This document discusses various canals and straits around the world including the Corinth Canal and Panama Canal in Greece and the USA. It also mentions the Suez Canal in Egypt and the Gibraltar Strait between Portugal and Spain. The document notes that canals and straits allow for faster and safer sea transport compared to traveling around continents or peninsulas. It provides brief details on Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan's historic circumnavigation of the globe from 1522 to 1519 using the straits that now bear his name.