LA PEROUSE STRAIT

Russian Proliv Laperuza, Japanese Soya-kaikyo, international waterway between the islands of Sakhalin (Russia) and Hokkaido (Japan). The strait, named after the French explorer Jean-Franois de Galaup, Count de La Prouse, separates the Sea of Okhotsk from the Sea of Japan. It is 27 miles (43 km) wide at its narrowest part, between Cape Krilon (Sakhalin) and Cape Soya (Hokkaido) and varies in depth from 167 to 387 feet (51 to 118 m). The strait is characterized by extremely strong marine currents. It is closed by ice in the winter.