DAVIS STRAIT

davis strait, the broad strait which separates greenland from north america, and connects baffin bay with the open atlantic. at its narrowest point, which occurs just where the arctic circle crosses it, it is nearly 200 m. wide. this part is also the shallowest, a sounding of 112 fathoms being found in the centre, whereas the depth increases rapidly both to north and to south. along the western shore (baffin land) a cold current passes southward; but along the east there is a warm northward stream, and there are a few danish settlements on the greenland coast. the strait takes its name from the explorer john davis.