?Map of the Strait of Malacca?Introduction to the geographical location of the Strait of Malacca

The Strait of Malacca is the busiest sea transportation line for global trade. It is recorded in detail in local textbooks and history books. Many people are curious about the Strait of Malacca and hope to travel and explore. Go to Singapore for some fun.

The Strait of Malacca is located between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is a narrow waterway connecting the South China Sea and the Andaman Sea, thus indirectly connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is named after its proximity to Malacca, an ancient city on the Malay Peninsula.

Map of the Strait of Malacca

The Strait of Malacca is a narrow waterway running from northwest to southeast, with a length of 1080 kilometers. If the Singapore Strait at the eastern exit is included, the total length is 1185 kilometers. The strait is trumpet-shaped, with a width of 370 kilometers at the northwest end, narrower in the southeast, and many small islands scattered there. The narrowest point is only 37 kilometers. The bottom of the strait is flat, and the water depth of the main channel is about 25 to 150 meters, increasing from southeast to northwest. It can generally accommodate ships of 200,000 tons in and out. Since the Strait of Malacca is located near the equator, the wind is weak and the sea is always calm in the channel. Coupled with the complete navigation mark system, sailing is very safe.

The Strait of Malacca is a major shipping channel from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia to East Asia and Oceania. It is a maritime hub for mutual exchanges between Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania. Its transportation location is very important. Known as the "Gibraltar of the East". According to statistics, more than 50,000 ships pass through the strait every year, and an average of more than 140 ships pass through the strait every day, making the Strait of Malacca one of the busiest straits in the world. It is the only way for Southeast Asia to connect with South Asia, West Asia and the east coast of Africa. Since Japan imports 90% of the oil from Africa and the Middle East every year, a large amount of raw materials and export commodities are transported through this, and the strait is regarded as Japan's "maritime lifeline."

Map of Southeast Asia

Due to the important strategic position and economic value of the Strait, it has been occupied by Portugal, the Netherlands, Britain and Japan since the 16th century. It was not until after World War II that the Malacca Strait was owned by the coastal countries. In 2013, the Strait was under the jurisdiction of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

In addition to the Strait of Malacca, there are also some straits between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but they may lack navigation aids due to shallow waters and reefs,

or remote locations. , and most of them are located within the territorial waters of Indonesia, so international routes rarely pass through it. This makes the Strait of Malacca actually the only channel to connect the two oceans for a long time, making it economically and strategically important. Very high importance. Especially since Japan emerged as the world's third economic power in the 1960s and other countries and regions in the Far East developed rapidly, the volume of trade between the East and the West has increased significantly, and the importance of the Malacca Strait has become even more prominent. According to its ships In terms of the busyness of the passage and the amount of cargo it carries, it is second only to the English Channel and ranks second among the 114 navigable straits of international significance in the world.

Located at the "crossroads" of Asia and Oceania, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean, its geographical location is very important. Relying on the Strait of Malacca, Singapore has vigorously developed entrepot trade and has become an important cargo distribution center in the world.

Topographic Map of Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia

In the Strait of Malacca at the intersection of the "Crossroads", except for the countries bordering the strait, both sides enjoy 12 nautical miles of territorial waters and small islands within the strait. It also enjoys at least 12 nautical miles of territorial waters, and the rest is the exclusive economic zone; the coastal countries of the strait have sovereignty over the territorial waters of the strait and the waters of the exclusive economic zone of the strait. Malacca is an important shipping channel between Asia and Europe and Middle East, controlling 25% of the world's maritime trade. According to statistics, nearly half of the world's oil tankers pass through the Strait of Malacca every year. Known as the "lifeline of the sea" by the Japanese.

Malacca is an important shipping channel between Asia and Europe and Central and Eastern Asia, controlling 25% of the world's maritime trade. According to statistics, nearly half of the world's oil tankers pass through the Strait of Malacca every year. It is called "the lifeline of the sea" by the Japanese. In the early 1970s, 40,000 ships passed through the Strait of Malacca every year, including 7,000 Japanese ships and 6,000 British ships. Since then, shipping in the strait has developed again. From 2010 to 2013, the number of navigation ships per year has reached nearly 100,000, especially the ships are becoming larger and larger. Since Japan built the world’s first 150,000-ton giant ship in 1966, " Since the Tokyo Maru, so-called supertankers with larger tonnage have emerged in batches. From 2010 to 2013, there were as many as 1,500-1,600 supertankers of over 180,000 tons passing through the Strait of Malacca. Such busy navigation, coupled with the increase in the size of ships, has made the Malacca Strait narrower, thus increasing the unsafe factors during navigation. In addition, there are many shoals in the Strait of Malacca, of which there are as many as 37 with water depths less than 23 meters. In addition, shipwrecks, quicksand, silt, etc. often change the channel conditions, which increases the possibility of accidents and has serious consequences for coastal countries. serious threat. A typical example is that in 1975, two major oil tanker strandings or collisions occurred, resulting in a total loss of 8,900 tons of oil. In 1979, an oil tanker collided with an aircraft carrier, losing another 10,000 tons of oil, causing serious pollution each time.