Geopolitical Chokepoints

A geopolitical chokepoint is a narrow maritime passage through which a disproportionate share of global trade, energy shipments, or naval movement must pass, since there is no practical alternative route or only a much longer and costlier one. Because so much traffic funnels through a small area, chokepoints are especially vulnerable to blockade, piracy, accidental obstruction, or deliberate military interdiction, and control over them — whether through direct sovereignty, treaty rights, or naval presence — has long been treated as a matter of major strategic importance by the states and companies that depend on them.