| Mindoro Strait | |
|---|---|
 The strait seen from theApo Reef Lighthouse | |
.svg)  Mindoro Strait Location within the Philippines Show map of Luzon.svg) Mindoro Strait Mindoro Strait (Palawan) Show map of Palawan.svg) Mindoro Strait Mindoro Strait (Philippines) Show map of Philippines | |
| Location | Mimaropa |
| Coordinates | 12°19′59″N120°40′0″E / 12.33306°N 120.66667°E /12.33306; 120.66667 |
| Type | strait |
| Etymology | Mindoro |
TheMindoro Strait (Tagalog:Kipot ng Mindoro) is one of thestraits connecting theSouth China Sea with theSulu Sea in thePhilippines.[1] It separatesMindoro Island fromBusuanga Island (one of theCalamian Islands ofPalawan Province). Located between the two islands is theApo Reef, the largest coral reef system in the Philippines.[2] The reef divides the strait into the Apo East Pass and the Apo West Pass.[3]
The Mindoro Strait is part of an alternative route for ships passing between theIndian andPacificoceans and a common one for those exceeding theMalaccamax size and therefore incapable of using theStrait of Malacca.
Modernbathymetric soundings have shown that the centers of the Mindoro Strait and theSibutu Passage are both deep enough that they probably existed during thelast ice age, thus contradicting the favoredH. Otley Beyer's theory that thefirst settlers of the Philippines came throughland bridges around that period. If verified, the earliest people of the country would have needed boats to cross the open sea to reach the islands.
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