Pariksha SaathiLesson 10 of 10 · Physical and World Geography
The World Map: Straits, Canals, Boundary Lines, Capitals, Landlocked and Island Countries
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Straits of Asia and Africa
A strait is a narrow sea passage that joins two larger water bodies and separates two land masses. The Strait of Malacca, between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra, joins the Andaman Sea of the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea; the Sunda Strait lies between Java and Sumatra. The Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman, links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. The Bab-el-Mandeb, between Yemen and Djibouti, joins the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The Palk Strait separates India from Sri Lanka, and the Mozambique Channel separates Madagascar from mainland Africa.
Straits of Europe, the Americas and Oceania
The Strait of Gibraltar, between Spain and Morocco, joins the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. The Bosphorus at Istanbul joins the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles join the Sea of Marmara with the Aegean Sea; together they separate Europe from Asia. The Strait of Dover separates England from France. The Bering Strait between Russia and Alaska joins the Arctic Ocean with the Pacific. The Strait of Magellan cuts across the tip of South America, and the Drake Passage separates South America from Antarctica. The Bass Strait separates Tasmania from mainland Australia, and the Cook Strait separates the North and South Islands of New Zealand.
Canals and isthmuses
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land joining two larger land masses, and ship canals are often cut through one. The Suez Canal, opened in 1869 under Ferdinand de Lesseps, cuts the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt to join the Mediterranean at Port Said with the Red Sea at Suez; it has no locks because the two seas are at nearly the same level. The Panama Canal, opened in 1914, cuts the Isthmus of Panama to join the Atlantic with the Pacific, lifting ships through locks; the USA handed it over to Panama at the end of 1999. The Kiel Canal in Germany links the North Sea with the Baltic Sea, the Corinth Canal cuts the Isthmus of Corinth in Greece, and the Welland Canal joins Lake Erie with Lake Ontario, bypassing Niagara Falls.
Famous boundary lines
The Radcliffe Line, drawn by Sir Cyril Radcliffe in 1947, separates India from Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Durand Line (1893), named after Sir Mortimer Durand, separates Afghanistan and Pakistan. The McMahon Line, drawn at the Simla Conference of 1914 by Sir Henry McMahon, is the India-China boundary in the east, which China does not accept. The Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir began as the ceasefire line of 1949 and took its present name under the Simla Agreement of 1972. The 38th parallel divided Korea into northern and southern zones in 1945, and the armistice line of 1953 runs close to it; the 17th parallel divided North and South Vietnam from 1954 until reunification in 1976; and the 49th parallel forms much of the USA-Canada border west of the Great Lakes. The Oder-Neisse Line is the Germany-Poland border.
Capitals on rivers
In Europe, London stands on the Thames, Paris on the Seine, Rome on the Tiber, Berlin on the Spree, Moscow on the Moskva, Warsaw on the Vistula, Prague on the Vltava, Lisbon on the Tagus and Kyiv on the Dnieper, while Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade all stand on the Danube. In Asia, Baghdad is on the Tigris, Bangkok on the Chao Phraya, Hanoi on the Red River, Phnom Penh and Vientiane on the Mekong, Dhaka on the Buriganga and Seoul on the Han. In Africa, Cairo is on the Nile, Khartoum at the meeting of the Blue and White Nile, and Kinshasa and Brazzaville face each other across the Congo. In the Americas, Washington DC is on the Potomac, Ottawa on the Ottawa River, and Buenos Aires and Montevideo on the Rio de la Plata estuary.
Landlocked countries
A landlocked country has no sea coast. Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country and Mongolia the second largest, while Ethiopia has the most people of any. Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein are doubly landlocked, surrounded only by other landlocked countries, and Lesotho, San Marino and Vatican City are enclaves, each wholly surrounded by one country. Asia's landlocked states include Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, the five Central Asian republics and Laos, the only one in South-East Asia. Europe's include Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia and Belarus; Africa's include Chad, Niger, Mali, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana; and South America has two, Bolivia and Paraguay.
Island countries
Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country, and the Philippines is another great archipelago. Japan has four main islands, Honshu (the largest), Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku. Several islands are shared: New Guinea by Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, Borneo by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, Hispaniola by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and Timor by Indonesia and Timor-Leste. Madagascar, the fourth largest island, is famous for its lemurs. Sri Lanka, the Maldives (the lowest-lying country in the world), Iceland (astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge), Cuba (the largest island of the Caribbean) and New Zealand are other island nations that exams ask about.
Key facts
- Malacca Strait: Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) to South China Sea, between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra. Sunda Strait: between Java and Sumatra.
- Hormuz: Persian Gulf to Gulf of Oman (Iran and Oman). Bab-el-Mandeb: Red Sea to Gulf of Aden (Yemen and Djibouti). Palk Strait: India and Sri Lanka.
- Gibraltar: Mediterranean to Atlantic (Spain and Morocco). Bosphorus and Dardanelles: Black Sea to Aegean Sea through the Sea of Marmara, separating Europe and Asia.
- Bering Strait: Russia and Alaska. Bass Strait: Australia and Tasmania. Cook Strait: North and South Islands of New Zealand. Drake Passage: South America and Antarctica.
- Suez Canal (1869): Port Said on the Mediterranean to Suez on the Red Sea, no locks. Panama Canal (1914): Atlantic to Pacific, with locks. Kiel Canal: North Sea to Baltic Sea.
- Boundary lines: Radcliffe (India-Pakistan, 1947), Durand (Afghanistan-Pakistan, 1893), McMahon (India-China, 1914), 38th parallel (the two Koreas), 49th parallel (USA-Canada), Oder-Neisse (Germany-Poland).
- Capitals on the Danube: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade. Kinshasa and Brazzaville face each other across the Congo; Khartoum stands where the Blue and White Nile meet.
- Planned or split capitals: Nigeria's capital is Abuja, Pakistan's Islamabad, Myanmar's Naypyidaw; South Africa has three: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial).
- Landlocked: Kazakhstan largest, Mongolia second, Ethiopia most populous; Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein doubly landlocked; Bolivia and Paraguay in South America; Laos the only one in South-East Asia.
- Shared islands: New Guinea (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea), Borneo (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei), Hispaniola (Haiti, Dominican Republic), Timor (Indonesia, Timor-Leste).
Quick revision
Malacca: Andaman Sea to South China Sea; Hormuz: Persian Gulf to Gulf of Oman; Bab-el-Mandeb: Red Sea to Gulf of Aden; Gibraltar: Mediterranean to Atlantic; Bosphorus and Dardanelles divide Europe and Asia; Bering: Russia and Alaska; Suez 1869 without locks; Panama 1914 with locks; Kiel: North Sea to Baltic; Radcliffe 1947, Durand 1893, McMahon 1914, 38th parallel Korea, 49th parallel USA-Canada; Danube capitals Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade; Kazakhstan largest landlocked; Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein doubly landlocked; Indonesia largest archipelagic country.