What Does Strait Mean?

Strait means a narrow strip of water. This water body is usually situated between areas of land. A strait also joins two bigger water bodies with each other. Channel, passage and firth are other terms that are synonymous with strait. Straits are often very significant in economic contexts because they lie on important shipping routes. Many wars in history were fought for the controlling vital straits.

Artificial straits are also built to connect two important water bodies with each other. They are known as canals. Some of the important straits in the world are the Strait of Dover, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Strait of Malacca and the Bass Strait. Water in straits does not usually run in the same direction as in the case of rivers. They are similar to isthmuses with the only difference that straits connect water bodies while isthmuses connect two large land masses