| Dover Strait | |
|---|---|
 View from France across the Strait of Dover towards the English coast  | |
| Location | North Sea–English Channel (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Coordinates | 51°00′N 1°30′E / 51.000°N 1.500°E |
| Type | Strait |
| Basin countries | France United Kingdom |
| Min. width | 20 miles (32 km) |
| Average depth | 150 feet (46 m) |
| Max. depth | 68 m (223 ft) |
The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait,[a] historically known as the Dover Narrows, is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel, marking the boundary between the Channel and the North Sea, and separating Great Britain from continental Europe. The shortest distance across the strait, at approximately 20 miles (32 kilometres), is from the South Foreland, northeast of Dover in the English county of Kent, to Cap Gris Nez, a cape near to Calais in the French département of Pas-de-Calais. Between these points lies the most popular route for cross-channel swimmers.[1] The entire strait is within the territorial waters of France and the United Kingdom, but a right of transit passage under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea allows vessels of other nations to move freely through the strait.[2][3][4]
On a clear day, it is possible to see the opposite coastline of England from France and vice versa with the naked eye, with the most famous and obvious sight being the White Cliffs of Dover from the French coastline and shoreline buildings on both coastlines, as well as lights on either coastline at night, as in Matthew Arnold's poem "Dover Beach".
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Crystal, David, ed. (1999). "English Channel". Cambridge Paperback Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 1080. ISBN 978-0521668002.
- ^ López Martín, Ana G. (2010). International Straits: Concept, Classification and Rules of Passage (Illustrated ed.). Springer Science & Business Media. p. 95 & 102. ISBN 9783642129063.
- ^ Glegg, G; Jefferson, R; Fletcher, S (30 June 2015). Sheppard, Charles; Galgani, Francois; Hutchings, Pat; Quintino, Victor (eds.). "Marine Governance in the English Channel (La Manche): Linking Science and Management". Marine Pollution Bulletin. 95 (2): 707–718. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.02.020. hdl:10026.1/3662. PMID 25819447.
- ^ Van Dyke, Jon M. (2009). "Transit Passage Through International Strait". In Chircop, Aldo; McDorman, Ted; Rolstons, Susan (eds.). The Future of Ocean Regime-Building. Brill (1618). pp. 175–232. ISBN 978-9004172678.