Satellite image of the Strait of Dover

The Strait of Dover (French: Pas de Calais, i.e. "Strait of Calais", pronounced /pɑ də kalɛ/) is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel. The shortest distance across the strait is from the South Foreland, some 4 miles (6 km) 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. Between these two points – the most popular route for cross-Channel swimmers – the distance is just 20 miles (33 km). Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Burghers of Calais, by Rodin, with Calais Hotel de Ville behind Location within France Calais is a city in northern France, located at 50°57N 1°52E. It is in the département of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... The International Phonetic Alphabet. ... Simplified diagram A strait is a narrow channel of water that connects two larger bodies of water, and thus lies between two land masses. ... The English Channel, also for some time known as the British Sea (French: La Manche, the sleeve) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. ... The North Foreland and South Foreland are two chalk headlands on the Kent coast of southern England, overlooking the Strait of Dover. ... Map sources for Dover at grid reference TR315415 Arms of Dover Borough Council This article is about the English port town. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... Jump to: navigation, search Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK... The bay at San Sebastián, Spain A headland is an area of land adjacent to water on three sides. ... The Burghers of Calais, by Rodin, with Calais Hotel de Ville behind Location within France Calais is a city in northern France, located at 50°57N 1°52E. It is in the département of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties. ... Pas-de-Calais is a département in northern France named after the strait which it borders. ...

The strait lies at the east end of the English Channel, where it joins the North Sea. Its width is the shortest distance between France and England. On a clear day, it is possible to see the opposite coastline and shoreline buildings with the naked eye. The English Channel, also for some time known as the British Sea (French: La Manche, the sleeve) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... Jump to: navigation, search Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK...

Most maritime traffic between the stiff dick and the anus eater and Baltic Seas passes through the Strait of Dover, rather than take the longer and more dangerous route around the north of Scotland. The Strait is one of the busiest international seaways in the world, regularly 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. ^[1] Jump to: navigation, search The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainlands of Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and the Danish islands. ... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin: No one provokes me with impunity) (Scots: Wha daur meddle wi me) Scotlands location within the UK Languages with Official Status1 English Gaelic Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... Her Majestys Coastguard is the agency of the government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating rescue at sea. ...

In addition to the intensive east-west traffic, the Strait is criss-crossed from north to south by ferries. Until the 1990s, these provided the only ground-based route for passengers and freight to cross 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 Pride of Burgundy, a P&O Ferries car ferry on the Dover-Calais route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on scheduled services. ... Jump to: navigation, search // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ... Channel Tunnel The British terminal at Cheriton, from the Pilgrims Way The Channel Tunnel, (French: le tunnel sous la Manche; once popularly nicknamed the Chunnel in English) is a 50-km-long rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Straits of Dover, connecting Cheriton in Kent, United Kingdom, and...

The Strait is believed to have been created through erosion. At one time there was land where the Strait is now, being a southeast extension of the Weald, joining what is now the island of Great Britain to continental Europe. The east end of this old longer Weald can be seen as the Boulonnais chalk area in the Pas de Calais. The predominant geology in the region on both the British and French sides and on the sea floor between to quite a depth into the earth's crust is chalk. 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. This same rock also provided an excellent tunnelling medium for the Channel Tunnel. Look up Erosion on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil, mud, rock, and so forth) by the agents of wind, water, ice, movement in response to gravity, or living organisms (in the case... A weald once meant a dense forest, especially the famous great wood once stretching far beyond the ancient counties of Sussex and Kent, England, where this country of smaller woods is still called the Weald. ... Continental Europe refers to the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and peninsulae. ... Pas-de-Calais is a département in northern France named after the strait which it borders. ... Earth cutaway from core to exosphere. ... The Needles, part of the extensive Southern England Chalk Formation Chalk is a soft, white, porous form of limestone composed of the mineral calcium carbonate. ... Cliffs on the banks of the River Severn, near Bristol, England In geography, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. ... The white cliffs of Dover The white cliffs of Dover, immortalized in popular song and verse (by Vera Lynn and others), are cliffs facing the Strait of Dover near the major port town of Dover, England, in the county of Kent, and form part of the North Downs. ... Channel Tunnel The British terminal at Cheriton, from the Pilgrims Way The Channel Tunnel, (French: le tunnel sous la Manche; once popularly nicknamed the Chunnel in English) is a 50-km-long rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Straits of Dover, connecting Cheriton in Kent, United Kingdom, and...

Originally the Rhine flowed northwards into the North Sea as the sea level fell during the start of the first of the Pleistocene Ice Ages. However, the ice created a dam from Scandinavia to Scotland. 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. This overflow channel was gradually widened and deepened into the modern Strait of Dover. There are still geological traces of the pre-Channel era, in the form of a narrow deeper channel on the sea bed which comprised the bed of the Rhine in the last Ice Age. Jump to: navigation, search At 1,320 km (820 miles), the Rhine (German Rhein, French Rhin, Dutch Rijn, Romansch: Rein) is one of the longest rivers in Europe. ... The Pleistocene Epoch is part of the geologic timescale, usually dated as 1. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... Scrivener Dam, Canberra Australia, was engineered to withstand a once-in-5000-years flood event A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards the flow, often creating a reservoir, lake or impoundment. ... Scandinavia, Fennoscandia, and the Kola Peninsula. ... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin: No one provokes me with impunity) (Scots: Wha daur meddle wi me) Scotlands location within the UK Languages with Official Status1 English Gaelic Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... Several places exist with the name Thames, and the word is also used as part of several brand and company names Most famous is the River Thames in England, on which the city of London stands Other Thames Rivers There is a Thames River in Canada There is a Thames... The English Channel, also for some time known as the British Sea (French: La Manche, the sleeve) is the part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. ... Jump to: navigation, search At 1,320 km (820 miles), the Rhine (German Rhein, French Rhin, Dutch Rijn, Romansch: Rein) is one of the longest rivers in Europe. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ...

Unusual Crossings

In general crossing the straits other than in a conventional vessel is not encouraged. Many such crossings have been attempted including by pedalo, bathtub and more commonly by swimming. French law is stricter on such matters than UK law, so most such crossings originate in the UK. A bathtub A bathtub (in the UK simply bath) is a plumbing fixture used for bathing. ... Swimming is the method by which living creatures move themselves through water in a method not involving simply walking on the bottom. ...

Further information is available from the Channel Navigation Information Service.

Notes

1. ^  See here

External Links

Channel Navigation Information Service

Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation

Channel Swimming Association