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Major Strategic Straits
Strait of Malacca
- Location: Between Indonesia and Malaysia.
- Connects: The Indian Ocean to the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean).
- Significance:
- A vital shipping route for trade between India and East Asia.
- Deepening this strait can reduce navigation time and distance between India and East Asia.
Strait of Gibraltar
- Location: Separates Europe (Spain) from Africa (Morocco).
- Connects: The Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.
Strait of Hormuz
- Location: Lies between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Borders Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.
- Significance: A crucial chokepoint for global oil shipments.
Bering Strait
- Location: Separates Asia (Russia) from North America (Alaska, USA).
- Connects: The Arctic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
Strait of Dover
- Location: Separates Great Britain from mainland Europe (France).
- Connects: The English Channel to the North Sea.
- Feature: The Channel Tunnel (“Chunnel”) runs under this strait, linking the UK and France.
Bab-el-Mandeb
- Connects: The Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.
Bosporus Strait
- Connects: The Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara (and eventually to the Mediterranean Sea).
Important Asian & Oceanic Straits
Lombok Strait
- Location: Between the Indonesian islands of Bali and Lombok.
Palk Strait & Bay
- Palk Strait: Lies between India and Sri Lanka.
- Palk Bay: A larger body of water located between the Gulf of Mannar and the Bay of Bengal.
Ten Degree Channel
- Location: Separates the Andaman Islands from the Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean.
Gulfs and Bays
Persian Gulf
- Location: Borders several countries, including Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
- Clarification: Oman does not directly border the Persian Gulf; it borders the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
Gulf of Tonkin
- Location: Off the coast of Vietnam.
Gulf of Carpentaria
- Location: A large, shallow sea on the northern coast of Australia (not Canada).
Strategic Concepts
Reducing Shipping Time
- Objective: Greatly reduce navigation time between India and East Asia.
- Proposed Methods:
- Deepening the Malacca Straits.
- Opening a new canal between the Gulf of Siam (Thailand) and the Andaman Sea.
- This proposed canal is known as the Thai Canal or Kra Canal.
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