Babuyan Channel

Description

The Luzon Strait is approximately 250 kilometers (160 mi) wide containing a number of islands belonging to the Philippines that are grouped into two: the islands comprising the province of Batanes and the Babuyan Islands, which are part of the province of Cagayan. The strait is divided into a number of smaller channels. The Babuyan Channel separates Luzon from the Babuyan Islands, which is separated from Batanes by the Balintang Channel. Batanes is separated from Taiwan by the Bashi Channel. The Luzon Strait is the shortest possible shipping node for maritime traffic originating from the nations of Southeast Asia; combined with the collective Maritimes Southern East Asia of China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, who are all sharing the South China Sea and it's complex economic network, with maritime traffic reaching across South and North America, wherein the Luzon Strait is the most necessary chokepoint for these two centers of gravity for economic activity. The Luzon Strait in particular is the quickest sea lane possible, for ships travelling to and fro; Southern China and Southeast Asia, and; the Panama Canal plus South America.