Strait of Dover

The Strait of Dover (French: Pas de Calais, i.e. "Strait of Calais", pronounced {{IPA|/p? d? kal?/}}) is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel. The shortest distance across the strait is from the South Foreland, some 4 miles (6 km) north-east of Dover in the county of Kent, England, to Cap Gris-Nez, a cape near Calais in the département of Pas-de-Calais, France. Between these two points – the most popular route for cross-Channel swimmers – the distance is just 20 miles (33 km).

Related Topics:
French - Calais - Pronounced - Strait - English Channel - South Foreland - Dover - Kent - England - Cap Gris-Nez - Cape - Département - Pas-de-Calais - France

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The strait lies at the east end of the English Channel, where it joins the North Sea. Its width is the shortest distance between France and England. On a clear day, it is possible to see the opposite coastline and shoreline buildings with the naked eye.

Related Topics:
English Channel - North Sea - France - England

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Most maritime traffic between the Atlantic Ocean and the North and Baltic Seas passes through the Strait of Dover, rather than take the longer and more dangerous route around the north of Scotland. The Strait is one of the busiest international seaways in the world, regularly used by over 400 commercial vessels daily. This has made safety a critical issue, with HM Coastguard maintaining a 24-hour watch over the strait and enforcing a strict regime of shipping lanes. http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-hm_coastguard/channel_navigation_information_service_(cnis).htm

Related Topics:
Atlantic Ocean - North - Baltic Sea - Scotland - HM Coastguard

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In addition to the intensive east-west traffic, the Strait is criss-crossed from north to south by ferries. Until the 1990s, these provided the only ground-based route for passengers and freight to cross it. The Channel Tunnel now provides an alternative route, crossing underneath the Strait at an average depth of 45 m (150 ft) underneath the seabed.

Related Topics:
Ferries - 1990s - Channel Tunnel

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The Strait is believed to have been created through erosion. At one time there was land where the Strait is now, being a southeast extension of the Weald, joining what is now the island of Great Britain to continental Europe. The east end of this old longer Weald can be seen as the Boulonnais chalk area in the Pas de Calais. The predominant geology in the region on both the British and French sides and on the sea floor between to quite a depth into the earth's crust is chalk. Although somewhat resistant to erosion, such erosion of the chalk can be seen on both coasts as impressive sea cliffs, the famous White Cliffs of Dover, and Cap Gris-Nez on the French side of the Strait. This same rock also provided an excellent tunnelling medium for the Channel Tunnel.

Related Topics:
Erosion - Weald - Great Britain - Continental Europe - Boulonnais - Pas de Calais - Earth's crust - Chalk - Cliff - White Cliffs of Dover - Cap Gris-Nez - Channel Tunnel

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Originally the Rhine flowed northwards into the North Sea as the sea level fell during the start of the first of the Pleistocene Ice Ages. However, the ice created a dam from Scandinavia to Scotland. The Rhine, combined with the Thames and drainage from much of north Europe, created a vast lake behind the dam which eventually spilled over the Weald into the English Channel. This overflow channel was gradually widened and deepened into the modern Strait of Dover. There are still geological traces of the pre-Channel era, in the form of a narrow deeper channel on the sea bed which comprised the bed of the Rhine in the last Ice Age.

Related Topics:
Rhine - Pleistocene - Ice Age - Dam - Scandinavia - Scotland - Thames - English Channel

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