The narrowest part of the English Channel. Crossing the strait by swimming

 /  / 50.18361; -0.53111(G) (I)Coordinates : 50°11′01″ s. sh. 0°31′52″ W d. /  50.18361° N sh. 0.53111° W d./ 50.18361; -0.53111(G) (I) English Channel English Channel

English Channel or English channel(fr. la Manche[MFA (fr.) : ], English. English Channel[MFA: [ˈɪŋ.glɪʃ ˈtʃæn.(ə)l]]) is a strait between the coast of France and the island of Great Britain. Since 1994, the world's third longest river has passed under the strait. railway tunnel- Eurotunnel.

Geographical position

origin of name

The word English Channel was borrowed from French name strait (fr. la Manche- sleeve), which was first mentioned in the XVII century. Apparently, it appeared due to specific form strait in the form of a sleeve. In many languages, including Slavic, the strait is called in a similar way: in Spanish - El Canal de la Mancha, in Portuguese - Canal da Mancha, German - Ermelkanal (Ermel in German - sleeve). The clear exception is English language, where is the title English Channel means "English Strait", the origin of which is not known for certain. Perhaps this was due to the settlement of the Angles (together with the Saxons) on the British island, who managed to oust the Romans from the island and form their own state there for the next five centuries. The Angles came from the territory of modern Denmark, and in the Scandinavian languages ​​the name of the channel is the same as the English version.

Crossing the English Channel by swimming

Swimmers cross the English Channel (more precisely, its narrowest part - Pas de Calais, Strait of Dover, 32 km) in difficult conditions: cold water (15-18 ° C in summer), waves and wind (swims take place with waves up to 4 points on the Beaufort scale inclusive), as well as currents caused by ebbs and flows. In this regard, in the entire history of the English Channel, about 1000 people were able to overcome (as of 2012) - this is less than number people who have climbed Everest.

The record among men since 2012 belongs to Trent Grimsey (Australia) (6:55); among women - the Czech swimmer Ivetta Hlavachova (2006, 7 hours 25 minutes 15 seconds).

Crossing the English Channel in vehicles

Ecology

Like any busy shipping line, there are security issues in the English Channel. environment because of ships with toxic cargoes and oil tankers, in large quantities passing the strait. About 40% of pollution incidents in the UK occur in the English Channel and its environs. For example, in the crash of the Napoli container ship in 2007, about 1,700 tons of dangerous goods were thrown onto the shores of Lime Bay (Jurassic Coast).

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Notes

Literature

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

An excerpt characterizing the English Channel

- I had the pleasure, - answered Prince Andrei, - not only to participate in the retreat, but also to lose in this retreat everything that he had dear, not to mention the estates and home... a father who died of grief. I am from Smolensk.
- And? .. Are you Prince Bolkonsky? It’s a hell of a place to meet: Lieutenant Colonel Denisov, better known as Vaska, said Denisov, shaking Prince Andrei’s hand and peering into Bolkonsky’s face with especially kind attention. Yes, I heard, ”he said sympathetically and, after a pause, continued : - Here is the Scythian war. This is all hog "osho, but not for those who puff with their sides. Are you Prince Andg "hey Bolkonsky?" He shook his head. "Very hell, prince, very hell to meet you," he added again with a sad smile, shaking his hand.
Prince Andrei knew Denisov from Natasha's stories about her first fiancé. This recollection both sweetly and painfully carried him now to those painful sensations of which he recent times I had not thought about it for a long time, but which were still in his soul. Recently, there have been so many other and such serious impressions as leaving Smolensk, his arrival in the Bald Mountains, recently known about the death of his father - so many sensations were experienced by him that these memories had not come to him for a long time and, when they did, had no effect on him. him with the same strength. And for Denisov, the series of memories that Bolkonsky’s name evoked was the distant, poetic past, when, after dinner and Natasha’s singing, without knowing how, he proposed to a fifteen-year-old girl. He smiled at the memories of that time and his love for Natasha, and immediately turned to what passionately and exclusively now occupied him. This was the campaign plan he had come up with while serving in the outposts during the retreat. He presented this plan to Barclay de Tolly and now intended to present it to Kutuzov. The plan was based on the fact that the French line of operations was too long and that instead of, or at the same time, acting from the front, blocking the way for the French, it was necessary to act on their messages. He began to explain his plan to Prince Andrei.
“They can't hold this whole line. This is impossible, I answer that pg "og" vu them; give me five hundred people, I g "azog" vu them, this is veg "but! One system is pag" tizanskaya.
Denisov stood up and, making gestures, outlined his plan to Bolkonsky. In the middle of his exposition, the cries of the army, more incoherent, more widespread and merging with music and songs, were heard at the place of the review. There was a clatter and screams in the village.
“He’s on his way,” shouted the Cossack, who was standing at the gate, “he’s on his way!” Bolkonsky and Denisov moved up to the gate, at which a handful of soldiers (guard of honor) stood, and saw Kutuzov advancing along Kutuzov Street, riding a short bay horse. A huge retinue of generals rode behind him. Barclay rode almost alongside; a crowd of officers ran after them and around them and shouted "Hurrah!".
Adjutants galloped ahead of him into the yard. Kutuzov, impatiently pushing his horse, which was ambling under his weight, and constantly nodding his head, put his hand to the misfortune of the cavalry guard (with a red band and without a visor) cap that was on him. Having approached the guard of honor of the young grenadiers, for the most part cavaliers who were saluting him, for a minute he silently, attentively looked at them with a commanding stubborn look and turned to the crowd of generals and officers standing around him. His face suddenly took on a subtle expression; he shrugged his shoulders with a gesture of bewilderment.
- And with such good fellows, everything retreats and retreats! - he said. “Well, goodbye, general,” he added, and touched the horse through the gate past Prince Andrei and Denisov.
- Hooray! Hurrah! Hurrah! shouted from behind him.
Since Prince Andrei had not seen him, Kutuzov had grown fat, flabby and swollen with fat. But the familiar white eye, and the wound, and the expression of weariness in his face and figure were the same. He was dressed in a uniform frock coat (a whip on a thin belt hung over his shoulder) and in a white cavalry guard cap. He, heavily blurring and swaying, sat on his cheerful horse.
“Fu… fu… fu…” he whistled almost audibly as he drove into the yard. His face expressed the joy of reassuring a man who intends to rest after the representation. He took his left leg out of the stirrup, falling down with his whole body and grimacing from the effort, with difficulty brought it onto the saddle, leaned on his knee, grunted and went down on his hands to the Cossacks and adjutants who supported him.
He recovered, looked around with his narrowed eyes, and looking at Prince Andrei, apparently not recognizing him, walked with his diving gait to the porch.
“Fu… fu… fu,” he whistled and looked back at Prince Andrei. The impression of Prince Andrei's face only after a few seconds (as is often the case with old people) was associated with the memory of his personality.
“Ah, hello, prince, hello, my dear, let’s go ...” he said wearily, looking around, and heavily entered the porch, creaking under his weight. He unbuttoned and sat down on a bench on the porch.
- Well, what about the father?
“Yesterday I received news of his death,” said Prince Andrei shortly.
Kutuzov scared open eyes looked at Prince Andrei, then took off his cap and crossed himself: “God rest his soul! May the will of God be over all of us! He sighed heavily, with all his chest, and was silent. “I loved and respected him and I sympathize with you with all my heart.” He embraced Prince Andrei, pressed him to his fat chest and did not let go for a long time. When he released him, Prince Andrei saw that Kutuzov's swollen lips were trembling and there were tears in his eyes. He sighed and grabbed the bench with both hands to stand up.
“Come, come to me, we’ll talk,” he said; but at this time Denisov, as little shy before his superiors as before the enemy, despite the fact that the adjutants at the porch stopped him in an angry whisper, boldly, banging his spurs on the steps, entered the porch. Kutuzov, leaving his hands resting on the bench, looked displeasedly at Denisov. Denisov, having identified himself, announced that he had to inform his lordship of a matter of great importance for the good of the fatherland. Kutuzov began to look at Denisov with a tired look and with an annoyed gesture, taking his hands and folding them on his stomach, he repeated: “For the good of the fatherland? Well, what is it? Speak." Denisov blushed like a girl (it was so strange to see the color on that mustachioed, old and drunken face), and boldly began to outline his plan for cutting the enemy's line of operations between Smolensk and Vyazma. Denisov lived in these parts and knew the area well. His plan seemed undoubtedly good, especially in terms of the force of conviction that was in his words. Kutuzov looked at his feet and occasionally looked back at the yard of a neighboring hut, as if he was expecting something unpleasant from there. Indeed, during Denisov's speech, a general appeared from the hut he was looking at with a briefcase under his arm.
- What? - in the middle of Denisov's presentation, Kutuzov said. - Ready?
“Ready, your grace,” the general said. Kutuzov shook his head, as if to say: "How can one person do all this," and continued to listen to Denisov.
“I give you an honest noble word from a Hussian officer,” said Denisov, “that I am g” azog “wu of Napoleon’s messages.
- You Kirill Andreevich Denisov, Chief Quartermaster, how do you have to? Kutuzov interrupted him.
- Uncle g "one, your grace.
- O! there were friends, ”Kutuzov said cheerfully. - All right, all right, my dear, stay here at the headquarters, we'll talk tomorrow. - Nodding his head to Denisov, he turned away and held out his hand to the papers that Konovnitsyn brought him.
“Would you like Your Grace to come into the rooms,” the general on duty said in a displeased voice, “it is necessary to review the plans and sign some papers. - The adjutant who came out of the door reported that everything was ready in the apartment. But Kutuzov, apparently, wanted to enter the rooms already free. He winced...
“No, tell me to bring it, my dear, here is a table, I’ll look here,” he said. “Don’t go away,” he added, turning to Prince Andrei. Prince Andrei remained on the porch, listening to the general on duty.
During the report outside the front door, Prince Andrei heard a woman's whispering and the crunch of a woman's silk dress. Several times, glancing in that direction, he noticed behind the door, in a pink dress and a purple silk scarf on her head, full, ruddy and beautiful woman with a dish, which, obviously, was waiting for the entry of the commander-in-chief. Adjutant Kutuzov explained to Prince Andrei in a whisper that it was the mistress of the house, the priest, who intended to serve bread and salt to his lordship. Her husband met the most illustrious with a cross in the church, she is at home ... "Very pretty," the adjutant added with a smile. Kutuzov looked back at these words. Kutuzov listened to the report of the general on duty (the main subject of which was criticism of the position under Tsarev Zaimishch) just as he listened to Denisov, just as he listened to the debate of the Austerlitz military council seven years ago. He apparently listened only because he had ears which, despite the fact that one of them had a sea rope, could not but hear; but it was obvious that nothing that the general on duty could tell him could not only surprise or interest him, but that he knew in advance everything that was said to him, and listened to all this only because he had to listen, how to listen singing prayer. Everything that Denisov said was sensible and clever. What the general on duty said was even more detailed and smarter, but it was obvious that Kutuzov despised both knowledge and mind and knew something else that was supposed to solve the matter - something else, independent of mind and knowledge. Prince Andrei carefully followed the expression on the commander-in-chief's face, and the only expression that he could notice in it was an expression of boredom, curiosity about what a woman's whisper outside the door meant, and a desire to keep up appearances. It was obvious that Kutuzov despised the mind, and knowledge, and even the patriotic feeling that Denisov showed, but he did not despise the mind, not the feeling, not the knowledge (because he did not try to show them), but he despised them for something else. He despised them with his old age, his experience of life. One order, which Kutuzov made on his own behalf in this report, deviated to the looting of the Russian troops. At the end of the report, the rederal on duty presented the brightest for signature with a paper about the penalties from the army commanders at the request of the landowner for mowed green oats.

The English Channel is the world-famous small strait that separates Great Britain from the European continent.

On the political map of the world, it separates Great Britain and France. The English Channel connects the North Sea with Atlantic Ocean.

The English Channel is primarily famous for the fact that a railway tunnel was laid at its bottom, which connects the two states. The tunnel has its own name - "Eurotunnel", and it was built in 1994.

Origin of the strait

It should be noted that the English Channel was formed during the Pleistocene, which means relatively recently. Four hundred thousand years ago there was a mega-flood, and then two hundred thousand years later another one - water from the North Sea broke through the ridge, which was located on the territory of the modern Pas-de-Calais - the narrowest part of the English Channel and thereby created a strait.

English Channel on the map photo

Prior to these events, the ridge connected Europe and Great Britain. On the site of the former ridge, a railway under waterway from France to England - "Eurotunnel".

The French called the strait "sleeve" - ​​that is, "Manche". For the first time, the phrase "La Manche" is found in the sources of the 17th century. The British, for a long time, called this strait simply "English".

Historical events

The English Channel is a natural waterway between France and England. Throughout history, across the English Channel, people have visited the British Isles. For example, the Norman Duke William the Conqueror sailed across the English Channel with his fleet, defeated the Anglo-Saxon king and became the ruler of the new English kingdom.

The English Channel is incredibly rich in its history, including in the sports sector. A couple of centuries ago, people first began to hold competitions, who will be able to swim across the Pas-de-Calais - its width, recall, is 32 kilometers.

In 1875, the English Channel was crossed for the first time in 21 hours and 40 minutes by a British swimmer. And the first woman who made the same achievement is considered an American in 1926. In 2006, for the first time in history, an amateur athlete from Russia swam across the strait.

The record for the speed of crossing the strait is considered to be the record set in 2012 by Trent Grimsey, from Australia - he managed to cross the English Channel in just 6 hours and 55 minutes.

The English Channel was also one of the main reasons why Britain was able to hold out during World War II. Hitler's much larger army simply could not ascend Britain, since air fleet carefully defended the strait and did not allow just to reach the shore.

Cities

The English Channel has several big islands, for example, one of them is the Isle of Wight, where there is also enough Big city- Newport with a population of 24 thousand inhabitants. The beautiful Carisbrook Castle is located on the territory of the city, where the English king Charles I was imprisoned during the revolution.

Newport photo

In the north of France, the Channel Islands are also located, on which more than 163 thousand inhabitants live in total - mostly English and French. largest city in the Channel Islands is St. Helier with a population of 24 thousand inhabitants.

This city is located huge castle late Middle Ages - Elizabeth's Castle, which was the main defensive structure of England in this area at one time.

The largest cities in the English Channel are:

• Dunkirk,
• Calais
• brighton,
• Portsmouth,
• Plymouth and others.

Animal world

The fauna of the English Channel cannot be called too rich, since the strait itself is extremely polluted with hazardous waste from ships, which significantly reduce the fish population here. However, this does not prevent the local population from fishing.

English Channel has serious problem with ecology, only 40% of all environmental crimes in England are registered in the English Channel. Last major accident occurred in 2007, when the container ship Napoli crashed here.

Characteristics of the English Channel

• The area of ​​the strait is 75 thousand square kilometers;
• The strait itself is quite shallow - the greatest depth reaches only 171 meters.
• The length of the strait is 560 kilometers;
• the greatest width is 240 kilometers.
• The narrowest part of the strait is 32 kilometers, the famous Pas de Calais;
• The salinity of the water is more than 10 - 35% ppm;
• The climate is maritime, temperate.

• Philippe Croison - a man who swam across the English Channel in 14 hours without a name, with neither arms nor legs;
• Crossing the English Channel - Incredible dangerous view sports and even there were cases when swimmers died during such a “marathon swim” - last case registered in 2016;
• In 1909, the English Channel was crossed by plane for the first time.

English Channel. Between England and France

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 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 thousand 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.

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. 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 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 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 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 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).



English Channel (French La Manche, literally - a sleeve)

English Channel (eng. English Channel), the strait between north coast Western Europe and about. United Kingdom. Together with the Pas de Calais (Strait of Dover) it connects the North Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. Length about 520 km, width to the west about 180 km, on V. - 32 km. Depth at fairway 35 m, deepest depth 172 m. There are many shoals, especially in the eastern part of the strait. westerly winds determine the stability in the strait east current at speeds up to 3 km/h(in narrowness). The tides are semidiurnal, their magnitude in some places reaches 12.2 m(Gulf of Saint-Malo). Frequent fogs. Has important transport value. One of the largest routes in terms of cargo turnover from the countries of the Northern and Baltic Seas to the countries of the North and South America as well as Africa, Asia and Australia. Main ports: Portsmouth, Southampton, Plymouth (UK). Le Havre, Cherbourg (France). Fishing is developed (flounder, mackerel, cod, halibut). There is a project (1973) for an underwater tunnel through the Pas de Calais.

Strait of the English Channel.

Big soviet encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

Synonyms:

See what "La Manche" is in other dictionaries:

Manche Manche More Information Number 50 Region Lower Normandy ... Wikipedia

manche-a-botte- manche a bottes. Wide turn-down cuffs of narrow French justocors 70-90s. 17th century Mertsalov 2 427 ...

manche après la horse- *manche après la cognée. Quit what you started; give up on everything. Retzker. With the English, impudence does not preclude patience, as with some nations of the Continent, who are always ready to throw le manche après la cognée in case of failure. A. Ionych Saltpeter King. ... ... Historical dictionary gallicisms of the Russian language

manche pagodas-*manche pagode. Flared sleeve. Figure 3 shows a plush visite, which can be peau de loutre or black, with beaver trim on the collar and sleeves, reminiscent of the former manche pagode. Nov 1885 7 Mosaic… … Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

This term has other meanings, see Mansh (meanings). Manche Manche ... Wikipedia

Robert Norman Manche Robert Norman Munsch, (b. June 11, 1945 (19450611), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Canadian children's writer American origin. Contents 1 Biography 2 Awards ... Wikipedia

- ... Wikipedia

- (Manche) department on northwest France, in a hilly area on the Cotentin Peninsula. The area is 6.4 thousand km2. The population is 453 thousand people (1971). Administrative center city ​​of Saint Lo. livestock area; occupied by pastures ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

- (La M.) dpt. all in. parts of France, along the coast of the strait. La M.: 6411 sq. km., there were 491372 inhabitants in 1901. The main city. S. Lo (6500 inhabitants); more significant is Cherbourg (42,938 inhabitants). The climate is maritime, humid, with an even, relatively warm temperature. encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Manche- (Manche) Manche, department in the region of Lower Normandy in the west. France; sq. 5938 sq. km, 479640 people (1990); adm. center - Saint Lo ... Countries of the world. Vocabulary

Coordinates: 50°11′01″ s. sh. 0°31′52″ W  / 50.183611° N sh. 0.531111° W etc. ... Wikipedia

Books

• Bridges across the English Channel. British Literature 1900 - 2000s
• Bridges across the English Channel. British Literature 1900-2000, Reingold Natalya Igorevna. The book includes rare materials related to English literature of the 20th century - the author's interviews with Iris Murdoch, John Fowles, Martin Amis and Piers Paul Reid, as well as essays on famous ...

The first people reached Britain by dry land. But about 8500 years ago, the sea level rose and on the site of the land "bridge" a strait was formed, known to us as the English Channel (from the French la manche - "sleeve"), and to the British as the English Channel ("English channel"). And a couple of centuries ago, people remembered what sport is, and the strait became an obstacle that can be conquered...

... swim

Mustachioed captain of the British merchant fleet Matthew Webb once read a story in the newspaper: a swimmer tried to swim across the English Channel, but he failed. “So I can do it!” - decided 27-year-old Webb and started training in cold water. On August 25, 1875, Matthew drank an energy drink. own invention(cherry brandy with chicken eggs), rubbed himself with dolphin fat and stepped into the water. There were incidents along the way (Matthew received severe burn from contact with a jellyfish) and difficulties (he hung out off the French coast for five hours, waiting for the strong tidal waves to subside). But 21 hours and 45 minutes after the start, the tired Englishman set foot on French soil. Webb drowned eight years later while trying to swim across. MH warns: Not all sports are healthy.

...by plane

In 1908, the British newspaper Daily Mail announced an award of £1,000 to the first person to cross the English Channel by plane. The first attempt, made by the Frenchman Hubert Latham, failed - Hubert was caught by sailors somewhere in the middle of the strait. Another Frenchman, Louis Blériot, took to the air in a Bleriot XI monoplane of his own design on July 25, 1909. This aircraft, for example, did not have a throttle stick (the engine worked in one mode, carrying the pilot over the water with average speed 70 km/h at an altitude of about 80 m). And Louis corrected his course, looking from above where exactly the ships were heading. But in the end, everything worked out for him as it should: after 37 minutes of flight, Louis Blériot safely landed the plane on the English coast.

...on a coracle

Bernard Thomas lived all his life in the tiny Welsh town of Llechryd - he fished in the local river Teifi and made coracles, local boats from wicker rods. Thomas turned 51 years old when he made his name in history: in 13 and a half hours, Bernard crossed the English Channel on one of his coracles. Thomas tried to draw attention to the popular story in Wales about Prince Madog, who in 1170 with like-minded people sailed (on coracles, of course) to North America.

...without arms and legs

26-year-old Frenchman Philippe Croison once climbed onto the roof of his house to fix a television antenna, and received a fair amount of electric shock. Doctors cut off Croison's arms (at the elbow) and legs (he was left without feet). 16 years after the incident on the roof, the disabled person threw himself into the English Channel, but not to drown himself. 14 hours after the start, on September 18, 2010, he swam on the other side. To cross the strait, 42-year-old Philip used special prosthetic arms and legs.

...the fastest

Imagine the scene: On September 8, 2012, Trent Grimsey, member of the Australian national swimming team open water, crawl rowing to the coast of France. His yellow cap now disappears under the waves, then again appears on the surface. There is a boat nearby; the sailor periodically hangs signs overboard - messages for the future record holder. “You have to do what you have in mind,” his mother tells the swimmer. Well, he did - he crossed the English Channel in a record 6 hours and 55 minutes.

How to swim across the English Channel on your own

In the entire history of the English Channel, a little more than 1,000 people have swum across - less than. Do you want to join the elite, or even set a record? Since 1995 (after several deaths), France has imposed a ban on swims that start from its shores, so now athletes travel exclusively from the UK.

You must inform the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation (cspf.co.uk) about your intention, for 250 euros the federation will help in organizing and registering the swim. You can cross the channel only when accompanied by a boat (with a doctor and a representative of the association), renting a boat will cost 1000 euros or more. Keep in mind that swimmers are not allowed to use wetsuits, but they can apply a special fat composition of petroleum jelly and lanolin to the body. During the swim, the athlete should not touch objects (people, boats), so that food and drinks are passed to him from the boat on a retractable pole.

32 kilometers - the width of the English Channel in its narrowest part, the "strait in the channel" Pas de Calais. But due to strong currents and heavy ship traffic, athletes usually have to overcome 50 kilometers or more.

The first Russian to cross the English Channel

Muscovite Pavel Kuznetsov actually just wanted to lose weight. I went to the gym, put myself on a diet. Then he took up swimming and got so carried away that he came up with the idea of ​​conquering not our column "I'm losing weight ...", but the whole English Channel. Pavel had been preparing for the swim for about two years. Starting on August 22, 2006, he moved for 14 hours and 33 minutes at a pace of 61-63 strokes per minute, last hours- with rough seas 4 points and in complete darkness.

An important swim for our country ended on August 23 at 01:20 am on the beach near the French city of Calais (read more about this story on Kuznetsov's website paulkuz.ru). In the photo - Pavel after the finish.

Pavel Kuznetsov about how he sailed across the English Channel:

“... Most of all, for some reason, my hips froze. And towards the end, I felt a sharp pain in right hand. I endured for about forty minutes, then I could not stand it and asked for painkillers. They handed me two pills on a long pole. I finished in deep darkness: I got up and felt the sand under my feet. At that moment I felt myself happy man. Because he swam? Because everything ended well? I don't know why..."

15-18ºC - water temperature in the English Channel in summer and early autumn, when swimming is most often arranged.