Taiwan Strait
Topic: World Physical Features and Natural Regions · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Taiwan Strait is the stretch of sea between the island of Taiwan and mainland China. It is about 130-180 km wide. It links the East China Sea in the north with the South China Sea in the south. It is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, carrying much of the trade between North-East Asia and the rest of the world. China claims Taiwan, so the strait is also a flashpoint, a place where tension could turn into conflict.
Example
Chinese military drills around Taiwan, and US warships sailing through the strait, often make news. Any trouble here could disrupt shipping between East Asia and India.
Don't confuse with
- Strait of Malacca: this joins the Andaman Sea and the South China Sea, between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. China's oil supply depends on it heavily.
Related concepts
- Strait of Hormuz
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Strait of Malacca
- Mozambique Channel
- Strait of Gibraltar
- Bosphorus
- Turkish Straits
- Kerch Strait
- Bering Strait
- Drake Passage