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Home / Exam Mentor / Info Nuggets: The strategic significance of straits

Info Nuggets: The strategic significance of straits

Chokepoints of the sea
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Ravneet Kaur
TNS
Chandigarh, Updated At : 07:37 PM Jun 26, 2025 IST
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Lifelines of international trade and navigation

What is a strait?
A strait is a narrow natural waterway that connects two larger bodies of water, often seas or oceans and separates two landmasses. Straits play a crucial role in international navigation, trade and geopolitics.

UPSC fact: Straits are critical chokepoints in maritime trade. Disruption in straits like the Strait of Hormuz can affect global oil supply.

Strait vs Isthmus
Feature
Strait
Isthmus
Definition
Narrow water passage connecting two water bodies
Narrow land strip connecting two landmasses
Medium
Water
Land
Separates
Two landmasses
Two water bodies
Examples
Strait of Gibraltar, Palk Strait
Isthmus of Panama, Isthmus of Kra
Strategic Use
Navigation, shipping lanes
Transportation, land link for trade
Important straits in news & their strategic importance
Strait
Connects
Strategic Importance
Strait of Hormuz
Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman
Key chokepoint for global oil exports (over 20% of world’s oil trade passes here)
Bab-el-Mandeb
Red Sea & Gulf of Aden
Vital for Suez Canal shipping; under threat due to Yemen conflict and piracy
Strait of Malacca
Indian Ocean & South China Sea
World’s busiest maritime route; crucial for Chinese and Indian trade
Palk Strait
India (Tamil Nadu) & Sri Lanka
Historical, cultural and strategic naval boundary zone
Bering Strait
Russia & Alaska (US)
Potential Arctic shipping route; under increased attention due to climate change
Turkish Straits
Black Sea & Mediterranean (Bosporus, Dardanelles)
Key for Russian exports; controlled by Turkey under Montreux Convention
Strait of Gibraltar
Atlantic Ocean & Mediterranean Sea
Strategic for NATO; gateway between Europe and Africa
Sunda & Lombok Straits
Java Sea & Indian Ocean
Alternative route to Strait of Malacca; vulnerable to volcanic disruptions
Taiwan Strait
Taiwan & Mainland China
Flashpoint in Indo-Pacific geopolitics; surveillance and military exercises
Other important geographical terms (UPSC-related)
Term
Meaning / Example
Peninsula
Land surrounded by water on 3 sides (e.g., Indian Peninsula)
Delta
Fertile deposition at river mouth (e.g., Sunderbans)
Estuary
Tidal mouth of a river (e.g., Narmada estuary)
Archipelago
Group of islands (e.g., Andaman & Nicobar Islands)
Lagoon
Shallow body of water separated from sea (e.g., Chilika Lake)
Atoll
Ring-shaped coral island (e.g., Lakshadweep)
Cape
Pointed piece of land jutting into the sea (e.g., Cape Comorin / Kanyakumari)
Tombolo
A sandbar connecting an island to the mainland
Fiord
Glacially carved narrow inlet (e.g., Norway’s coastline)
UPSC relevance
  • GS Paper I (Geography) – Landforms, strategic locations
  • GS Paper II (IR) – Maritime routes, chokepoints, Indo-Pacific strategy
  • Prelims – MCQs on straits, maps, location-based questions
  • Essay/GS IV (Security) – Role of maritime chokepoints in India’s national security and energy needs

UPSC-style questions

🔹 Short answer type (150 words)
  1. What is a strait? How is it different from an isthmus?
  2. Briefly explain the importance of the Strait of Hormuz in global energy trade.
  3. Mention any three strategically important straits and the countries they separate.
    4. 🔹 Long answer type (250 words)
    1. Examine the strategic significance of the Strait of Malacca for India’s maritime security and trade.
    2. Discuss how geographical chokepoints like straits impact global trade and geopolitics.
    3. Compare and contrast the importance of the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb and the Strait of Gibraltar.
      4. 🔹 Analytical/Essay-type
      1. “Control of straits is control of trade.” Discuss the implications of this statement in the context of Indo-Pacific geopolitics.
      2. How do geographical features like straits and isthmuses shape international relations and naval strategy?
      3. With growing maritime competition in the Indo-Pacific, how can India secure its interests across vital straits?
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