Straits

Passage connecting the Gulf of Mexico with the Atlantic Ocean. Extending for about 110 mi (180 km) between the Florida Keys on the north and Cuba and the Bahamas on the south, the straits mark the area where the Florida Current, the initial part of the Gulf Stream, flows east out of the Gulf of Mexico. The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León first recorded sailing through the straits in 1513.

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Former British crown colony, on the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia. It comprised three trade centres, Penang, Singapore, and Malacca, which were established or taken over by Britain's East India Company. They were made a British crown colony in 1867. Cocos Islands, Christmas Island, and Labuan were added in the early 20th century. Occupied by the Japanese during World War II, the colony was broken up in 1946 when Singapore became a separate colony. The remaining parts were ultimately ceded to Australia and Malaysia.

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Passage connecting the Gulf of Mexico with the Atlantic Ocean. Extending for about 110 mi (180 km) between the Florida Keys on the north and Cuba and the Bahamas on the south, the straits mark the area where the Florida Current, the initial part of the Gulf Stream, flows east out of the Gulf of Mexico. The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León first recorded sailing through the straits in 1513.

Learn more about Florida, Straits of with a free trial on Britannica.com.