– Why is Drake’s Passage in Antarctica so popular?
In: Earth Science
Because transporting goods over water is *way* cheaper than transporting them over land and Drake’s passage is one of only 2 ways to get from China to Europe/Eastern United States without having to cross land or pay significant tolls for the use of a canal(Panama or Suez). Going around the southern tip of Africa is a shorter distance but also even more heavily traveled(because it’s shorter)
I’m curious what you mean by “popular.”
Drake’s Passage is utilized because it’s the **only** way going from the South Atlantic into the Southeast Pacific that doesn’t involve going through internal waters of another nation (e.g. the Strait of Magellan, which passes through Chile, or the Panama Canal in Panama), and because it’s open ocean you don’t have to worry as much about navigational hazards.
It’s also not in Antarctica; it’s off the coast, representing the waters separating South America and Antarctica.
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