Isthmus

isthmus (ĭs`məs), narrow neck of land connecting two larger land areas. Since it commands the only land route between two large areas and is on two seas, an isthmus has great strategical and commercial importance and is a favorable situation for a city. In modern times many isthmuses have been cut through by canals to eliminate the necessity of land transport. The most important isthmuses are the Isthmus of Panama, connecting Central and South America, and the Isthmus of Suez, joining Asia and Africa. Canals were dug through both of these. The Isthmus of Corinth between the Morea peninsula and central Greece also has a canal.

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isthmus

1. a narrow strip of land connecting two relatively large land areas

2. Anatomy

a. a narrow band of tissue connecting two larger parts of a structure

b. a narrow passage connecting two cavities

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isthmus [′is·məs]

(biology)

A passage or constricted part connecting two parts of an organ.

(geography)

A narrow strip of land having water on both sides and connecting two large land masses.

(mathematics)

bridge

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Isthmus 

a relatively narrow strip of land that connects larger land areas, such as two continents (Isthmus of Suez, Isthmus of Panama) or a peninsula and the mainland (Perekop Isthmus). Some isthmuses, such as the Karelian Isthmus, separate two bodies of water.