Tatar Strait

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Tatar Strait, narrow body of water, c.350 mi (560 km) long and from 5 to 80 mi (8–129 km) wide, S Russian Far East, between the island of Sakhalin and the Asian mainland. It connects the Sea of Japan, in the south, with the Sea of Okhotsk, in the north. Sovyetskaya Gavan, a fishing port, naval base, and terminus for the Baykal-Amur Mainline (BAM) is on the strait. Pipelines across the strait link Sakhalin's oil fields with mainland refineries.