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English Channel

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English Channel

Stretch of water between England and France, leading in the west to the Atlantic Ocean, and in the east via the Strait of Dover to the North Sea; it is also known as La Manche (French ‘the sleeve’) from its shape. The Channel Tunnel, opened in 1994, runs between Folkestone, Kent, England, and Sangatte, west of Calais, France.

The English Channel is 560 km/348 mi long west-east; 27 km/17 mi wide at its narrowest (Cap Gris Nez-Dover) and 177 km/110 mi wide at its widest (Ushant-Land's End). The average depth is 40-60 m/131-197 ft, reaching 120 m/394 ft at the entrance to the Strait of Dover and as much as 180 m/590 ft at Hurds Deep, 30 km/19 mi northwest of Guernsey.

The tides are generally higher on the French coast than the English, with a double tide in areas of the English coast. Westerly winds are the most prevalent, with winter gales and year-round fogs occurring. Regular shipping services are run between Southampton and St Malo, Cherbourg, and Le Havre; between Newhaven and Dieppe; and also across the narrower Strait of Dover. The main islands are the Channel Islands and the Isle of Wight.
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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
Southerly, at many miles' distance, and over the hills and ridges coastward, she could discern a surface like polished steel: it was the English Channel at a point far out towards France.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles - A Pure Woman by Hardy, Thomas View in context
It was not until the twelfth century that these Arthurian traditions, the cherished heritage of the Welsh and their cousins, the Bretons across the English Channel in France, were suddenly adopted as the property of all Western Europe, so that Arthur became a universal Christian hero.
A History of English Literature by Fletcher, Robert Huntington View in context
Had hoped when in the English Channel to be able to signal for help or get in somewhere.
Dracula by Stoker, Bram View in context
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