RAS question
The Strait of Malacca connects which two water bodies?
Correct answer: (B) Andaman Sea and South China Sea.
The Strait of Malacca connects the Andaman Sea, part of the Indian Ocean, with the South China Sea, part of the Pacific Ocean.
Explanation
The Strait of Malacca is the waterway between Sumatra on one side and peninsular Malaysia, with southern Thailand to the east, on the other. That position explains the answer: it forms the passage from the Andaman Sea, linked to the Indian Ocean, into the South China Sea, linked to the Pacific Ocean. The India-to-Pacific framing is therefore not a separate route but the larger oceanic context of the same connection. Its importance also follows from this geography: Encyclopaedia Britannica describes it as the shortest sea route between India and China and one of the world's most heavily travelled shipping channels, and it is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The Red Sea-Mediterranean link is associated with the Suez Canal, whereas the Strait of Malacca lies in Southeast Asia between Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula.
- (C) The Pacific Ocean-Atlantic Ocean connection is the Panama Canal context, not the Strait of Malacca's Andaman Sea-South China Sea passage.
- (D) The Persian Gulf-Arabian Sea route is connected through the Strait of Hormuz, while Malacca connects waters between the Indian Ocean side and the South China Sea.
Concept
This tests major straits and maritime chokepoints in World Geography. It recurs in RAS because such straits combine map location, ocean connections and strategic trade-route significance in one factual prompt.