Northwest Passage
Topic: World Transport and Communication · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Northwest Passage is a sea route through Canada's Arctic islands that links the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It was blocked by ice for most of history. Now, as sea ice melts, it opens for ships in summer. Its ownership is disputed. Canada says the waters are internal (its own). The USA says the passage is an international strait that all ships may use.
Example
A ship can sail from Baffin Bay, west of Greenland, through the channels between Canada's Arctic islands to the Beaufort Sea and then the Bering Strait. This avoids the long journey through the Panama Canal.
Don't confuse with
- Northern Sea Route: this Arctic route runs along Russia's coast from the Barents Sea to the Bering Strait, not through Canada.
Related concepts
- Shipping canal
- Sea-level canal and lock canal
- Suez Canal
- Panama Canal
- Panama Canal Zone
- Panama Canal water crisis
- Maritime chokepoint
- Northern Sea Route