Chokepoints of the World: Where Geography Shapes Global Power

Imagine a single, narrow waterway through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil passes daily. It’s hard to believe, but such a place exists: the Strait of Hormuz. Only about 21 miles wide at its narrowest point, this strip of water between Iran and Oman becomes the stage for a global ballet—where tanker ships, naval patrols, and international tensions all converge.

It’s not just the Strait of Hormuz. Our world is dotted with chokepoints—narrow passages critical for trade but vulnerable to disruption. The Suez Canal in Egypt. The Panama Canal. The Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia. Each one is a reminder that geography, often invisible in our daily lives, quietly shapes the fate of nations.

What if the Suez Canal is blocked? We saw the answer in 2021, when a single stuck container ship delayed nearly $10 billion in global trade each day. What if pirates lurk too thickly off the Horn of Africa, turning the Gulf of Aden into a gauntlet? What if, tomorrow, something—or someone—decides the Strait of Hormuz should close?

These questions reveal a surprising truth: Even in an age of rockets and fiber optic cables, some of humanity’s greatest vulnerabilities come not from new technology, but from ancient geography. The most powerful navies and economies in the world have to reckon with nature’s bottlenecks.

So why do we let so few places hold so much sway? Maybe because alternatives—new pipelines, new routes, new technologies—are expensive or slow to build. Or maybe, deep down, we just don’t expect the reality of the map to ever truly catch up with us.

Until, suddenly, it does.

This article was inspired by the headline: 'Can Iran really shut down the Strait of Hormuz? - Al Jazeera'.