varies in width from 240 km at its widest to 34 km at its narrowest in the Strait of Dover. It is the smallest of the shallow seas around the continental shelf of Europe, covering an area of some 75000 km2.

The Channel aided the United Kingdom in becoming a naval superpower, serving as a natural defence against invasions, such as in the Napoleonic Wars and in the Second World War.

The northern (English) coast

1.Previous
3.Next