Map showing the location of the Strait of Dover.

Cliffs at Dover

The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait (French: Pas de Calais, IPA: [pɑdə kalɛ], "Strait of Calais", Dutch: Nauw van Calais or Straat van Dover) is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Calais (kaˈlɛ in English often kæˈleɪ traditional English pronunciation /ˈkælɨs/ Kales is a town in northern France. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname A strait is a narrow navigable Channel of water that connects two larger navigable bodies of water The shortest distance across the strait is from the South Foreland, some 6 km (4 mi) 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. North Foreland and South Foreland are two Chalk headlands on the east Kent coast of southern England. Dover is a town and major ferry port in the county of Kent, England. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Cape_Gris_Nez_FranceJPG|thumb|300px|Cape Gris Nez]] Cap Gris Nez ("Grey Nose Cape" in English is a cape on the Côte d'Opale in the Pas-de-Calais Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment Calais (kaˈlɛ in English often kæˈleɪ traditional English pronunciation /ˈkælɨs/ Kales is a town in northern France. In the Terminology of Political geography and Historiography a National department (département departamento is an administrative Pas-de-Calais is a department in northern France. Its name is the French language equivalent of the Strait of Dover, which it borders This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Between these two points – the most popular route for cross-channel swimmers – the distance is just 33 km (20 mi).

On a clear day, it is possible to see the opposite coastline and shoreline buildings with the naked eye.

Shipping traffic

Most maritime traffic between the Atlantic Ocean and the North and Baltic Seas passes through the Strait of Dover, rather than taking the longer and more dangerous route around the north of Scotland. The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The Baltic Sea is a Brackish inland sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N Latitude and from 20°E to 26°E Longitude. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The strait is the busiest international seaway in the world, 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. Her Majesty's Coastguard is the service of the Government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating Rescue at sea ^[1]

In addition to the intensive east-west traffic, the strait is criss-crossed from north to south by ferries. See also Merchant ship A ferry is a form of transport usually a Boat or Ship, used to carry (or ferry) passengers and Until the 1990s these provided the only ground-based route across 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. The Channel Tunnel (Le tunnel sous la Manche also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in England with

Geological formation

Satellite image of the Strait of Dover

NASA Satellite image December, 2002

NASA Terra Satellite image March, 2001

The strait is believed to have been created through erosion. Erosion is the carrying away or displacement of solids ( Sediment, Soil, rock and other particles usually by the agents of currents such as wind At one time there was land where the strait is now, a south-east extension of the Weald joining what is now Great Britain to continental Europe. The Weald (wɪəld is the name given to a physiographic area in south-east England situated between the parallel Chalk Escarpments of the North See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the Continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European The eastern end of this old longer Weald is the Boulonnais chalk area in the Pas de Calais. The Boulonnais is a coastal area of France, around Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer. Pas-de-Calais is a department in northern France. Its name is the French language equivalent of the Strait of Dover, which it borders The predominant geology on both the British and French sides and on the sea floor between is chalk. Chalk (ʧɔːk is a soft white porous Sedimentary rock, a form of Limestone composed of the Mineral Calcite. 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. In Geography and Geology, a cliff is a significant vertical or near vertical rock exposure The white cliffs of Dover are Cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. Cape_Gris_Nez_FranceJPG|thumb|300px|Cape Gris Nez]] Cap Gris Nez ("Grey Nose Cape" in English is a cape on the Côte d'Opale in the Pas-de-Calais This same rock provided an excellent tunnelling medium for the Channel Tunnel. The Channel Tunnel (Le tunnel sous la Manche also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in England with

The Rhine flowed northwards into the North Sea as the sea level fell during the start of the first of the Pleistocene Ice Ages. The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge The Pleistocene ('plaɪstəsin is the epoch from 18 million to 10000 years BP covering the world's recent period An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets The ice created a dam from Scandinavia to Scotland, and 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. A dam is a barrier that divides waters. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water while other structures such as Floodgates, Levees Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. This overflow channel was gradually widened and deepened into the Strait of Dover. A narrow deeper channel along the middle of the strait was the bed of the Rhine in the last Ice Age. The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets In East Anglia there is a geological deposit that marks the old preglacial northward course of the Rhine. East Anglia is often used as a shorthand for the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge

However, a new study by Gupta et al. (2007)^{[2] [3]} suggests that the English Channel was formed by erosion caused by two major floods. The first was about 425,000 years ago, when an ice-dammed lake in the southern North Sea overflowed and broke the Weald-Artois chalk range in a catastrophic erosion and flood event. Artois (Artesië (adjective Artesian) is a former province of northern France. Afterwards, the Thames and Scheldt flowed through the gap into the English Channel, but the Meuse and Rhine still flowed northwards. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. The Scheldt (Dutch Schelde, French Escaut, Latin Scaldis) is a 350 km[http //www The Meuse (in Dutch and in German: "Maas" in Latin: "Mosa" in Celtic:"Mus" (the rootword presumingly The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge In a second flood about 225,000 years ago the Meuse and Rhine were ice-dammed into a lake that broke catastrophically through a high weak barrier (perhaps chalk, or an end-moraines left by the ice sheet). Moraine refers to any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris (soil and rock which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions such as those Both floods cut massive flood channels in the dry bed of the English Channel, somewhat like the Channeled Scablands in the USA. The Channeled Scablands are unique Geological Erosion features in the U

Unusual crossings

Many crossings other than in a conventional vessel have been attempted, including by pedalo, bathtub, amphibious vehicle and more commonly by swimming. A pedalo is a form of waterborne transport primarily for recreational use powered through the use of pedals. A bath (bɑθ bathtub ( AmE) or Tub ( informal) is a Plumbing fixture used for Bathing. An amphibious vehicle (or simply amphibian) is a Vehicle or craft, that is a means of transport viable on land as well as on water - just like an Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through Water, usually without artificial assistance French law is stricter on such matters than UK law, so most such crossings originate in the UK.

See also

• Battle of Dover Strait

Notes

External links

• Channel Navigation Information Service
• Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation
• Channel Swimming Association
• Depth Chart showing straits and former course of Rhine