English Channel
Arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The English Channel,[lower-alpha 1] also known as simply the Channel (or historically as the British Channel[1][2]), is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busiest shipping area in the world.[3]
| English Channel | |
|---|---|
| |
  English Channel | |
| Location | Northwestern Europe; between the Celtic and North Seas |
| Coordinates | 50.2°N 2°W / 50.2; -2 |
| Part of | Atlantic Ocean |
| Primary inflows | |
| Basin countries | |
| Max. length | 560 km (350 mi) |
| Max. width | 240 km (150 mi) |
| Surface area | 75,000 km2 (29,000 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 63 m (207 ft) |
| Max. depth | 174 m (571 ft) at Hurd's Deep |
| Salinity | 3.4–3.5% |
| Max. temperature | 20 °C (68 °F) |
| Min. temperature | 5 °C (41 °F) |
| Islands | |
| Settlements | |
It is about 560 kilometres (300 nautical miles; 350 statute miles) long and varies in width from 240 km (130 nmi; 150 mi) at its widest to 34 km (18 nmi; 21 mi) at its narrowest in the Strait of Dover.[4] It is the smallest of the shallow seas around the continental shelf of Europe, covering an area of some 75,000 square kilometres (22,000 square nautical miles; 29,000 square miles).[5]
The Channel was a key factor in Britain becoming a naval superpower and has been utilised by Britain as a natural defence mechanism to halt attempted invasions, such as in the Napoleonic Wars and in the Second World War.[6]
The population around the English Channel is predominantly located on the English coast and the major languages spoken in this region are English and French.