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

Statement 1 is Incorrect: The Malacca Strait is the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Deepening the strait would allow ships with a deeper draft (heavier cargo) to pass through, which is currently an issue for very large vessels ("Malaccamax"). However, deepening the existing path does not shorten the geographical distance or reduce the time required to travel the route; the path remains the same length.

Statement 2 is Correct: The Kra Isthmus is the narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula in Thailand. A proposed canal here (often called the Thai Canal) would link the Andaman Sea directly to the Gulf of Siam.

This canal would allow ships to bypass the long detour through the Malacca Straits, reducing the navigation distance by approximately 1,200 km and the travel time by about 72 hours.

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