What is a strait? Simply put, this is a relatively narrow part of the sea or ocean that separates two land areas and connects two adjacent bodies of water.
In this article, you can find out where the Pas de Calais is located. But, before moving on to the main topic of the article, for comparison, briefly consider what other straits exist in the world.
The straits are very important for shipping because they allow ships to navigate in the shortest and possibly only way from one basin to another. In addition, on the one hand, they connect the seas and oceans, and on the other, they share land areas. They differ from channels in that they have a natural origin.
This article is dedicated to one of such natural channels called the Pas de Calais (Strait).
A brief description of the straits of the world
Strait of Malacca, separating Fr. Sumatra and the Malacca Peninsula, is the longest in the world (1000 km). It connects the waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans.
The Tatar Strait (Northern Hemisphere) is the longest (850 km) and the shallowest of all major straits. It is located between about. Sakhalin and the Asian coast and mixes the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan.
The Strait of Gibraltar is the deepest and it separates Africa and Europe. The Bass Strait, located near the Australian continent, is the widest. In width (more than 180 km), the Korean Strait, separating the Korean Peninsula from Japan, is the 2nd after it.
The Bosphorus is the narrowest. It separates Europe from Asia and, in addition, divides Constantinople (Istanbul) into 2 parts. Its width does not exceed 1000 meters. It is also the shortest (30 km) of all the straits of the world that separate large islands from continents, peninsulas and archipelagos.
And finally, the Pas de Calais is a strait located in the north of France in a surprisingly beautiful area called Nor Pas de Calais.
General information about the area
The severe beauty of these places (French Flanders) is peculiar. People live here who come to terms with a rather cold humid climate (the average summer temperature here is no higher than 20 degrees.).
This part of the country is not very spoiled by the attention of tourists. The sights of these places were mostly destroyed during the Second World War, and the waters of the coast, washed by the English Channel, are mainly adapted only for windsurfers. Soak up on the beaches under the summer hot sun here does not quite work out.
This is one of 3 regions with access to the strait. And yet, a rather long coastline with golden beaches and cliffs represents the pride of this part of France, although it does not indulge in the brightness of the colors of nature.
Pas de calais
The Dover Strait (English name) is located between the coast of the island of Great Britain and France. In ancient times, it was called Gallic in connection with its location on the coast of Gaul.
The strait is the narrowest part of the English Channel. It extends along the English coast from Cape Forland to Cape Dungenes, and along the French coast from Calais harbor to Cape Green. The bottleneck is 33 kilometers wide. Between the French Calais and the Dover of England - 44 kilometers.
English Channel, Pas de Calais - together they connect the waters of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The length of the Pas de Calais is 37 kilometers, the width is from 32 to 51 kilometers. The navigable part has a depth of 21 to 64 meters.
The main naval bases and ports located on the banks of the strait: French Boulogne, Calais, Dunostrovakerk; English Folkestone and Dover. Kale and Dover are connected by ferry.
Value Mode
Pas de Calais is a strait that is quite important for navigation. A large number of ships pass through it daily to the Atlantic Ocean and to the shores of many European countries. Annually, up to 300 thousand vessels pass through the strait, and at the same time at any time there are approximately 40 vessels in the strait.
The periodic accumulation in this bottleneck of a huge number of vessels moving in different directions is the cause of accidents in this area. According to statistics from Norwegian insurance companies, almost half of the collisions worldwide are from the English Channel to the Elbe River.
In connection with this situation, on the initiative of the coastal states, as early as 1961, a group of specialists was set up to prepare proposals for improving the situation in this region.
The current in the Northeast (surface) has a speed of about 4 km / h. The Pas de Calais Channel has semi-daily tides. Their height reaches 6.5 meters. In the autumn, fogs are frequent. The regime and conditions of navigation in this strait are similar to the conditions existing in the English Channel.
