English Channel | 26 Apr 2024
Recently, 5 people died trying to cross the English Channel in a small boat on the backdrop of the British parliament passing a controversial law that would permit the deportation of those seeking asylum in the U.K. to Rwanda.
- According to the UK Government, the new law is needed as a deterrent to migrants and smuggling gangs.
English Channel:
- It is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France.
- It is connected to the southern part of the North Sea through the Strait of Dover at its northeastern tip.
- It is about 560 km long and varies in width from 240 km at its widest to 34 km in the Strait of Dover. It is the busiest shipping area in the world.
- It was a key factor in Britain becoming a naval superpower and has been utilised by Britain as a natural defence mechanism and prevented invasions, such as the Napoleonic Wars and those of Adolf Hitler in World War II.
- The two dominant cultures are English on the north shore of the Channel, and French on the south.
- There is a 50.46-kilometre undersea railway tunnel known as Channel Tunnel.
- It was opened in 1994 and connects Folkestone ( England) with Coquelles (France) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover.
Read more: UK’s North Sea Drilling