Drake Passage

E9300

Drake Passage is the turbulent body of water between South America's Cape Horn and Antarctica, known for linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and some of the roughest seas in the world.

Aliases (1)

Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf sea passage
strait
connectsBodyOfWater Atlantic Ocean
Pacific Ocean
countryOnShore Argentina
Chile
hasAlternativeDescription body of water between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands
hasApproximateMaximumWidth about 1000 km
about 620 miles
hasApproximateMinimumWidth about 500 miles
about 800 km
hasAverageSeaSurfaceTemperature a few degrees above freezing in summer
near freezing in winter
hasHazard high waves
rapidly changing weather
strong currents
hasNearbyPort Punta Arenas
Ushuaia
hasOceanCurrent Antarctic Circumpolar Current
hasSeaStateNicknames Drake Lake
Drake Shake
hasTypicalWindPattern westerly winds
historicallySignificantFor exploration of Antarctica
trade routes between Europe and the Pacific
isImportantFor exchange between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
global ocean mixing
isMajorRouteFor voyages from South America to Antarctica
knownFor frequent storms
large ocean swells
strong winds
very rough seas
liesWithinLatitudeBand the Furious Fifties
the Screaming Sixties
locatedBetween Cape Horn and Antarctic Peninsula
locatedIn Southern Ocean
locatedOff Cape Horn
namedAfter Francis Drake
oceanographicSignificance gateway for deep water exchange between oceans
partOf circumpolar route around Antarctica
roleInClimate allows unimpeded flow of water around Antarctica
facilitates global thermohaline circulation
separates Antarctica
South America
traversedBy Antarctic cruise ships
commercial shipping
research vessels
usedSince Age of Sail


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