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17-452: Rosario Strait is a strait in northern Washington state , separating San Juan County and Skagit and Whatcom Counties . It extends from the Strait of Juan de Fuca about 23 kilometres (14 mi) north to the Strait of Georgia . The USGS defines its southern boundary as a line extending from Point Colville on Lopez Island to Rosario Head on Fidalgo Island , and its northern boundary as

34-461: A line from Point Migley on Lummi Island to the east tip of Puffin Island (just east of Matia Island ) and then to Point Thompson on Orcas Island . Rosario Strait runs north-south between Lopez , Decatur , Blakely , and Orcas Islands on the west, and Fidalgo , Cypress, Sinclair , and Lummi Islands on the east. Rosario Strait is a major shipping channel. More than 500 oil tankers pass through

51-649: A name for Rosario Strait. In 1847 Charles Wilkes , during the Wilkes Expedition , gave Rosario Strait the name Ringgold Channel after one of his officers. Then in 1847 the British Captain Henry Kellett reorganized the British Admiralty charts, in the process removing the "pro-American" names given by Wilkes and affirming pro-British names and Spanish names. He affirmed the name Gulf of Georgia (Strait of Georgia) given by George Vancouver and used

68-609: A shortened version of Eliza's name for the Strait of Georgia to replace both Wilkes' and Eliza's original names for Rosario Strait. Following the Oregon Treaty it was assumed by the British to be the route of the deepest channel to the open sea from the 49th Parallel boundary's terminus in the middle of the Georgia Strait , and is in fact the shortest shipping route. Haro Strait , west of

85-435: Is a large region or area of land that is in one piece and not noticeably broken up by oceans . The term is often used to refer to lands surrounded by an ocean or sea , such as a continent or a large island . In the field of geology , a landmass is a defined section of continental crust extending above sea level . Continents are often thought of as distinct landmasses and may include any islands that are part of

102-401: Is typically reserved for much larger, wider features of the marine environment. There are exceptions, with straits being called canals; Pearse Canal , for example. Straits are the converse of isthmuses . That is, while a strait lies between two land masses and connects two large areas of ocean, an isthmus lies between two areas of ocean and connects two large land masses. Some straits have

119-551: The Americas are sometimes defined as two separate continents while mainland Australia is sometimes defined as an island as well as a continent. Nevertheless, for the purposes of this list, mainland Australia along with the other major landmasses have been listed as continental landmasses for comparison. The figures are approximations and are for the four major continental landmasses only. The artificial Panama and Suez canals are disregarded, as they are not natural waters that separate

136-616: The San Juan Islands , which is wider though somewhat longer, was the American preference for the boundary and its eventual location following the arbitration of the dispute over the San Juan Islands, known as the Pig War . Strait A strait is a water body connecting two seas or two water basins. While the landform generally constricts the flow, the surface water still flows, for

153-462: The Suez Canal . Although rivers and canals often provide passage between two large lakes, and these seem to suit the formal definition of strait, they are not usually referred to as such. Rivers and often canals, generally have a directional flow tied to changes in elevation, whereas straits often are free flowing in either direction or switch direction, maintaining the same elevation. The term strait

170-407: The associated continental shelf . When multiple continents form a single contiguous land connection, the connected continents may be viewed as a single landmass. Earth 's largest landmasses are (starting with largest): Continental landmasses are not usually classified as islands despite being completely surrounded by water. However, because the definition of continent varies between geographers,

187-505: The most part, at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in both directions. In some straits there may be a dominant directional current through the strait. Most commonly, it is a narrowing channel that lies between two land masses . Some straits are not navigable, for example because they are either too narrow or too shallow, or because of an unnavigable reef or archipelago . Straits are also known to be loci for sediment accumulation. Usually, sand-size deposits occur on both

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204-480: The name Boca de Fidalgo, in honor of Salvador Fidalgo , to Rosario Strait, which was thought to be a bay. In 1791 José María Narváez renamed it Canal de Fidalgo after determining it was a strait. Also in 1791 Francisco de Eliza gave the name Gran Canal de Nuestra Señora del Rosario la Marinera to what is now the Strait of Georgia . In 1792, George Vancouver explored the region and gave the Strait of Georgia its present name after King George III . He did not provide

221-466: The potential to generate significant tidal power using tidal stream turbines . Tides are more predictable than wave power or wind power . The Pentland Firth (a strait) may be capable of generating 10  GW . Cook Strait in New Zealand may be capable of generating 5.6 GW even though the total energy available in the flow is 15 GW. Straits used for international navigation through

238-601: The strait each year, to and from the Cherry Point Refinery and refineries near Anacortes. The strait is in constant use by vessels bound for Cherry Point, Bellingham , Anacortes, and the San Juan Islands. Vessels bound for British Columbia or Alaska also frequently use it in preference to the passages farther west, when greater advantage can be taken of the tidal currents. In 1790 the Spanish explorers Manuel Quimper and Juan Carrasco , sailing aboard Princesa Real , gave

255-423: The territorial sea between one part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone and another part of the high seas or an exclusive economic zone are subject to the legal regime of transit passage ( Strait of Gibraltar , Dover Strait , Strait of Hormuz ). The regime of innocent passage applies in straits used for international navigation (1) that connect a part of high seas or an exclusive economic zone with

272-618: The territorial sea of a coastal nation ( Straits of Tiran , Strait of Juan de Fuca , Strait of Baltiysk ) and (2) in straits formed by an island of a state bordering the strait and its mainland if there exists seaward of the island a route through the high seas or through an exclusive economic zone of similar convenience with respect to navigational and hydrographical characteristics ( Strait of Messina , Pentland Firth ). There may be no suspension of innocent passage through such straits. [REDACTED] Media related to Straits at Wikimedia Commons Land mass A landmass , or land mass ,

289-574: The two opposite strait exits, forming subaqueous fans or deltas . The terms channel , pass , or passage can be synonymous and used interchangeably with strait , although each is sometimes differentiated with varying senses. In Scotland, firth or Kyle are also sometimes used as synonyms for strait. Many straits are economically important. Straits can be important shipping routes and wars have been fought for control of them. Numerous artificial channels, called canals , have been constructed to connect two oceans or seas over land, such as

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