Qiongzhou Strait
The Qiongzhou Strait (simplified Chinese: 琼州海峡; traditional Chinese: 瓊州海峽; pinyin: Qióngzhōu Hǎixiá), also called the Hainan Strait, is a body of water that separates the Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong, southern China, to the north from Hainan Island to its south. The strait connects the Gulf of Tonkin in the west to the South China Sea on the east.
The strait is on average 30 km (19 mi) wide[1] and centered at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. with a maximum water depth of approximately 120 m (390 ft).[2]
The Guangdong–Hainan Ferry (part of the Guangdong–Hainan Railway) carries rail cars and automotive vehicles across the strait.
A 140 billion RMB ($21 billion USD) bridge across the strait is planned to begin construction in 2012.[1] The bridge is currently designed to have levels for both trains and cars, and is expected to be 26.3 km (16.3 mi) long.[3] Currently the strait is susceptible to closure during strong typhoon activity.[4]
Whales and dugongs were once common in the strait.[citation needed]
The strait was crossed by the People's Liberation Army forces in the spring of 1950 (see Landing Operation on Hainan Island).
See also
- Qiongshan District, formerly called Qiongzhou
References
Further reading
- Shi et al., The Role of Qiongzhou Strait in the Seasonal Variation of the South China Sea Circulation
External links
- Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
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- Articles containing simplified Chinese-language text
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- Straits of China
- Straits of the South China Sea
- Bodies of water of Guangdong
- Bodies of water of Hainan
- Gulf of Tonkin
- South China
- Guangdong geography stubs