Here is the List of Major Straits of the World. This topic falls under World Geography or World Geography Stati Gk , It is an important Topic for various Competitive exams. Often 1-2 questions asked in various competitive exams specially SSC and NTPC. Here we provide selective 29 Major Straits of the World. For Map about the Major Straits visit our facebook page.
What is Straitrs?
A strait is a naturally formed, narrowing, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger bodies of water.
Most commonly it is a channel of water that lies between two land masses.
The following table enlists the major Straits of the world
| Strait | Connects | Separates / Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tartary Strait | Japan Sea & Okhotsk Sea | Russia (East Russia – Sakhalin Islands) |
| 2. Davis Strait | Baffin Bay & Atlantic Ocean | Greenland-Canada |
| 3. Denmark Strait | North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean | Greenland-Iceland |
| 4. Malacca Strait | Andaman Sea & South China Sea | Indonesia –Malaysia |
| 5. Sunda Strait | Java Sea & Indian Ocean | Indonesia |
| 6. Formosa Strait / Taiwan Strait | South China Sea & East China Sea | China-Taiwan |
| 7. Tsugaru Strait | Japan Sea and Pacific Ocean | Japan (Hokkaido-Honshu Island) |
| 8. Bering Strait | Bering Sea & Chuksi Sea | Alaska-Russia |
| 9. Yucatan Strait | Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea | Mexico-Cuba |
| 10. Florida Strait | Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean | USA-Cuba |
| 11. Magellan strait | Pacific and South Atlantic Ocean | Chile |
| 12. Hudson strait | Gulf of Hudson & Atlantic Ocean | Canada |
| 13. Bab-el-Mandeb Strait | Red Sea & Gulf of Aden | Yemen-Djibouti |
| 14. Hormuz Strait | Gulf of Persia & Gulf of Oman | Oman-Iran |
| 15. Palk Strait | Palk Bay & Bay of Bengal | India-Sri Lanka |
| 16. Cook Strait | Tasman sea with South Pacific Ocean | New Zealand (North & South Islands) |
| 17. Mozambique Strait | Indian Ocean | Madagascar and Mozambique |
| 18. Gibraltar Strait | Mediterranean Sea & Atlantic Ocean | Spain-Morocco |
| 19. Foveaux Strait | Tasman Sea with South Pacific Ocean | New Zealand (South Island- Stewart Island) |
| 20. Makkassar Strait | Java Sea & Celebeze Sea | Indonesia |
| 21. Torres Strait | Arafura Sea & Gulf of Papua | Papua New Guinea – Australia |
| 22. Bass Strait | Tasman Sea & Great Australian Bight | Australia |
| 23. Bosporous Strait | Black Sea and Marmara Sea | Turkey |
| 24. Messina Strait | Mediterranean Sea (Tyrrhenian Sea / Ionian sea) |
Italy-Sicily |
| 25. Otranto Strait | Adriatic Sea & Ionian Sea | Italy-Albania |
| 26. North Channel | Irish Sea & Atlantic Ocean | Ireland-England |
| 27. Bonne-Fasio Strait | Mediterranean Sea | Corse – Sardenga |
| 28. Dardenleez Strait | Marmara Sea and Agean Sea | Turkey |
| 29. Dover Strait | English Channel & North Sea | England-France |
Fact about the Important Straits of the World
◘ Strait of Malacca
• It is the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
• The Strait of Malacca connects the Andaman Sea and the South China Sea.
◘ Strait of Hormuz
• World’s 25% of total global oil & liquefied natural gas consumption passes through the Hormuz Strait.
• This strait located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman .
• It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.
◘ Bosporus Strait
• Also known as the Strait of Istanbul.
• It forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia.
• It divides Turkey by separating Anatolia from Thrace.
• It is the world’s narrowest strait used for international navigation.
• The Bosporus connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara.
• Together with the Dardanelles, the Bosporus forms the Turkish Straits.
◘ Cook Strait
• The strait is named after James Cook.
• He was the first European commander to sail through Cook Strait.
◘ Davis Strait
• The strait was named for the English explorer John Davis.
◘ Bass Strait
• It was named after English explorer and physician George Bass.
