Straits and Canals

36 straits and canals — the oil chokepoints, continent dividers, Suez to Panama, and every UPSC/UPPCS strait PYQ.

On this map (36)

Hormuz · Iran | Oman (Musandam), UAE — Strait · Persian Gulf ↔ Gulf of Oman. Joins the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea
Bab-el-Mandeb · Yemen | Djibouti, Eritrea — Strait · Red Sea ↔ Gulf of Aden. “Gate of grief”: the southern door of the Red Sea and the Suez route
Malacca · Malaysia | Indonesia (Sumatra); Singapore at the south end — Strait · Andaman Sea ↔ South China Sea. Shortest sea route between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific; Singapore sits at its southern end ✓ (UPSC 2010)
Kra Isthmus · Thailand — Isthmus · proposed canal. Narrowest neck of the Malay peninsula, between the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea
Sunda · Java | Sumatra (Indonesia) — Strait · Java Sea ↔ Indian Ocean. Between Java and Sumatra; Krakatoa volcano stands in it
Lombok · Bali | Lombok (Indonesia) — Strait · deep-water route. Deep enough for the largest tankers that cannot use Malacca
Makassar · Borneo | Sulawesi (Indonesia) — Strait · Celebes Sea ↔ Java Sea. Between Borneo and Sulawesi; continues the Wallace Line
Palk Strait · India | Sri Lanka — Strait · Bay of Bengal ↔ Palk Bay. India–Sri Lanka maritime boundary; Adam’s Bridge (Ram Setu) and Gulf of Mannar to its south
Taiwan Strait · China | Taiwan — Strait · East ↔ South China Sea. About 130–180 km wide; a flashpoint of China–Taiwan–US tension
Luzon · Taiwan | Philippines (Luzon) — Strait · South China Sea ↔ Philippine Sea. Main gate from the South China Sea to the open Pacific
Korea Strait · South Korea | Japan — Strait · Sea of Japan ↔ East China Sea. Tsushima island splits it into two channels
Tartary · Russia mainland | Sakhalin — Strait · Sea of Japan ↔ Sea of Okhotsk. Separates Sakhalin island from the Russian mainland; freezes in winter
Bering · Russia (Asia) | Alaska (USA) — Strait · Arctic Ocean ↔ Bering Sea. Separates Asia from North America, ~82 km wide
Gibraltar · Spain (Europe) | Morocco (Africa) — Strait · Atlantic ↔ Mediterranean. Separates Europe from Africa; only ~14 km wide
Dover · UK | France — Strait · English Channel ↔ North Sea. Narrowest part of the English Channel
North Channel · Northern Ireland | Scotland — Strait · Irish Sea ↔ Atlantic. Joins the Irish Sea to the Atlantic, between Northern Ireland and Scotland
Øresund · Denmark | Sweden — Strait · Kattegat ↔ Baltic. Main entrance to the Baltic; Øresund bridge–tunnel links Copenhagen and Malmö
Kiel Canal · Germany — Canal · North Sea ↔ Baltic. Busiest artificial waterway by ship count; saves the trip round Denmark
Bosphorus · Turkey — Europe | Asia (Istanbul) — Strait · Black Sea ↔ Sea of Marmara. Splits Istanbul between Europe and Asia
Dardanelles · Turkey — Strait · Sea of Marmara ↔ Aegean. The other half of the Turkish Straits; Gallipoli (1915) is on its shore
Otranto · Italy | Albania — Strait · Adriatic ↔ Ionian. Mouth of the Adriatic; Albania has an Adriatic coast ✓ (UPSC 2019)
Messina · Sicily | mainland Italy — Strait · Tyrrhenian ↔ Ionian. Separates Sicily from Italy; a bridge project is planned
Kerch · Crimea | Russia — Strait · Sea of Azov ↔ Black Sea. Russia’s Crimean bridge spans it; key to the Ukraine war
Suez Canal · Egypt — Canal · Mediterranean ↔ Red Sea (1869). Sea-level canal, no locks; cuts the Europe–Asia trip by ~7,000 km
Mozambique Channel · Mozambique | Madagascar — Channel · Indian Ocean. Between Mozambique and Madagascar; Comoros sit at its north end
Panama Canal · Panama — Canal · Caribbean (Atlantic) ↔ Pacific (1914). A lock canal lifting ships over Gatun Lake; 2023 drought cut traffic
Florida Strait · USA (Florida) | Cuba — Strait · Gulf of Mexico ↔ Atlantic. The Gulf Stream leaves the Gulf of Mexico through it
Yucatan · Mexico | Cuba — Strait · Caribbean ↔ Gulf of Mexico. Between the Yucatán peninsula and Cuba
Davis Strait · Greenland | Baffin Island (Canada) — Strait · Baffin Bay ↔ Labrador Sea. A trap option in the Channel Tunnel question (UPSC 2007)
Hudson Strait · Canada — Strait · Hudson Bay ↔ Labrador Sea. Entrance to Hudson Bay, frozen much of the year
Denmark Strait · Greenland | Iceland — Strait · Arctic ↔ Atlantic. Cold East Greenland Current flows south through it; another trap option (UPSC 2007)
Magellan · Chile (mainland | Tierra del Fuego) — Strait · Atlantic ↔ Pacific. Inland passage at the tip of South America, used before the Panama Canal
Drake Passage · South America | Antarctica — Passage · Atlantic ↔ Pacific. Roughest seas on Earth; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current squeezes through
Torres · Australia | New Guinea — Strait · Arafura Sea ↔ Coral Sea. Shallow, reef-filled strait between Cape York and Papua New Guinea
Bass · Australia | Tasmania — Strait · Tasman Sea ↔ Indian Ocean. Separates Tasmania from mainland Australia
Cook · North Island | South Island (New Zealand) — Strait · Tasman Sea ↔ Pacific. Separates the two main islands of New Zealand

Asked in exams

UPPCSStrait of Hormuz lies between → Iran and the Arabian Peninsula
UPSC 2010Travelling through the Malacca Strait → Singapore
UPSC 2011Deepening the Malacca Strait would not shorten India–East Asia trips ✗
UPSC 2011A canal across the Kra isthmus would cut India–East Asia distance ✓
UPPCSSunda Strait → Indonesia ✓
UPPCSMakassar Strait → Indonesia ✓
UPPCSPalk Strait: maritime boundary between India and → Sri Lanka
UPSC 2008Strait nearest the International Date Line → Bering
UPSC 2004Gibraltar → United Kingdom
UPPCSStrait separating Europe from Africa → Gibraltar
UPSC 2007UK–France tunnel → Strait of Dover
UPSC 2014Turkey lies between → Black Sea and Mediterranean
UPSC 2024SUMED: strategic route for Gulf oil to Europe; joins Red Sea and Mediterranean → both true, II explains I
UPSC 2007Country planning a rival to the Panama Canal → Nicaragua
UPSC 2004Does not border Panama → Venezuela
UPSC 2007Davis Strait → wrong option for the UK–France tunnel

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