Strait of Otranto

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

Strait of Otranto

The Strait of Otranto

Strait of Otranto

The Strait of Otranto connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea. Its width is 45-55 nautical mile . The strait is named after the Italy city of Otranto....
connects the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges....
with the Ionian Sea
Ionian Sea

The Ionian Sea is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy, including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula, to the west, by southwestern Albania, including Saranda and Himara, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and Lefkas to the east....
. Its width is 45-55 nautical mile

Nautical mile

A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of length. It corresponds approximately to one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian .It is a non-International System of Units unit used especially by navigators in the shipping and aviation industries....
(85-100 km). The strait is named after the Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
city of Otranto

Otranto

Otranto is a town and commune in the province of Lecce , in a fertile region once famous for its breed of horses.It is situated on the east coast of the Salento peninsula....
.

Discussion

Ask a question about 'Strait of Otranto'

Start a new discussion about 'Strait of Otranto'

Answer questions from other users

Full Discussion Forum

Encyclopedia

The Strait of Otranto

Strait of Otranto

Nautical mile

Italy

Otranto

Otranto is a town and commune in the province of Lecce , in a fertile region once famous for its breed of horses.It is situated on the east coast of the Salento peninsula....
.

History

During World War I

World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
, the strait was of strategic significance. The Allied navies of Italy

Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)

The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the Italian unification under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia; it existed until 1946 when the Italians opted for a republican constitution....
, France, and Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the List of islands by area, and the largest in Europe. With a population of 58.9 million people it is List of islands by population....
, by blockading the strait, mostly with light naval forces and lightly armed fishermen, hindered the cautious Austro-Hungarian Navy

Austro-Hungarian Navy

The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The official name in German was the Kaiserliche und K?nigliche Kriegsmarine ....
from freely entering the Mediterranean Sea

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea or Ocean off the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia....
, and effectively kept them out of the naval theatre of war.

However, the barrage was notoriously ineffective against the German u-boats operating out of the Adriatic, which were to plague the Allied powers for most of the war throughout the Mediterranean.