isthmus

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.]

(IS-muhs)

noun
1. A narrow strip of land with water on each side, joining two larger land masses, for example, the Isthmus of Panama.
2. A narrow strip of tissue joining two large organs or cavities.

Etymology
From Latin isthmus, from Greek isthmos (a neck of land)

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

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.

This article is about the geographical term. For other uses, see Isthmus (disambiguation).

The Isthmus of Panama

The Suez Canal crosses the Suez isthmus

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

An isthmus (English pronunciation: /ˈɪsθməs/ or /ˈɪsməs/; plural: isthmuses, isthmi, from Ancient Greek: ἰσθμός, isthmos, neck) is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas. Of note, the Isthmus of Panama connects the continents of North and South America (the Americas), and the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt connects Africa and Asia (or Eurasia).

Canals are often built on isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation. The Panama Canal bisects the Isthmus of Panama, thereby connecting the North Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; the Suez Canal adjoins 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 1 List of isthmuses 1.1 In Southeast Asia 1.2 In Europe 1.2.1 Mediterranean Sea 1.2.2 Black Sea 1.2.3 British Isles 1.2.4 Atlantic Ocean 1.3 In North America 1.4 In South America 1.5 In the Middle East 1.5.1 Red Sea 2 See also 3 Notes

List of isthmuses

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

In Southeast Asia

The Isthmus of Kra is the narrow land bridge which connects the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Asia. The east part of the landbridge belongs to Thailand, the west part belongs to the Tanintharyi division of Burma. To the west of the Isthmus is the Andaman Sea, to the east is the Gulf of Thailand.

In Europe

Mediterranean Sea

• Isthmus of Bolbs, which joins Gibraltar to mainland Spain.
• Isthmus of Corinth, which connects the Peloponnese peninsula to the rest of Greece.
• Isthmus of Potidea, connecting the Kassandra peninsula with the mainland of Greece.

Black Sea

• Isthmus of Perekop between Crimea and Ukraine proper.

British Isles

• La Coupée isthmus in Sark.
• Forth-Clyde isthmus in Scotland.
• Mavis Grind isthmus in Shetland, UK.
• Tyne-Solway Isthmus in England, along the Stanegate in Roman times main forts at Corbridge and Carlisle.

Atlantic Ocean

• Isthmus of Westfjords peninsula, which connects to the mainland of Iceland.

In North America

• Isthmus of Panama
• Madison Isthmus
• Isthmus of Chignecto
• Isthmus of Avalon

In South America

• Isthmus of Médanos - links Venezuela to Médanos.
• Ofqui Isthmus, Aisén Region, Chile.

In the Middle East

Red Sea

• Isthmus of Suez - the isthmus between North Africa and Sinai Peninsula, in Egypt where the Suez Canal is located.

See also

• Geography
• Mainland
• Tombolo
• Peninsula
• Land bridge
• The Karelian Isthmus

Notes

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

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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