Geography
Strategic Chokepoints: The Geopolitical Importance of Straits
Quick fact
The Strait of Malacca, only 1.7 miles wide at its narrowest point, carries about 25% of the world's traded goods, including nearly 80% of China's oil imports.
Why this is interesting
Every day, massive oil tankers and cargo ships squeeze through narrow sea corridors barely a few miles wide. Why do these thin ribbons of water hold the power to disrupt the global economy and trigger military standoffs?