Mozambique Channel
Topic: World Physical Features and Natural Regions · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Mozambique Channel is an arm of the Indian Ocean between Mozambique, on the African mainland, and the island of Madagascar. It is about 400 km wide at its narrowest. It lies on the Cape route, the sea path that goes around the southern tip of Africa. When ships cannot use the Red Sea and Suez route, more of them sail around the Cape of Good Hope, and many pass through or near this channel. That makes it an important sea lane for India's trade with Europe and Africa.
Example
After Houthi attacks in the Red Sea from late 2023, many ships switched to the Cape route along East Africa. India's airstrip and jetty on Mauritius's Agalega Islands (opened in 2024) help it watch this part of the western Indian Ocean.
Don't confuse with
- Bab-el-Mandeb: this is a narrow strait, about 30 km wide, joining the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. It is the route that ships avoid when they use the Cape route.
Related concepts
- Strait of Hormuz
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Strait of Malacca
- Strait of Gibraltar
- Bosphorus
- Turkish Straits
- Kerch Strait
- Taiwan Strait
- Bering Strait
- Drake Passage