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Malacca, Strait of |
Also found in: Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.02 sec. |
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Malacca, Strait of (məläk`ə), c.500 mi (800 km) long and from c.30 to 200 mi (50–320 km) wide, between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula. Linking the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea, it is one of the world's most important sea passages. Chief ports include Belawan in Indonesia and Melaka Melaka or Malacca (1991 pop. 112,873). Until the 17th cent., Malacca was one of the leading commercial centers of SE Asia. It was founded c.1400 by a Malay prince who had been driven from Singapore after a brief reign there. ..... Click the link for more information. and Penang in Malaysia; Singapore is at the southern end of the strait. The Strait of Malacca has been controlled by the Arabs, the Dutch, the Portuguese, and the British. In the mid-19th cent. it was a haven for pirates who menaced Dutch and British traders. Piracy remained a problem in the strait into the early 2000s. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Geographically, the Strait of Malacca is 500 nautical miles in length and extremely narrow, especially along its southern half where it ranges from a mere 20 nautical miles wide to as little as 9 nautical miles at the southern end. As we proceeded, we were completely unaware of what we could do or even if we would be needed, but we continued through the Strait of Malacca enroute to Indonesia and Thailand. American energy and raw materials companies (Exxon-Mobil, Texaco, Chevron, Newmont Mining, Conoco and Freeport-McMoRan, among others) operate in Indonesia, particularly in Aceh, Riau, and West Papua, and many of the ships that traverse the Strait of Malacca are American-owned. |
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