A strait is a water body connecting two seas or two water basins. While the landform generally constricts the flow, the surface water still flows, for the most part, at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in both directions. In some straits there may be a dominant directional current through the strait. Most commonly, it is a narrowing channel that lies between two land masses . Some straits are not navigable, for example because they are either too narrow or too shallow, or because of an unnavigable reef or archipelago . Straits are also known to be loci for sediment accumulation. Usually, sand-size deposits occur on both the two opposite strait exits, forming subaqueous fans or deltas .
17-809: The Kii Channel ( 紀伊水道 , Kii-suidō ) , also called the Kii Strait , is a strait separating the Japanese island of Shikoku from the Kii Peninsula on the main island of Honshū . This strait connects the Inland Sea with the Pacific Ocean . The name of the strait derives from Kii Province , a former province on the Kii Peninsula. The strait is surrounded by Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku, Wakayama Prefecture on Honshū, and
34-455: A blockade was "questionable" given that an Israeli-flagged ship had not passed through the straits in two years, and that "The U.A.R. [Egyptian] navy had searched a couple of ships after the establishment of the blockade and thereafter relaxed its implementation". Egypt had initially requested UNEF withdrawal from locations other than Sharm El Sheikh, but UN Secretary-General U Thant demanded an all-or-nothing withdrawal. The US president at
51-664: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Wakayama location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Strait The terms channel , pass , or passage can be synonymous and used interchangeably with strait , although each is sometimes differentiated with varying senses. In Scotland, firth or Kyle are also sometimes used as synonyms for strait. Many straits are economically important. Straits can be important shipping routes and wars have been fought for control of them. Numerous artificial channels, called canals , have been constructed to connect two oceans or seas over land, such as
68-526: Is to the east, nearer to the island of Tiran . To the east of Tiran, between it and Saudi Arabia, the other strait has reefs and shallows with a single channel 16 metres (52 ft) deep. Access to Jordan 's only seaport of Aqaba and to Israel 's only Red Sea seaport of Eilat is through the Gulf of Aqaba, which gives the Straits of Tiran strategic importance. In 1967, 90% of Israeli oil passed through
85-401: Is typically reserved for much larger, wider features of the marine environment. There are exceptions, with straits being called canals; Pearse Canal , for example. Straits are the converse of isthmuses . That is, while a strait lies between two land masses and connects two large areas of ocean, an isthmus lies between two areas of ocean and connects two large land masses. Some straits have
102-468: The Suez Canal . Although rivers and canals often provide passage between two large lakes, and these seem to suit the formal definition of strait, they are not usually referred to as such. Rivers and often canals, generally have a directional flow tied to changes in elevation, whereas straits often are free flowing in either direction or switch direction, maintaining the same elevation. The term strait
119-570: The Sinai. Sanafir Island lies to the east of Tiran, southeast of the shallow strait between Tiran and Saudi Arabia . The straits give access to Eilat , a port on the southeast tip of Israel . The blockade of Israeli passage through the Suez Canal and Straits of Tiran led to two wars, in 1956 and 1967. International documents inconsistently refer to both the " Straits of Tiran " and the " Strait of Tiran ". There are several passages formed by
136-503: The Straits of Tiran, making it a target of Egyptian blockade during the Arab League boycott of Israel . In May 1967, Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol repeated declarations that Israel had made in 1957, saying that closure of the Straits of Tiran would be an act of war. Egypt then blockaded the straits on May 22, 1967, and oil tankers that were due to pass through the straits were required to submit documents ensuring their cargo
153-513: The islands between Egypt and Saudi Arabia . The westernmost strait, between Egypt and the island of Tiran, overlooked by the Egyptian city Sharm El Sheikh , is the "Strait of Tiran", 5 or 6 km (3 or 4 mi) wide. It has two passages deep enough to be navigable by large ships. The Enterprise passage, 290 metres (950 ft) deep, is adjacent to the Egyptian side, while the 73-metre (240 ft)-deep Grafton passage, surrounded by shallows,
170-698: The narrow sea passages between the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas that connect the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea . The distance between the two peninsulas is about 13 km (7 nautical miles ). The Multinational Force and Observers monitors the compliance of Egypt in maintaining freedom of navigation of the straits, as provided under the Egypt–Israel peace treaty . The body is named after Tiran Island , located at its entrance 5 or 6 km (3 or 4 mi) from
187-516: The port at Sharm El Sheikh adjacent to the straits. The subsequent closure of the Tiran Straits by Egypt was closely linked to the preceding UNEF withdrawal, because having the peacekeepers (rather than the Egyptian military) at Sharm El Sheikh was important for keeping that waterway open. Later in life, General Rikhye sought to downplay the importance that Israel attached to keeping that waterway open, saying that Israel's accusation in 1967 of
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#1732766147061204-472: The potential to generate significant tidal power using tidal stream turbines . Tides are more predictable than wave power or wind power . The Pentland Firth (a strait) may be capable of generating 10 GW . Cook Strait in New Zealand may be capable of generating 5.6 GW even though the total energy available in the flow is 15 GW. Straits used for international navigation through
221-732: The southern coast of Awaji Island in Hyōgo Prefecture . It is connected to Osaka Bay via the Kitan Strait and to Harima Nada (the eastern part of the Inland Sea) by the Naruto Strait . Western maps from the 19th century also refer to this waterway as the Linschoten Strait . This Hyōgo Prefecture location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Tokushima location article
238-423: The territorial sea between one part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone and another part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone are subject to the legal regime of transit passage ( Strait of Gibraltar , Dover Strait , Strait of Hormuz ). The regime of innocent passage applies in straits used for international navigation (1) that connect a part of high seas or an exclusive economic zone with
255-668: The territorial sea of a coastal nation ( Straits of Tiran , Strait of Juan de Fuca , Strait of Baltiysk ) and (2) in straits formed by an island of a state bordering the strait and its mainland if there exists seaward of the island a route through the high seas or through an exclusive economic zone of similar convenience with respect to navigational and hydrographical characteristics ( Strait of Messina , Pentland Firth ). There may be no suspension of innocent passage through such straits. [REDACTED] Media related to Straits at Wikimedia Commons Strait of Tiran The Straits of Tiran ( Arabic : مضيق تيران Maḍīq Tīrān ) are
272-460: The time, Lyndon Johnson , said the following about closure of these straits being a cause of the Six-Day War : "If a single act of folly was more responsible for this explosion than any other, it was the arbitrary and dangerous announced decision that the Straits of Tiran would be closed. The right of innocent, maritime passage must be preserved for all nations." The Saudi–Egypt Causeway ,
289-779: Was not destined for an Israeli port. At that time, Israel viewed the Straits of Tiran as a vital interest as it is where Israel received vital imports, mainly oil from Iran, and a blockade threatened Israel's ability to develop the Negev . In May 1967, Major-General Indar Jit Rikhye was the Commander of the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) in the Sinai Peninsula when Egypt deployed its own troops in that territory and demanded that Rikhye withdraw all of his troops. Rikhye did withdraw, including from
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