Strategic straits & international waterways
G-3.1.1Core
0/5 stages complete · 0% coverage
Exam Strategy
UPSC repeatedly tests location, strategic importance, and geopolitical control of major straits through map-based and direct MCQs. Examiners focus on chokepoints affecting global trade, naval passages, and territorial disputes. Common error: confusing strait names with adjacent countries or misremembering width/sovereignty rules.
High-yield hooks
1
Malacca Strait—40% global maritime trade choke point
2
Hormuz Strait—90% Persian Gulf oil exports passage
3
Suez Canal—Europe-Asia shortest maritime route
4
Bab-el-Mandeb—Red Sea-Arabian Sea gateway
5
Strait of Bonifacio—NATO strategic Mediterranean choke
6
Torres Strait—Australia-Papua New Guinea separation
7
Bering Strait—Russia-Alaska only 55km apart
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SCANGEOGRAPHY/MARITIME-POLITICSINTERNATIONAL-RELATIONS/GEOPOLITICSCURRENT-AFFAIRS/SHIPPING-DISPUTES