Technically, a strait is a slim and crossable waterway that connects two larger navigable waterbodies. It is generally refers to a waterway that lies between two land masses. The terms strait, channel, passage or creek can be one and the same and identical, even though each of them sometimes carries different impression. It can be mentioned here that a slim body of water between islands leading to an enclosed water body, such as a bay or lagoon is termed as an inlet.
After the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, some States including the UK and the US have argued that the right of transit passage as determined by the UN should be treated as a part of customary international law. It can be stated that a number of Strait States like Turkey (Dardanelles and Bosphorus) and Iran (Hormuz) are not parties to the 1982 Convention.
