     the english channel (, ), often referred to simply as the channel (), is the body of water that separates southern england from northern france, and joins the north sea to the atlantic ocean. it is about  long and varies in width from  at its widest to  in the strait of dover."english channel". the columbia encyclopedia, 2004. it is the smallest of the shallow seas around the continental shelf of europe, covering an area of some ."english channel." encyclopÃ¦dia britannica 2007. == geography == thumb|300px|map of the english channel  the international hydrographic organization defines the limits of the english channel as follows: ::on the west. a line joining isle vierge () to lands end (). ::on the east. the southwestern limit of the north sea. the iho defines the southwestern limit of the north sea as "a line joining the walde lighthouse (france, 1Â°55'e) and leathercoat point (england, 51Â°10'n)". the walde lighthouse is 6&
English_Channel FranceaUnited_Kingdom_border International_straits