From the 1,600 km Mozambique Channel to the ice-choked Denmark Strait, these are the ten longest straits on Earth — the narrow waterways that link oceans, steer global trade, and separate continents.
Quick answer: 1. Mozambique Channel, 2. Davis Strait, 3. Strait of Malacca, 4. Hudson Strait, 5. Makassar Strait, 6. Straits of Florida, 7. Strait of Tartary, 8. Strait of Magellan, 9. English Channel, 10. Denmark Strait.
A strait is a narrow passage of water connecting two larger bodies of water, usually lying between two landmasses. The longest straits are geological giants — some stretch more than 1,000 km and rank among the planet's most strategic maritime corridors, shaping shipping lanes, ecosystems, and geopolitics for centuries. Lengths below follow the commonly cited figures from reference works such as Encyclopaedia Britannica and Wikipedia (which draw on the International Hydrographic Organization's definitions of each water body). Where definitions differ, we use the widely published maximum length for each strait, ranked from longest to shortest.
The longest strait in the world, the Mozambique Channel separates Madagascar from mainland southeastern Africa (Mozambique) for about 1,600 km. The warm Mozambique Current flows southward through it, feeding the Agulhas Current, and its islands and reefs support rich fisheries and diving grounds.
Stretching about 1,000 km between Baffin Island (Canada) and Greenland, the Davis Strait is the world's broadest strait and a southern arm of the Arctic Ocean. It connects Baffin Bay to the Labrador Sea, carries icebergs south on the Labrador Current, and is renowned for fierce tides reaching 9–18 m.
The busiest strait on Earth, the Strait of Malacca runs about 930 km between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It carries roughly a quarter of the world's traded goods and a third of seaborne oil between the Indian and Pacific Oceans — more than 94,000 vessels transit it every year.
This 750 km passage links Hudson Bay to the Labrador Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, running between Baffin Island and the northern Quebec mainland. It is ice-choked and stormy for much of the year, yet it is the only deep-water shipping outlet for Canada's northern ports and a key corridor toward the Northwest Passage.
Running about 710 km between Borneo and Sulawesi in Indonesia, the Makassar Strait connects the Celebes Sea to the Java Sea. It is a major deep-water shipping route for large vessels and marks the Wallace Line, the famous biogeographical boundary separating Asian from Australasian fauna.
The Straits of Florida run about 650 km between the Florida Keys and Cuba, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with the Atlantic Ocean. Through this passage flows the Florida Current — the beginning of the Gulf Stream — and the strait is a heavily used shipping and migration route between the U.S. and the Caribbean.
Also called the Tatar Strait, this 632 km passage separates Russia's Sakhalin Island from the Asian mainland, connecting the Sea of Okhotsk with the Sea of Japan. Its northern section, the Amur Liman, is fed by the Amur River, and the strait is famous for extreme ice formation that halts shipping for months each winter.
Winding about 570 km through southern Chile, the Strait of Magellan separates mainland South America from Tierra del Fuego. It was the most important natural passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans until the Panama Canal opened, and it remains a sheltered alternative to the stormy Drake Passage.
Known in France as La Manche, the English Channel stretches about 560 km between southern England and northern France, linking the Atlantic Ocean to the North Sea. It is one of the world's busiest seaways, and since 1994 the Channel Tunnel has carried trains beneath its waters.
Separating Greenland from Iceland, the Denmark Strait runs about 480 km and connects the Greenland Sea (Arctic Ocean) with the Irminger Sea (Atlantic Ocean). It hosts the world's largest known underwater waterfall, the Denmark Strait Cataract, and was the site of the 1941 naval battle in which the Bismarck sank HMS Hood.
| # | Name | Country | Connects | Min width | Min depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mozambique Channel | Mozambique, Madagascar | Northern and southern Indian Ocean (separates Madagascar from mainland Africa) | 419 km | ~2,000 m |
| 2 | Davis Strait | Canada (Nunavut), Greenland (Denmark) | Baffin Bay (Arctic Ocean) to Labrador Sea (Atlantic Ocean) | ~300 km | ~1,000 m |
| 3 | Strait of Malacca | Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand | Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) to South China Sea (Pacific Ocean) | 38 km | 25 m |
| 4 | Hudson Strait | Canada | Hudson Bay to Labrador Sea (Atlantic Ocean) | 70 km | ~100 m |
| 5 | Makassar Strait | Indonesia | Celebes Sea to Java Sea | ~100 km | ~200 m |
| 6 | Straits of Florida | United States, Cuba | Gulf of Mexico to Atlantic Ocean | 150 km | ~90 m |
| 7 | Strait of Tartary | Russia | Sea of Okhotsk to Sea of Japan | 7 km | 4 m |
| 8 | Strait of Magellan | Chile | Atlantic Ocean to Pacific Ocean | 2 km | ~20 m |
| 9 | English Channel | United Kingdom, France | Atlantic Ocean to North Sea | 33 km | ~30 m |
| 10 | Denmark Strait | Greenland (Denmark), Iceland | Greenland Sea (Arctic Ocean) to Irminger Sea (Atlantic Ocean) | 290 km | 190 m |
Rankings are based on the maximum published length of each strait, as defined by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) boundaries and reported by reference sources including Encyclopaedia Britannica and Wikipedia. All straits included are genuine straits: narrow passages of water connecting two larger bodies of water and lying between landmasses. Widths and depths are reported at the narrowest/shallowest documented points.
The Mozambique Channel, between Madagascar and mainland Africa, is generally considered the longest strait in the world at about 1,600 km (1,000 miles).
No — at roughly 930 km, the Strait of Malacca is the third longest and the busiest strait in the world, carrying about 25% of global traded goods. It is sometimes incorrectly called the longest because it is the most commercially significant.
Straits are the shortest sea routes between oceans and seas, saving ships enormous time and fuel. Many are strategic chokepoints — such as the Strait of Malacca, Strait of Magellan, and English Channel — where a large share of world trade, energy supplies, and military movement concentrates.
The Bosphorus (Istanbul Strait), at about 700 m wide and 31 km long, is the narrowest strait used for international navigation. It is far too short to make the longest-straits list but connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean system.
Lengths follow the boundaries defined by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), measuring the passage from one defined entrance line to the other. Because definitions vary by authority, published lengths can differ slightly between sources.