Straits and Canals of the World

Every place on this map

1. Strait of HormuzIran and OmanThe world's most critical oil chokepoint, joining the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
2. Bab-el-MandebYemen and DjiboutiThe southern gate of the Red Sea, joining it to the Gulf of Aden: the name means Gate of Grief.
3. Strait of MalaccaMalaysia and IndonesiaThe shortest sea route between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, joining the Andaman Sea to the South China Sea.
4. Kra IsthmusThailandThe narrow neck of the Malay Peninsula between the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.
5. Sunda StraitIndonesiaThe strait between Java and Sumatra, joining the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean.
6. Lombok StraitIndonesiaThe deep-water strait between Bali and Lombok.
7. Makassar StraitIndonesiaThe strait between Borneo and Sulawesi, joining the Celebes Sea to the Java Sea.
8. Palk StraitIndia and Sri LankaThe strait between India and Sri Lanka, joining the Bay of Bengal to Palk Bay.
9. Taiwan StraitChina and TaiwanThe strait between mainland China and Taiwan, joining the East and South China Seas.
10. Luzon StraitTaiwan and PhilippinesThe strait between Taiwan and Luzon (Philippines), joining the South China Sea to the Philippine Sea.
11. Korea StraitSouth Korea and JapanThe strait between South Korea and Japan, joining the Sea of Japan to the East China Sea.
12. Strait of TartaryRussiaThe strait between Sakhalin island and the Russian mainland, joining the Sea of Japan to the Sea of Okhotsk.
13. Bering StraitRussia and USAThe strait between Russia (Asia) and Alaska (USA), joining the Arctic Ocean to the Bering Sea.
14. Strait of GibraltarSpain and MoroccoThe strait between Spain and Morocco, joining the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.
15. Strait of DoverUK and FranceThe narrowest part of the English Channel, joining it to the North Sea.
16. North ChannelUKThe strait between Northern Ireland and Scotland, joining the Irish Sea to the Atlantic.
17. OresundDenmark and SwedenThe strait between Denmark and Sweden, joining the Kattegat to the Baltic Sea.
18. Kiel CanalGermanyGermany's canal joining the North Sea to the Baltic, saving the long trip round Denmark.
19. BosphorusTurkeyThe strait through Istanbul joining the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara.
20. DardanellesTurkeyThe strait joining the Sea of Marmara to the Aegean, the second half of the Turkish Straits.
21. Strait of OtrantoItaly and AlbaniaThe strait at the mouth of the Adriatic, joining it to the Ionian Sea.
22. Strait of MessinaItalyThe strait between Sicily and mainland Italy, joining the Tyrrhenian to the Ionian Sea.
23. Strait of KerchRussia and UkraineThe strait joining the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea, between Crimea and Russia.
24. Suez CanalEgyptThe sea-level canal (1869) joining the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, with no locks.
25. Mozambique ChannelMozambique and MadagascarThe channel between Mozambique and Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.
26. Panama CanalPanamaThe lock canal (1914) lifting ships between the Caribbean and the Pacific over Gatun Lake.
27. Strait of FloridaUSA and CubaThe strait between Florida and Cuba, joining the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic.
28. Yucatan ChannelMexico and CubaThe channel between Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba, joining the Caribbean to the Gulf of Mexico.
29. Davis StraitGreenland and CanadaThe strait between Greenland and Baffin Island, joining Baffin Bay to the Labrador Sea.
30. Hudson StraitCanadaThe strait joining Hudson Bay to the Labrador Sea.
31. Denmark StraitGreenland and IcelandThe strait between Greenland and Iceland, joining the Arctic to the Atlantic.
32. Strait of MagellanChileThe inland passage at the tip of South America between mainland Chile and Tierra del Fuego.
33. Drake PassageSouth America and AntarcticaThe rough passage between South America and Antarctica, joining the Atlantic to the Pacific.
34. Torres StraitAustralia and Papua New GuineaThe shallow, reef-filled strait between Australia's Cape York and Papua New Guinea.
35. Bass StraitAustraliaThe strait separating Tasmania from mainland Australia.
36. Cook StraitNew ZealandThe strait between New Zealand's North and South Islands.