© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
KCUR 89.3 is intermittently running on low power to allow tower repairs. Click here to stream us online 24/7

WATCH: Shipping Around The World In 1:40

Given a deal to end to a nine-month slowdown at West Coast ports announced on Friday, we thought now might be the time to promote this new-to-us video from that gives us a strong representation of just how busy are the world's shipping lanes.

The video shows satellite tracking of routes superimposed over Google Earth. It focuses on some of the main choke points for international shipping, such as the Strait of Malacca on the southern tip of Malaysia, the Suez Canal, the Strait of Gibraltar and the Panama Canal.

It's a good reminder that about 90 percent of all the goods traded globally spend at least some of their transit time on a ship.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Scott Neuman is a reporter and editor, working mainly on breaking news for NPR's digital and radio platforms.
Congress just eliminated federal funding for KCUR, but public radio is for the people.

Your support has always made KCUR's work possible — from reporting that keeps officials accountable, to storytelling to connects our community. Help ensure the future of local journalism.