Between India and East Asia, the navigation-time and distance can be greatly reduced by which of the following? 1. Deepening the Malacca Straits between Malaysia and Indonesia. 2. Opening a new canal across the Kra isthmus between the Gulf of Siam and Andaman sea. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

QUESTION

Easy

World Geography

Prelims 2011

Between India and East Asia, the navigation-time and distance can be greatly reduced by which of the following?

Deepening the Malacca Straits between Malaysia and Indonesia.
Opening a new canal across the Kra isthmus between the Gulf of Siam and Andaman sea.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Select an option to attempt

Explanation

The Kra Isthmus is the narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula, located in Thailand. Opening a new canal across this isthmus would create a direct sea route between the Gulf of Siam and the Andaman Sea, bypassing the longer route around the southern tip of Malaysia through the Malacca Straits. This would also greatly reduce the navigation time and distance between India and East Asia. Therefore, statement 2 is also correct. Malacca Strait is the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and links India, China, Japan, and South Korea. The issue of deepening of the Malacca Strait is linked to its economic importance rather than time of navigation and distance.

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