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Luzon Strait

 
Luzon Strait

 
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Luzon Strait
 
 
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The Luzon Strait is an important strait
Strait

A strait or straits is a narrow, navigable channel of water that connects two larger navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not navigable, for example because it is too shallow, or...
 connecting the Philippine Sea
Philippine Sea

The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 90, 000 mi? on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean....
, in the western Pacific
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
, to the South China Sea
South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea*south of China,*west of the Philippines,*north west of Sabah , Sarawak and Brunei,*north of Indonesia,...
, between Taiwan
Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
 and Luzon
Luzon

Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country, with Visayas and Mindanao being the other two....
 in the Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
.

The strait is approximately 250 km wide. It contains a number of islands grouped into two groups: the Batanes Islands
Batanes

The Province of Batanes is the northernmost and the smallest Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines, both in terms of population and land area....
 of Batanes province and the Babuyan Islands
Babuyan Islands

The Babuyan Islands form an archipelago located in the Luzon Strait north of Luzon island in the Philippines. It is separated from Luzon by the Babuyan Channel and from the Batanes Islands to its north by the Balintang Channel....
 of Cagayan
Cagayan

Cagayan is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines in the Cagayan Valley Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. Its capital is Tuguegarao City and is located at the northeastern corner of the island of Luzon....
 province.

The strait is divided into a number of smaller channels.






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Luzon Strait N7184
The Luzon Strait is an important strait
Strait

A strait or straits is a narrow, navigable channel of water that connects two larger navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not navigable, for example because it is too shallow, or...
 connecting the Philippine Sea
Philippine Sea

The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 90, 000 mi? on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean....
, in the western Pacific
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
, to the South China Sea
South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea*south of China,*west of the Philippines,*north west of Sabah , Sarawak and Brunei,*north of Indonesia,...
, between Taiwan
Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
 and Luzon
Luzon

Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country, with Visayas and Mindanao being the other two....
 in the Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
.

The strait is approximately 250 km wide. It contains a number of islands grouped into two groups: the Batanes Islands
Batanes

The Province of Batanes is the northernmost and the smallest Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines, both in terms of population and land area....
 of Batanes province and the Babuyan Islands
Babuyan Islands

The Babuyan Islands form an archipelago located in the Luzon Strait north of Luzon island in the Philippines. It is separated from Luzon by the Babuyan Channel and from the Batanes Islands to its north by the Balintang Channel....
 of Cagayan
Cagayan

Cagayan is a Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines in the Cagayan Valley Regions of the Philippines in Luzon. Its capital is Tuguegarao City and is located at the northeastern corner of the island of Luzon....
 province.

The strait is divided into a number of smaller channels. The Babuyan Channel separates Luzon from the Babuyan Islands, which is separated from the Batanes Islands by the Balintang Channel
Balintang Channel

The Balintang Channel is the small waterway that separates the Batanes and Babuyan Islands, both of which belong to the Philippines, in the Luzon Strait....
. Batanes is separated from Taiwan by the Bashi Channel
Bashi Channel

The Bashi Channel is a strait between the Y'Ami Island of the Philippines and Orchid Island of Taiwan. It is characterized by windy storms during the rainy period, June to December....
.

This is an important strait for shipping and communications. Many ships from the Americas use this route to go important East Asian ports. Many submarine communications cable
Submarine communications cable

A submarine communications cable is a cable laid beneath the sea to carry telecommunications between countries.The first submarine communications cables carried telegraphy traffic....
s pass through the Luzon Strait. These cables provide important data and telephony services to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.

History

The Luzon Strait was part of the Japanese
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 invasion route in December 1941. On December 8 (the same day as the Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor is a harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu, Hawaii. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base....
 attack, because of the date line), they landed on Batanes. On December 10, they occupied Camiguin Island (not the same as the Camiguin
Camiguin

Camiguin is a small island Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines off the northern coast of Mindanao. It belongs to the Northern Mindanao Regions of the Philippines....
 just north of Mindanao
Mindanao

Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also one of the three island groups in the country, along with Luzon and Visayas....
) in a soon-abandoned attempt to establish a seaplane base, and on the same day landed at Aparri
Aparri, Cagayan

Aparri is a 1st class Philippine municipality in the Philippine province of Cagayan province, Luzon, Philippines with an approximate income of Php 75,000,000.00....
 on Luzon.

Subsequently, many US
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 submarine
Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below water. It differs from a submersible, which has only limited underwater capability....
s hunted Japanese convoy
Convoy

A convoy is a group of vehicles traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas....
s passing through the strait on their way from the East Indies to Japan.