Where is the English Channel on the map. The history of the formation of the island of Great Britain

The English Channel or the English Channel is a strait located between France and Great Britain. The country is connected by a road passing under water. It ranks third in the list of the longest railway tunnels. In ancient times, the strait had other names, for example, Oceanus Britannicus, Canal da Mancha, La Manica or Ermelkanal. The French say the English Channel, which means "sleeve", but what do the British call the bay? They prefer such a name as the English Channel. The length of the strait is 578 km, the width at the narrow point is 32 km, at the wide point it reaches 250 km, flows into the Pas de Calais. The average depth of the strait is 60 meters, and the maximum can be up to 170.

Cities located in the strait

The world map shows that a denser population is noted on the shores of England. The city of Portsmouth has 422 thousand inhabitants, Southampton - 304, and Plymouth - 259 thousand people. Most Big city, near the English Channel, in France - this is Le Havre. The population there is almost 250 thousand people. Calais has a population of 100,000, while Boulogne-sur-Mer has less than 90,000.

Crossing the strait by swimming

Swimmers from all over the world are trying to conquer the English Channel by swimming through the narrowest part (Pas de Calais, 32 km wide). Weather complicate this process, because the water temperature in summer does not rise above 18 degrees. Waves and wind sometimes reach 4 on the Beaufort scale. In addition, sometimes the current changes due to the tides. On the this moment A little more than 1,000 people swam across the strait. Some facts about it:

1. Matthew Webb is the first man to swim across the English Channel in 1875. The swim took almost 22 hours. The first woman in history was Gertrude Ederle, a resident of the United States of America, who made the journey in 14 hours and 39 minutes in 1926.
2. Population Soviet Union never participated in such an unusual sport. However, 12 years ago, Pavel Kuznetsov, a resident of Russia, swam across the English Channel in 14 hours and 33 minutes. In addition to him, several other compatriots tried their hand. The record was set by Yuri Kudinov, who covered the distance in just 7 hours and 5 minutes.
3. D. Cobell from Great Britain scored the slowest swim. He spent almost 29 hours swimming across the bay.
4. Philippe Croison is the first man without arms and legs to swim across the strait. The man used special prostheses, thanks to which he did not drown. Swimming took 14.5 hours.

The English Channel (fr. laManche - a sleeve), also the English Channel (English Channel) is a strait between the coast of France and the island of Great Britain.

Geographical position

At the Pas de Calais it connects the North Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. Length 578 km, width in the west 250 km, in the east 32 km, the smallest depth in the fairway 23.5 m. A tunnel was built under the English Channel (between Dover and Calais) (total length 52.5 km, including the bottom of the strait). Main ports: Portsmouth, Southampton, Le Havre, Cherbourg.

Invincible armada, towards death.

More than four centuries ago, two fleets met in the narrow English Channel. In fact, it was a clash of two religious systems, a confrontation between two monarchs of the 16th century - the Protestant Queen of England Elizabeth I and the Catholic King of Spain Philip II. The book “The Defeat of the Invincible Armada” notes that “for both the Spaniards and the British, the battle in the English Channel was a holy war against the forces of darkness and darkness, a life-and-death struggle” (TheDefeatoftheSpanishArmada).

For the British of that era, the Spanish Armada was "the most powerful fleet that ever went to the open sea." But the expedition of the armada turned out to be a tragedy - especially for those many thousands who lost their lives.

Dardanelles

The Dardanelles (an outdated, ancient Greek name is the Hellespont) is a strait between the European peninsula of Gallipoli (Turkey) and the northwest of Asia Minor. The coordinates of the Dardanelles are 40°15" north latitude and 26°31" east longitude.

The strait connects the Aegean Sea with the Sea of ​​Marmara, and paired with the Bosphorus with the Black Sea. In ancient times, the Dardanelles was called the Hellespont. The strait is 65 kilometers long and 1.3 to 6 kilometers wide. The average depth is 50 meters. On the Asian coast of the Dardanelles is the port city of Canakkale. Passed under the influence of the Turks in 1352.

Under an 1841 treaty, only Turkish warships were allowed to pass through the Dardanelles. During the First World War, heavy battles between Turkey and the Entente took place for the strategically important Dardanelles.

Strait of Dover aka Pas de Calais

Pas de Calais (fr. Pas de Calais, in English-speaking countries is called the Strait of Dover, English. Strait of Dover) - the strait between Great Britain and the mainland of Europe, serves as an entrance to the strait from the North Sea. Length - 37 kilometers, width - from 29 to 32 kilometers, depth - from 21 to 64 meters. The main ports: in the UK - Dover, in France - Calais, Boulogne and. The Eurotunnel passes under the Pas de Calais. The strait was formed in the Anthropogene during the sinking and flooding of the land between the mainland and the British Isles.

Dover Strait regime

The Strait of Dover (Pas de Calais) is of exceptional importance for navigation. Every day, a huge stream of ships is sent through it, both to the side Atlantic Ocean, and to the shores of many European states. It is estimated that 300,000 ships pass through the Strait of Dover every year, with at least 40 ships in the strait at any given time. Over 90 per cent of ships use a passage about 5 miles wide between Varna Bank and the English coast.

Cluster a large number ships in a narrow strait moving in different directions is the cause of frequent collisions and accidents in the area. According to one Norwegian insurer, almost half of all collisions in the world occur in the area stretching from the English Channel (English Channel) to the Elbe River.

In connection with the situation in this area, at the initiative of the coastal states, the question was raised of more precise regulation of the navigation of ships with the establishment of recommended courses and the division of ship traffic through the Strait of Dover into two streams.

For these purposes, back in 1961 in London, and then in Paris and Hamburg, a group of specialists was formed, which was instructed to prepare proposals for improving navigation, navigational fencing and creating special service information on vessel traffic in the Strait of Dover. All proposals are submitted for consideration and discussion at the meetings of the Maritime Safety Committee of the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) in order to prepare uniform rules for navigation of ships in the Dover Strait and adopt them on an international scale.

Eurotunnel

Under the Strait of Dover and under the English Channel there is a railway tunnel connecting continental Europe with the UK, opened on May 6, 1994. As a symbol of the uniting Europe, at one time he held the title of the longest tunnel in the world, in this capacity he was replaced by the Seikan Tunnel (connects the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido). The tunnel has a length of about 51 kilometers, 39 of which are directly at the bottom of the sea. The American Society of Civil Engineers has declared the Eurotunnel one of the seven wonders of the world today.

The English Channel is one of the most famous maritime shipping routes in the world. Cliffs drop sheer into its waters on the French coast, in Normandy.

The English Channel is called by the French and the whole world. The English - with the patriotism of the islanders and perseverance, worthy of respect. - they call this strait the English Channel.

Looking at history, one might think that the strait itself “plays” for England, because it saved her many times from continental invaders. However, the English Channel is equally harsh to everyone: its waters have become the grave of millions of people and ships. However, at the end of the XX century. he still managed to be tamed, the breakthrough of the tunnel is one of the longest in the world.

WATER BARRIER

The English Channel is a French name. The British call this strait British or (in direct translation) English channel. The latter has an older origin:
the ancient Romans called body of water, separating Britain from the continent, "Mare Britanicum", or "British Sea".


In the II century. BC e. the ancient Greek scientist Herodotus called this water isthmus "Oceanus Britannicus". An interesting situation has developed around the name "English Channel". French variant has been known since the 17th century. and means sleeve. The Spaniards called the strait El Canal de la Mancha, the Portuguese called Canal da Mancha, the Italians La Manica, the Germans Ermelkanal.

The desire of each of the peoples to remake the name in their own way betrayed a persistent desire to claim ownership of these small, but significant waters. Control of the strait provided colossal advantages. Firstly, it was the closest route to England, and secondly, the shortest route to the Baltic Sea. Despite the wayward nature of the English Channel - frequent fogs, gale-force winds, high tides and treacherous currents - political and commercial importance outweighed all natural barriers.

According to the most rough estimates, the remains of several million people and tens of thousands of ships lie at the bottom of the strait: from Roman galleys to diesel submarines. Such is the price of the centuries-old battle for the strait.

None of this would have happened if the British Isles had remained part of continental Europe 10 thousand years ago, during last glaciation(Pleistocene). But the land in these places lay 120 m below sea level, and as the glaciers melted, water filled the lowlands, forming what we now call the English Channel.

AT peacetime the strait served a noble purpose: it was a kind of water bridge through which there was a cultural exchange between the Celts and the peoples of inner Europe, contributing to the formation of new languages ​​and nationalities. This is indicated by the obvious similarity of many dialects and customs common on both sides of the strait.

However, in difficult times for the population of Britain, the strait became a natural barrier to the conquerors, although not for everyone. The ancient Romans managed to successfully cross the strait and conquer Britain in the 1st century BC. n. e., Normans in 1066, William III of Orange in 1688

Beginning with Elizabeth I (1533-1603), politics English kings in the strait was to prevent an invasion of England from the continent. To do this, the British ensured that none of the major European powers controlled important ports on the other side of the strait. Formation british empire it would have been impossible if the British had not established the most severe control over the English Channel in their time.

The rise of England as "Queen of the Seas" began after 1588, when the Spanish "Invincible Armada" perished along its coast, partly in the English Channel, where it was covered by one of the fierce English Channel storms. On the occasion of the queen's victory Elizabeth III ordered to mint a medal with the Latin inscription Adflavit Deus et dissipati sunt ("God blew - and they scattered").

France tried twice more to conquer England: during the Seven Years' War (1756-63) and during the Napoleonic Wars (1800-15). Both times the "guests from the continent" gathered a huge fleet, but never invaded the island. a significant role all the same famous English Channel winds and storms played here, to spite the French, which began on the most favorable day for the invasion.

Whatever name the strait bears and whoever it belongs to, it applies equally to sailors on both sides. Hurricane winds, heavy rain, giant waves, high tides and thick fog - common occurrence in quiet places. Before the opening of the Eurotunnel, bad weather created big problems for ferries.

NEW HORIZONS

20th century showed that the importance of the English Channel as a defensive line did not decrease at all even with the development of aviation and rocket science. But with the end of the era of world wars, the English Channel again became a link between England and Europe.

Fisher, First Lord of the British Admiralty, declared shortly before the outbreak of the First World War: "Five keys keep the world shut: Singapore, Cape Town, Alexandria, Gibraltar and Dover." The importance of the English Channel port of Dover remained decisive for the defense of the strait.


On July 25, 1909, Frenchman Louis Blériot crossed the English Channel for the first time in his monoplane, starting at Calais and landing at Dover. The British were made clear that the English Channel was no longer an insurmountable barrier for enemy troops. In addition, Germany began to hastily build submarines, which was an even greater threat to England. The British had to fight on land in order to get close to the German submarine bases, but only in 1918, when the war was drawing to a close, the threat of an invasion of England from under the water was finally eliminated during the famous Zeebrugee Raid and the complete naval blockade of Germany .

During World War II, the theater of operations at sea moved to the Atlantic, as the shallow waters and narrow inlets of the English Channel were too dangerous for large-capacity ships. Having abandoned a direct invasion (Operation Sea Lion), the German troops concentrated on submarine warfare, laying minefields and rocket-and-artillery attacks on England across the strait.

In May 1940 the British expeditionary corps, who fought on the side of France, along with the remnants of the French army, retreated through Dunkirk under the onslaught of the advancing german army. It was the greatest rescue operation in the history of wars: in just a few days, 338,000 soldiers were evacuated during Operation Dainemo

During 1940-1945, the Germans built the most powerful fortifications on the continental side of the strait, called the Atlantic Wall. Many have survived to this day, becoming tourist attractions. German troops managed to occupy several islands in the strait, but did not advance further. The Atlantic Wall fell in 1944, during the opening of the Second Front and the implementation of Operation Overlord to land Allied troops in Normandy.


After the end of the war and with the beginning of the unification of Europe, the issue of transport links between the British Isles and the continent became acute. Ferry crossings were morally and technologically outdated and could not cope with the transportation of goods, cars and railway cars. About 3.5 million people lived on the banks of the English Channel, in dire need of a modern crossing.

The idea of ​​building a tunnel under the English Channel has a long history. Back in 1802, the French engineer Albert Mathieu-Favier proposed a project for a tunnel for traveling in carriages by the light of oil lamps. There were other projects, and even construction began: twice in 1876 and 1922, but both times the construction was frozen for political reasons.


Tunnel in the English Channel, "Channel"

New project was launched in 1973 The underground crossing was opened in 1994 and was named the Eurotunnel. This is a double track Railway about 51 km long (39 km under the English Channel). Thanks to the tunnel, it is now possible to get from Paris to London in 2 hours and 15 minutes; in the tunnel itself, the trains are 20-35 min.

Channel Tunnel photography

1. The Channel Tunnel is the longest in the world underwater tunnel passes under the English Channel and connects England with France.


2. The length of the tunnel is 50 kilometers, 38 of them are laid under the seabed. The tunnel under the strait was opened in 1994 as part of a modern transport system.


3. Over the past 200 years, many ways have been proposed to overcome the English Channel. The tunnel project was proposed in 1802, and after 90 years the development of the project began.

4. Even Napoleon III suggested crossing the strait. So Queen Victoria, in agreement with Napoleon III in 1860, approved a new french plan tunnel, and began construction, however, the tunnel did not advance further than 2 km.


5. Now there are three tunnels: two railway and one service, the distance between each is 30 meters. On the English coast, work began in December 1987, and on the French coast a little later. Both sides spent a month laying each kilometer. The tunneling took three years.


6. The tunnels are laid 45 meters below the seabed.


7. Thanks to the tunnel, you can easily visit London from Paris in just 2 hours and 15 minutes, given that the trains are in the tunnel itself from 20 to 35 minutes.


8. The diameter of the tunnels is 7.3 meters, the length of each tunnel is about 50 kilometers, of which 38 pass under the water.


9. The tunnel under the Channel is a truly grandiose tunnel, it is also called the "Eurotunnel".


10. Cars carry trains, cars simply enter special cars and leave at the other end.


11. The tunnel was opened in 1994 on May 6, Elizabeth II and President Mitterrand. This is how we saw the Channel Tunnel and its photographs.

CURIOUS FACTS

Heards Deep - a depression at the bottom of the English Channel - was used by the British during the First World War for burial chemical weapons. After the Second World War, German weapons were flooded here. Similar operations continued until 1974. In the period 1946-73. the depression was used to flood radioactive waste.

Eurostar trains travel through the Eurotunnel at a speed of 160 km/h.

The Channel Islands, which are part of the two crown dependencies of Jersey and Guernsey, are under the jurisdiction of the British monarchy, but are not part of the UK and are not part of the EU, although they are part of the customs territory of the EU.

On about. Sark (Channel Islands) until 2008, the feudal system of government was preserved - the last in Europe. The island was governed by a council of elders.

The giant sea eel, or conger, living in the English Channel, reaches a length of 3 m and weighs more than 100 kg

On about. Alderney (Channel Islands) operates the only railway on the islands. Built in 1847, 3 km long, open only in summer, on weekends
and public holidays.

British swimmer Matthew Webb was the first in the history of mankind to cross the English Channel in 1875 in 21 hours and 45 minutes. The slowest swim across the strait - 28 hours 44 minutes. (Jackie Cobell, UK, 2010).

In the II century, BC. e. the ancient Greek scientist Herodotus called this water isthmus "Oceanus Britannicus".
An interesting situation has developed around the name "English Channel". The French version has been known since the 17th century. and means sleeve. The Spaniards called the strait El Canal de la Mancha, the Portuguese called Canal da Mancha, the Italians La Manica, the Germans Ermelkanal.
The desire of each of the peoples to remake the name in their own way betrayed a persistent desire to claim ownership of these small, but significant waters. Control of the strait provided colossal advantages. Firstly, it was the closest way to England, and secondly, the shortest way to. Despite the wayward character of the English Channel - frequent fogs, gale-force winds, high tides and treacherous currents - political and commercial importance outweighed all natural barriers.
According to the most rough estimates, the remains of several million people and tens of thousands of ships lie at the bottom of the strait: from Roman galleys to diesel submarines. Such is the price of the centuries-old battle for the strait.
None of this would have happened if the British Isles had remained part of continental Europe 10,000 years ago, during the last glaciation (Pleistocene). But the land in these places lay 120 m below sea level, and as the glaciers melted, water filled the lowlands, forming what we now call the English Channel.
In times of peace, the strait served a noble purpose: it was a kind of water bridge, through which there was a cultural exchange between the Celts and the peoples of inner Europe, contributing to the formation of new languages ​​and nationalities. This is indicated by the obvious similarity of many dialects and customs common on both sides of the strait.
However, in difficult times for the population of Britain, the strait became a natural barrier to the conquerors, although not for everyone. The ancient Romans managed to successfully cross the strait and conquer Britain in the 1st century BC. n. e., Normans in 1066, William III of Orange in 1688.
Beginning with Elizabeth I (1533-1603), the policy of the English kings in the area of ​​the strait was to prevent an invasion of England from the continent. To do this, the British ensured that none of the major European powers controlled important ports on the other side of the strait. The formation of the British Empire would have been impossible if the British had not established the most severe control over the English Channel in their time.
The rise of England as "Queen of the Seas" began after 1588, when the Spanish "Invincible Armada" perished along its coast, partly in the English Channel, where it was covered by one of the fierce English Channel storms. On the occasion of the victory, Queen Elizabeth III ordered the minting of a medal with the Latin inscription Adflavit Deus et dissipati sunt ("God blew and they scattered").
France tried twice more to conquer England: during the Seven Years' War (1756-63) and during the Napoleonic Wars (1800-15). Both times the "guests from the continent" gathered a huge fleet, but never invaded the island. A significant role was played here by all the same famous English Channel winds and storms, which, to spite the French, began on the most favorable day for the invasion.
Fisher, First Lord of the British Admiralty, declared shortly before the outbreak of the First World War: "Five keys keep the world shut: Singapore, Cape Town, Alexandria, Gibraltar and Dover." The importance of the English Channel port of Dover remained decisive for the defense of the strait.
On July 25, 1909, Frenchman Louis Blériot crossed the English Channel for the first time in his monoplane, starting at Calais and landing at Dover. The British were made clear that the English Channel was no longer an insurmountable barrier to enemy forces. In addition, Germany began to hastily build submarines, which was an even greater threat to England. The British had to fight on land in order to get close to the German submarine bases, but only in 1918, when the war was drawing to a close, the threat of an invasion of England from under the water was finally eliminated during the famous Zeebrugee Raid and the complete naval blockade of Germany .
During World War II, the theater of operations at sea moved to the Atlantic, as the shallow waters and narrow inlets of the English Channel were too dangerous for large-capacity ships. Having abandoned a direct invasion (Operation Sea Lion), the German troops concentrated on submarine warfare, laying minefields and rocket and artillery shelling of England across the strait.
In May 1940, the British Expeditionary Force, which fought on the side of France, retreated through Dunkirk along with the remnants of the French army under the onslaught of the advancing German army. It was the most ambitious rescue operation in the history of wars: in just a few days, 338,000 soldiers were evacuated during Operation Dainemo.
During 1940-1945, the Germans built the most powerful fortifications on the continental side of the strait, called the Atlantic Wall. Many have survived to this day, becoming tourist attractions. German troops managed to occupy several islands in the strait, but did not advance further. The Atlantic Wall fell in 1944, during the opening of the Second Front and the implementation of Operation Overlord to land Allied troops in Normandy.
After the end of the war and with the beginning of the unification of Europe, the issue of transport links between the British Isles and the continent became acute. Ferry crossings were morally and technologically outdated and could not cope with the transportation of goods, cars and railway cars. About 3.5 million people lived on the banks of the English Channel, in dire need of a modern crossing.
The idea of ​​building a tunnel under the English Channel has a long history. Back in 1802, the French engineer Albert Mathieu-Favier proposed a project for a tunnel for traveling in carriages by the light of oil lamps. There were other projects, and even construction began: twice in 1876 and 1922. But both times the construction was frozen for political reasons.
The new project was launched in 1973. The underground crossing was opened in 1994 and was named the Eurotunnel. This is a double-track railway with a length of about 51 km (39 km under the English Channel). Thanks to the tunnel, it is now possible to get from Paris to London in 2 hours and 15 minutes; in the tunnel itself, the trains are 20-35 min.

general information

The English Channel, together with the Pas de Calais, connects the North Sea with the Atlantic Ocean

The most important ports: United Kingdom- Portsmouth, Southampton, Dover; France- Le Havre, Calais, Cherbourg, Dunkirk, Dieppe, Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Largest islands: Isle of Wight (Great Britain), (Jersey and Guernsey), under the jurisdiction of Great Britain, off the coast of France.
Peninsulas: Cornwall (UK), Cotentin (France).
Rivers flowing into the strait: Seine, Somme, Orna, Vira (France); Ex, Dort, Tamer, Fal (Great Britain).
Languages: English, French, dialects of the population of the shores of the strait (Gallo, Mor Bretannec, Het Canaal, Ermel Canal, etc.).
Monetary units: pound sterling, euro.

Numbers

Area: 75,000 km2.
Length: 560 km.
Width: from 34 km (between Dover, UK, and Calais, France) to 240 km (between Mont Saint-Michel, France, and Devon, UK).
Average depth at widest section: 120 m
Average depth at the narrowest section: 45 m
Minimum depth on the fairway: 23.5 m
Maximum depth on the fairway: 172 m (underwater low Heards Deep).
Average current speed: 12-13 km/h near the city of Portland. Great Britain, 15-18.5 km/h at Cape Ag France.
Maximum tidal wave height: 15 m (city of Saint-Malo, France).
Average salinity: over 35% ° .

Economy

Shipping.
Minerals: building sand and gravel.
Fishing: turbot (halibut), flounder, stingray, mackerel, whiting, sea eel (conger). Breeding oysters.
Services sector: tourism, transport.

Climate and weather

Moderate maritime, significant influence of the Atlantic Ocean.
Average air temperature:+4°С in winter, +18°С in summer.
The average temperature of the surface layer of water: January: +6°С; July: +19°С.
Average annual rainfall: 830 mm.
Average annual cloudiness: 7 points.
Average number of foggy days per year: in the west - 34, in the east - 101. Storms in autumn and winter.
Relative humidity: 85-100%.

Attractions

■ Eurotunnel (France - Great Britain);
■ Seven Sisters Cretaceous Reefs (Great Britain);
■ Allied landing site (Normandy, France);
■ Guernsey Island (Channel Islands, UK): Cornet Castle (1206-1256), Victoria Tower (1848), forts, small chapel, mills;
■ The ruins of the "Atlantic wall" (France);
■ Cotentin Peninsula: Cherbourg city, Cape Flamanville (France);
■ Lighthouses of the Brittany Peninsula (France);
■ Needle Rocks (Great Britain).

Curious facts

■ Herds Deep - a depression at the bottom of the English Channel - was used by the British during the First World War to bury chemical weapons. After the Second World War, German weapons were flooded here. Similar operations continued until 1974. In the period 194673. the depression was used to flood radioactive waste.
■ Eurostar trains travel through the Eurotunnel at a speed of 160 km/h.
■ The Channel Islands, part of the two Crown Dependencies of Jersey and Guernsey, are under the jurisdiction of the British Monarchy, but are not part of the UK and are not part of the EU, although they are part of the customs territory of the EU.
■ The island of Sark (Channel Islands) until 2008 retained a feudal system of government - the last in Europe. The island was governed by a council of elders.
■ The giant sea eel, or conger, living in the English Channel, reaches a length of 3 m and weighs more than 100 kg.
■ Alderney Island (Channel Islands) has the only railway on the islands. Built in 1847, 3 km long, open only in summer, on weekends and public holidays.
■ The British swimmer Matthew Webb was the first in the history of mankind to cross the English Channel in 1875 in 21 hours and 45 minutes. The slowest swim across the strait - 28 hours 44 minutes. (Jackie Cobell, UK, 2010)

It is called Dover. The Eurotunnel passes under its bottom. This is the famous English Channel, which is a surprisingly curious piece of land. And it is interesting not only for its landscapes, but also for its origin. What is the name of the most narrow part English Channel? Its location and features will be discussed in this article.

Geographical position of the English Channel

The strait connects the Atlantic Ocean with North Sea. Its length is 578 kilometers, the width in the western part is 250 km, in the eastern part - 130 km. The smallest depth is 23.5 meters.

It is important to note that a unique tunnel has been built between the cities of Calais and Dover (as the narrowest part of the English Channel is called, we will learn a little lower).

More than 52 km (38 km of the route is located directly under the strait) is its length.

The main ports are Le Havre, Portsmouth, Cherbourg and Southampton. There are also islands, the largest of which are located off the coast of Great Britain (Isle of Wight) and off the coast of France (Channel Islands).

The history of the formation of the island of Great Britain

AT Ancient Rome this strait was called Oceanus Britannicus, which translates as "British Ocean". As time went on, it got smaller and smaller. In it had the name - "British Sea", and today the sailors call this place simply "the sleeve" (The Sleeve).

Theoretically, on the site of the English Channel in ancient times there were low-lying lands (something like the Netherlands). Then the level of the sea surface began to rise and fill the vast valleys with ocean waters. This place became the bottom of the current strait that separated Great Britain from the mainland.

Before we find out which is the narrowest part of the English Channel, let's consider another theory of the origin of this strait.

A new version

More than 20 years ago, another, one might say, catastrophic theory of the development of events appeared. Most of geographers perceives it as a bit far-fetched.

The journal Nature has published Research Article London scientists from Imperial College, which said that the strait separating Great Britain and France was formed as a result of other natural processes. They believe that the cause of the birth of the English Channel was the catastrophic outflow of water from a huge lake, which was formed as a result of the confluence of the Rhine and Thames in the Ice Age.

Sanjeev Gupta, the head of these studies, said that more than 420 thousand years ago, Britain and France were connected by the Veld-Artois anticline. This is a chalk ridge, the height of which reached 180 meters precisely in the area of ​​the strait under consideration, and lowlands lay in the western part of it. Water from the Rhine, Thames and other rivers flowed here through the North Sea.

And when the glaciers blocked the river water began to accumulate in a closed space, subsequently forming a huge lake, which was fed by rivers and the melting of the glacier.

What is the name of the narrowest part of the English Channel, its location

This site is located between the mother part of Europe and the island of Great Britain.

This is a magnificent place with beautiful landscapes, where on a clear sunny day you can see the buildings located on the other side of the strait, and at night you can see bright luminous lights.

The narrowest part of the English Channel is called the Pas de Calais or the Strait of Dover. Its width is only 32 km. It is located just between the French city of Calais and the English port of Dover. A passenger boat crosses the Pas de Calais in 1.5-2 hours. In this place, under water, the Eurotunnel was built.

Description

There is an expression in geology - a megaflood. They denote events that have occurred over the past 500 years in the territory that is now a water barrier between the islands of Britain and the continent. It's about about the same La Manche.

Translated from French, the English Channel means "sleeve". In the UK it is called the "English Channel". Its length is about 560 km, and its maximum width is 240 km. Approximately 34 km wide is the narrowest part of the English Channel.

Curious facts about the strait in general

• During the First World War, the Heards Deep depression, located at the bottom of the English Channel, was used by the British to bury chemical weapons. And after World War II (1941-1945), German weapons were flooded here. From 1946 to 1973, radioactive isotopes were buried here.
• The very first swimmer in human history to swim across the English Channel was Matthew Webb. This swim in 1875 lasted almost 22 hours (15 minutes less).
• Eurostar trains travel through the Eurotunnel at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour.
• On one of the islands of the strait called Sark, feudalism remained until 2008. The island was ruled until this very moment by the last island in Europe with this kind of management.
• In the English Channel lives a giant eel, whose weight exceeds 100 kilograms, and the length reaches 3 meters.
• The only railway operating on the island of Alderney (Channel Islands), built in 1847. Its length is 3 km. It works only in the summer and only on weekends and holidays.

We learned the name of the narrowest part of the English Channel, found out the history of the strait itself and realized that this place is one of the most interesting corners of the planet Earth.