isthmus

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(ĭs'məs) pronunciation
n., pl., -mus·es, or -mi (-mī').
  1. A narrow strip of land connecting two larger masses of land.
  2. Anatomy.
    1. A narrow strip of tissue joining two larger organs or parts of an organ.
    2. A narrow passage connecting two larger cavities.

[Latin, from Greek isthmos.]


isthmus (ĭs'məs), narrow neck of land connecting two larger land areas. Since it commands the only land route between two large areas and is on two seas, an isthmus has great strategical and commercial importance and is a favorable situation for a city. In modern times many isthmuses have been cut through by canals to eliminate the necessity of land transport. The most important isthmuses are the Isthmus of Panama, connecting Central and South America, and the Isthmus of Suez, joining Asia and Africa. Canals were dug through both of these. The Isthmus of Corinth between the Morea peninsula and central Greece also has a canal.


(is-muhs)

A narrow strip of land that connects two larger bodies of land and has water on both sides.

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A narrow piece of land with water on each side .

pronunciation Whenever the tide was high, the isthmus nearly disappeared.

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A narrow connection between two larger bodies or parts.

  • aortic i. — that part of the aorta between the origin of the brachiocephalic trunk, or the left subclavian artery, and that of the ductus arteriosus which is partly constricted in the fetus; it marks the partial separation of fetal blood flow derived from right and left ventricles, and is most conspicuous in the newborn calf.
  • i. of auditory tube — the narrowest part of the pharyngotympanic tube at the junction of its bony and cartilaginous parts. Called also isthmus of pharyngotympanic tube.
  • i. of fauces, i. faucium — the constricted aperture between the cavity of the mouth and the pharynx.
  • oviduct i. — the short slightly narrower section of the oviduct of the bird between the magnum and the uterus, where the shell membranes are laid down.
  • pharyngeal i. — the aperture between the dorsal and ventral parts of the pharynx and separated by the free edge of the soft palate and the palatopharyngeal arch.
  • i. of pharyngotympanic tube — see isthmus of auditory tube (above).
  • i. of rhombencephalon — the narrow segment of the fetal brain, forming the plane of separation between the rhombencephalon and cerebrum.
  • i. of thyroid — the band of tissue joining the lobes of the thyroid. It is fibrous in sheep and horses and glandular in dogs and cattle.
  • i. of uterine tube — the narrower, thicker-walled portion of the uterine tube closest to the uterus.
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List of isthmuses

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The sandy isthmus connecting North and South Bruny Island in Tasmania, Australia

An isthmus (play /ˈɪsθməs/ or /ˈɪsməs/; plural: isthmuses, isthmi; from Ancient Greek: ἰσθμός isthmos "neck") is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with water on either side.[1]

Canals are often built through isthmuses, where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transport. The Panama Canal bisects the Isthmus of Panama, thereby connecting the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; the Suez Canal connects the North Atlantic and Indian Oceans, cutting across the Isthmus of Suez to connect the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Suez/Red Sea. Strait is the sea counterpart of isthmus.

Contents

Americas

Argentina

British Overseas Territories

Canada

Central America

Chile

USA

Venezuela

Asia

The Suez Canal crosses the Suez isthmus

Europe

Black Sea

Ireland

Iceland

Mediterranean Sea

Russia

United Kingdom

Oceania

Australia

New Zealand

See also

Notes

  1. ^ [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/297042/isthmus In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved December 07, 2009, from Muckalee rules Encyclopædia Britannica Online]
  2. ^ The isthmus (from the Auckland City Council website. Accessed 2009-02-08.)

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - landtange

Nederlands (Dutch)
landengte

Français (French)
n. - isthme

Deutsch (German)
n. - Isthmus, Landenge

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (γεωγρ.) ισθμός

Italiano (Italian)
istmo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - istmo (m)

Русский (Russian)
перешеек, перемычка

Español (Spanish)
n. - istmo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - näs

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
地峡, 峡部

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 地峽, 峽部

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 지협, 협부

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 地峡, 峡部

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) برزخ ( مثال برزخ بنما)‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חלק צר המחבר שני חלקים רחבים יותר, מיצר יבשה‬


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Isth. (abbreviation)
Suez, Isthmus of (isthmus of northeast Egypt connecting Africa)
Panama, Isthmus of (isthmus of Central America connecting North)