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The Strait of Malacca, a sea highway
Age 17 · Geography
Most goods traded around the world travel by sea in giant ships, and many of their routes squeeze through a few narrow passages called straits. The Strait of Malacca, between Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra, is one of the busiest, linking the Indian Ocean to the Pacific and the factories of East Asia.
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In the picture
- Container ship: standard steel boxes carrying manufactured goods between continents
- Oil tanker: crude oil from the Persian Gulf heading to China, Japan and South Korea
- The strait: a narrow chokepoint that tens of thousands of ships must pass through each year
- Port with cranes: a hub where containers are unloaded, stored and moved onto other ships
Examples
- A smartphone assembled in China reaches a shop in Europe after a voyage through the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal.
- Petrol in a car in Tokyo was often refined from oil shipped from the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Malacca.
Key takeaways
- About 80% of world trade by volume travels by sea.
- If a strategic strait is blocked, ships face long and costly detours, so states watch these chokepoints closely.
Quiz: The Strait of Malacca, a sea highway (Age 17)
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Roughly what share of world trade, measured by volume, travels by sea?
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Why do states keep a close watch on strategic straits?
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Which two oceans does the Strait of Malacca link?
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