Jared Rasmussen, age 14, of Hutchinson, Kan., for his question:

WHERE IS THE INSIDE PASSAGE?

The inside passage is a stretch of coastal water and a transportation route that stretches from Seattle, Wash., to Ketchikan, Alaska. The passage is about 760 miles long.

Ships taking the inside passage are never far from land. On one side of the ship is the coast of the mainland and on the other side are forested islands, except for a short stretch of open sea.

Sharp turns and frequent fogs make steering on the inside passage rather difficult. However, a ship's captain who knows the waterway well can keep his craft in the middle of it by listening to the echo of his ship's whistle.

British Columbia is the Canadian province where most of the inside passage is located.