A narrow strip of water holds immense significance, controlling 20% of global oil supply. Beneath its islands, unmapped salt caves and hidden bunkers with missiles capable of reaching ships are found. The Strait of Hormuz is arguably the world's most crucial 39 kilometers of water.

What You'll Discover:

• Why 20 million barrels of oil traverse this area daily.
• The unexplored underground salt caves under Hormuz Island.
• The strategic importance of Iran's three islands in managing this shipping corridor.
• Fortified bunkers designed to withstand air strikes along the lanes.
• Supertankers navigating through narrow lanes just 2-3 kilometers wide.
• The breathtaking Rainbow Valley in the Middle East.
• Qeshm Island, home to the world's longest salt cave system (over 6,400 meters).
• The limitations of bypass pipelines handling only a third of the strait's daily traffic.
• The enduring legacy of a Portuguese fortress from the 1500s overseeing the passage.
• The global economic impact of a disruption here.

Music from Epidemic Sound.

Sources & Fact-Checking:

• U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
• International Energy Agency (IEA)
• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
• UNESCO Geopark documentation
• Geological surveys and academic research
• Maritime traffic data and naval analysis