | Chile |
| Makassar Strait | The Java Sea & Celebes Sea | Indonesia |
| Tsugaru Strait | Japan Sea and the Pacific Ocean | Japan (Hokkaido-Honshu island) |
| Tatar Strait | Japan Sea & Okhotsk Sea | Russia (E Russia-Sakhalin Island) |
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