Which one of the following straits is nearest to the International Date Line?

The International Date Line is located approximately along the 180° meridian, which is the antimeridian opposite the Prime Meridian [1]. To avoid splitting countries and island groups across different dates, the Date Line does not run strictly straight but bends in places; specifically, it curves around the Bering Strait region (and around various Pacific island groups) to accommodate political and practical concerns [2]. Because the Date Line deviates from the 180° meridian at the Bering Strait, the Bering Strait is the nearest of the listed options to the International Date Line. The other straits listed (Malacca, Florida, Gibraltar) lie far to the west or east of the 180° meridian.

Sources

1. [1] Exploring Society:India and Beyond. Social Science-Class VI . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 1: Locating Places on the Earth > Before we move on ... > p. 24
2. [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 18: Latitudes and Longitudes > UPSC Prelims 2008] Which of the following straits is nearest to the International Date Line? > p. 250