June Love Davis age 12, and Laura DavsSage ,  Lawrence Va.,

Where is the English channel?

England is a jagged triangle of land off northern Europe. A straight line along the bottom of the triangle is some 300 miles long. However, the shoreline is wavy, dotted with rocks and a few islands, This is the northern boundary of the English Channel.

Across this body of water, England looks at Europe. The channel is roughly wedge‑shaped, its narrow end pointing towards the west, This point is the Straits of Dover, some 20 miles wide. It is a rough patch of water, The Atlantic pushes its waves up the wedge to quarrel with the waters of the North Sea.

This little channel of water has done much to save England from invasion. For it is not easy to cross. Lighthouses, buoys and bells are everywhere to mark the rocks and sandy shoals just below the surface.  It takes a trained pilot to steer a big ship safely through the channels of deep water between England and Europe.