From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Strait of Tartary
Strait of Tartary
History
The coasts of the "Channel of Tartary" were charted by La
Pérouse in 1787. The land adjacent to it from the west was re-
ferred to at the time as the "Chinese Tartary"
The name Tartars had long been used by Europeans for
various peoples of Inner Asia and North Asia. Since the
Manchus’ rise to prominence in 1644, the name "Tartars"
became applied to them as well,[1] and Manchuria (and
Mongolia) became known to the Europeans as the "Chi-
nese Tartary".[2] Accordingly, when La Pérouse charted
most of the strait between Sakhalin and the mainland
"Chinese Tartary" in 1787, the body of water received the
name of the Strait (or Channel, or Gulf) of Tartary.
The Strait of Tartary connects the Sea of Okhostsk to the Sea of In Japan, the strait is named after Mamiya Rinzō, who
Japan. traveled to the strait in 1808[3] whereof the name was in-
troduced by Philipp Franz von Siebold in his book Nippon:
Gulf Tartary, Tatary,
Strait of Tartary (Gulf of Tartary Gulf of Tatary Tatar Archiv zur Beschreibung von Japan (1832-54).
Strait, Strait, Tartar,
Strait Tartar Strait Strait of Tartar also Chinese: 韃靼 On Russian maps, the short narrowest section of the
海峽 , Japanese: 間宮海峡, Mamiya Strait Russian Strait, strait (south of the mouth of the Amur) is called Nevel-
пролив)
Татарский пролив is a strait in the Pacific Ocean di- skoy Strait, after Admiral Gennady Nevelskoy, who ex-
viding the Russian island of Sakhalin from mainland Asia plored the area in 1848; the body of water north of there,
(South-East Russia), connecting the Sea of Okhotsk on the into which the Amur River flows, is the Amur Liman; and
north with the Sea of Japan on the south. It is 900 km the name of "Strait of Tartary" is reserved for the largest
long,[citation needed] 4–20 m deep, and 7.3 km wide at the section of the body of water, south of Nevelskoy Strait.
narrowest point.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Strait of Tartary
The Tartar Strait was a puzzle to European explorers Magadan is via Tsugaru Strait, and around Hokkaido; the
since, when approached from the south, it becomes in- usual summer route, is via La Pérouse Strait and around
creasingly shallow and looks like the head of a bay. In Sakhalin. Only when coming back from Magadan to Vani-
1787 La Perouse decided not to risk it and turned south no with a low load and in good weather would the ships
even though locals had told him that Sakhalin was an travel along the shortest route, i.e., via the Amur Liman,
island. In 1797 William Broughton also decided that the Nevelskoy Strait, and the Strait of Tartary proper (which,
Gulf of Tartary was a bay and turned south. In 1805 Adam incidentally, SASCO calls the "Strait of Sakhalin" -
Johann von Krusenstern failed to penetrate the strait Sakhalinsky Proliv).[6]
from the north. Mamiya Rinzō’s journey of 1808 was little A tunnel under the strait, to give a road and/or rail
known to Europeans. Gennady Nevelskoy passed the connection between Sakhalin and the mainland, was be-
strait from the north in 1848. The Russians kept this a gun under Joseph Stalin, but abandoned incomplete after
secret and used it to evade a British fleet during the his death. Renewed calls for a tunnel have been made by
Crimean War. politicians in recent years.
Recent history See also
S-117 was a Soviet Shchuka class submarine that was lost • Korean Air Lines Flight 007
on or about 15 December 1952, due to unknown causes
in the Strait of Tartary in the Sea of Japan. The boat may References
have collided with a surface ship or struck a mine. All
[1] Starting since the first book about the Manchu
forty-seven crewmen died in the incident.
conquest: Martino Martini, De Bello Tartarico
The southeastern part of the Strait of Tartary was the
Historia. Antwerp 1654
site of one of the tensest incidents of the Cold War, when
[2] E.g.: Jean-Baptiste Du Halde, Description
on September 1, 1983, Korean Air Lines Flight 007, car-
géographique, historique, chronologique, politique, et
rying 269 people including a sitting U.S. congressman,
physique de l’empire de la Chine et de la Tartarie
Larry McDonald, strayed into the Soviet air space and
chinoise, enrichie des cartes générales et particulieres de
was attacked by a Soviet Su-15 interceptor just west of
ces pays, de la carte générale et des cartes particulieres
Sakhalin Island. The plane came down on the waters off
du Thibet, & de la Corée; & ornée d’un grand nombre de
the strait’s only land mass, Moneron Island. An intensive
figures & de vignettes gravées en tailledouce (La Haye:
naval search by the U.S. with assistance of Japanese and
H. Scheurleer, 1736)
Korean vessels was carried on in a 225 square miles
[3] Vintage map
(580 km2) area of the strait just north of Moneron Island
[4] Vanino Commercial Sea Port
(see "Search for KAL 007 in International Waters" of
[5] Vanino-Kholmsk, on the site of SASCO (Sakhalin
Korean Air Lines Flight 007).
Shipping Co.) (Russian)
[6] SASCO: Vanino-Magadan (Russian)
Transportation
External links
• (Russian)Tatar Strait
Coordinates: 52°11′00″N 141°37′00″E / 52.1833333°N
141.6166667°E / 52.1833333; 141.6166667
Vanino, an important port on the Strait of Tartary
Since 1973, a rail ferry operates across the strait, con-
necting the port of Vanino, Khabarovsk Krai on the main-
land with Kholmsk on Sakhalin Island.[4][5]
Looking at the map, one could think that the Strait
of Tartary would provide a convenient connection for
boats sailing from the Sea of Japan to the Sea of Okhotsk,
e.g. from Vanino to Magadan. However, according to the
SASCO that operates that shipping line, their ships rarely
travel that way. The usual winter route from Vanino to
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Strait of Tartary
Categories:
• Straits of Russia
• Straits of Asia
• Sea of Japan
• Geography of Northeast Asia
• Sakhalin Oblast
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