Prelims 2011 · archive
EasyBetween India and East Asia, the navigation-time and distance can be greatly reduced by which of the following?
- 1.Deepening the Malacca straits between Malaysia and Indonesia.
- 2.Opening a new canal across the Kra isthmus between the Gulf of Siam and Andaman Sea.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
Only statement 2 is correct. A canal across the Kra isthmus would let ships between the Indian Ocean and East Asia skip the long loop south around the Malay Peninsula and Singapore. Deepening the Strait of Malacca leaves the route, and so its length, unchanged.
- ✗ 1. The Strait of Malacca already connects the Indian Ocean with the Pacific through the South China Sea. Deepening it would only let deeper-draught ships use it. Ships would still follow the same path, so the distance and sailing time between India and East Asia would not shrink.
- ✓ 2. A canal across the Kra isthmus in southern Thailand would directly link the Andaman Sea with the Gulf of Thailand (Gulf of Siam). It is expected to cut the distance between Indian Ocean waters and East Asian waters by around 700 nautical miles.
Remember · The Kra (Thai) Canal would link the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, bypassing Malacca and Singapore. Deepening Malacca changes the size of ship it can take, not the distance.
Sources
- ICWA Issue Paper: Isthmus of Kra – Connecting the Malay Peninsula by Rail and Canal (2022) ↗ · reference work “The canal, if and when constructed, is expected to reduce the distance between the waters of the Indian Ocean region and the eastern Asian waters by around 700 nautical miles”
- U.S. Energy Information Administration – The Strait of Malacca, a key oil trade chokepoint ↗ “The Strait of Malacca, which flows between Indonesia , Malaysia , and Singapore , connects the Indian Ocean with the Pacific Ocean through the South China Sea .”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2011, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·