Abegweit Passage is the narrowest part of the

Northumberland Strait The Northumberland Strait (French: ''détroit de Northumberland'') is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada. The strait is formed by Prince Edward Island and the gulf's eastern, southern, and western sho ...

, comprising the 13-kilometre-wide portion between

Cape Traverse, Prince Edward Island Cape Traverse ( ) is a community in Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada. A winter iceboat service crossed the Abegweit Passage between Cape Traverse to Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick for many decades during the 19th century and early 2 ...

, and

Cape Tormentine, New Brunswick Cape Tormentine is a local service district in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada. It is located on the Northumberland Strait at the Abegweit Passage, the shortest crossing between Prince Edward Island and the mainland. It once flourished as a ...

. Tidal currents in this area can reach up to . This portion of the strait is now spanned by the

Confederation Bridge The Confederation Bridge (french: Pont de la Confédération) is a box girder bridge carrying the Trans-Canada Highway across the Abegweit Passage of the Northumberland Strait, linking the province of Prince Edward Island with the province of Ne ...

. The word ''Abegweit'' is derived from the

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the nort ...

word ''Abahquit'', meaning "lying parallel with the land", or ''Epegweit'', "lying in the water". It is often loosely translated as meaning "cradled on the waves."

References

Bodies of water of Prince Edward Island Bodies of water of New Brunswick Landforms of Prince County, Prince Edward Island Landforms of Westmorland County, New Brunswick Straits of Canada {{NewBrunswick-geo-stub