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For teachers

8 stations on this tour

1. Strait Of Hormuz — The Oil Gate

   The Strait of Hormuz is just 33km wide at its narrowest, yet 20% of the world's oil passes through it daily — roughly 21 million barrels. Iran controls the northern shore, Oman the southern. Any disruption here sends global oil prices surging within hours. In 2019, Iran seized a British tanker here. The U.S. Fifth Fleet is permanently…

2. Suez Canal — The Shortcut That Changed History

   The Suez Canal carries 12% of global trade — roughly $9.4 billion worth of goods per day. When the Ever Given blocked it for 6 days in March 2021, it cost the global economy an estimated $54 billion. The canal saves ships a 6,000-mile detour around Africa. Egypt earns $8+ billion annually in transit fees. Over a dozen submarine internet…

3. Strait Of Malacca — Asia's Lifeline

   The busiest shipping lane on Earth. Over 100,000 vessels pass through annually, carrying one-third of global trade. At its narrowest point (Phillips Channel near Singapore), it's just 2.7km wide. China imports 80% of its oil through Malacca — a strategic vulnerability Beijing calls the "Malacca Dilemma." Piracy remains a persistent…

4. Bab El-Mandeb — The Gate Of Tears

   This 26km-wide strait connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Every ship using the Suez Canal must also pass through here. In 2024-25, Houthi rebel attacks on commercial shipping forced major carriers to reroute around Africa, adding 10-14 days and $1 million per voyage. Submarine internet cables running through this strait were also…

5. Strait Of Gibraltar — Mediterranean Gate

   Just 14km separates Europe from Africa at Gibraltar. Every ship entering or leaving the Mediterranean — the world's busiest sea — must pass through. The UK has held Gibraltar since 1713, a source of ongoing tension with Spain. Over 300 ships transit daily. It's also a major migration corridor — thousands attempt the crossing annually in…

6. Turkish Straits — Russia's Warm Water Exit

   The Bosporus (just 700m wide at its narrowest) and the Dardanelles are the only exit from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. Under the 1936 Montreux Convention, Turkey controls transit and can restrict warship passage during conflicts. This gives Turkey enormous leverage — Russia's Black Sea Fleet depends on these straits. Turkey…

7. Panama Canal — The Great Shortcut

   The Panama Canal saves ships a 12,500km journey around South America. It handles 5% of global maritime trade and 40% of U.S. container traffic. But it runs on freshwater from Gatun Lake — and drought conditions in 2024-25 forced a 33% reduction in daily transits. Climate change threatens the canal's long-term viability, forcing the world…

8. The Chokepoint Map — Fragile By Design

   Global trade depends on fewer than 10 narrow waterways, most of them in politically unstable regions. A simultaneous disruption of just two — say Hormuz and Suez — would trigger a global economic crisis within days. 80% of world trade travels by sea. These chokepoints are also where submarine internet cables, oil pipelines, and naval…

Worksheet — Chokepoints — The World Hangs by a Thread