Mondo Knows Facts

The Torres Strait is shallow and full of reefs

It separates Cape York from New Guinea and is only about 150 kilometres across at its widest Much of the strait is less than 15 metres deep and scattered with islands, coral cays and sandbanks. Those shallows make it hazardous for large ships, which use a defined route through the Great North East Channel. The islands are home to communities with their own languages and sea traditions. It sits in Mondo's world geography collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Australian Institute of Marine Science

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: straits, australia, reefs

The Torres Strait is shallow and full of reefs: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?
It separates Cape York from New Guinea and is only about 150 kilometres across at its widest. The figure is taken from Australian Institute of Marine Science, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a world geography fact?
Yes. It sits on the World Geography shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?
The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.