The word isthmus comes from the Greek isthmos and literally means narrow passage. It is a geographical accident that consists of the union of two areas through a narrow strip of territory. This narrow piece of land allows two differentiated extensions to keep in contact. In this sense, an isthmus can unite two islands, two continental masses, or a peninsula with a continent. In popular language this geographical feature receives a poetic description, as it is known as the tongue of land. It is also known as a narrow neck or gait.
The Isthmus of Panama, Suez and Corinto have a strategic geographic value
The Isthmus of Panama joins Central and South America and the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It was formed approximately 13 million years ago. From a biodiversity point of view, this narrow strip allowed the exchange of species. From a historical perspective, it was discovered in 1501 by the Spanish explorer Rodrigo de Bastidas.
The Suez Isthmus connects Asia with the African continent and, as in the case of Panama, a canal, the Suez Canal, was built on this strip. It is an artificial waterway with more than 160 km in length.
The Isthmus of Corinth is a strip of land that connects the part of mainland Greece with the Peloponnese peninsula. This landform also has an artificial canal from the end of the 19th century.
In all three cases, it is a territory with great strategic value, since the three channels allow intense maritime traffic.
Other lesser known isthmus are the Bolbs isthmus (which connects Gibraltar with the mainland of Spain), the Tehuantepec in Mexico or the Carlos Ameghino isthmus in Argentina.
Other landforms with a certain similarity to the isthmus
The canal is a natural strait that allows the connection between two places. If we talk about two close bodies of water, the point of union is known as narrow. A peninsula is a piece of land connected to a continent by only one part.
The isthmus in human anatomy
The characteristics of the isthmus can be extrapolated to human anatomy. For this reason, in the oral cavity there is the so-called isthmus of the fauces. The same thing happens in the thyroid gland near the trachea with the thyroid isthmus or with the cerebral isthmus in the brain.
Photos: Fotolia - Florence Piot / Maxdigi
