English Channel

The English Channel, is a body of the river that separates southern England with northern France and links the southern part of the North Sea to Atlantic Ocean. It is the busiest shipping area in the world.

It is about 560 km long and varies in width from 240 km at is widest to 33.3 km in the Straits of Dover. It is the smallest of the shallow seas around the continental shelf of Europe, covering an area of some 75,000 km2 (29,000 sq mi).

Ferry
The number of ferry routes crossing the Strait of Dover has reduced since the Channel Tunnel opened. Current cross-channel ferry routes are:
 * Dover–Calais
 * Dover–Dunkirk
 * Newhaven–Dieppe
 * Plymouth–Roscoff
 * Poole–Cherbourg
 * Poole–Jersey and Guernsey
 * Poole–Saint Malo
 * Portsmouth–Cherbourg
 * Portsmouth–Jersey and Guernsey
 * Portsmouth–Le Havre
 * Portsmouth–Ouistreham
 * Portsmouth–Saint Malo
 * Rosslare–Cherbourg
 * Rosslare–Roscoff
 * Weymouth–Saint Malo

Channel Tunnel
Many travellers cross beneath the Channel using the Channel Tunnel, first proposed in the early 19th century and finally opened in 1994, connecting the UK and France by rail. It is now routine to travel between Paris or Brussels and London on the Eurostar train. Freight trains also use the tunnel. Cars, coaches and lorries are carried on Eurotunnel Shuttle trains between Folkestone and Calais.