Matt Florenzo, age 11, of Casper, Wyo., for his question:

HOW WIDE IS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL?

A sea that separates England and France is called the English Channel. It is one of the world's most important waterways. It varies in width from 21 miles to 100 miles. It is about 350 miles long. The channel is between 200 to 300 feet deep.

The narrowest place on the English Channel, between Dover, England, and Calais, France, is called the Strait of Dover.

Geologists believe that England and France were connected by land before the channel was formed.

The waters of the English Channel are often rough because the currents of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet in the channel. There are also frequent windstorms.

The most important islands in the channel are the Channel Islands, off the French coast, and the Isle of Wight, off the southern coast of England.

Major ports on the English coast are Dover, Falmouth, Portsmouth and Southampton. On the French coast are Boulogne sur Mer, Cherbourg, Dieppe and LeHavre.

Much shipping passes through the English Channel.