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The western boundary of the strait is delineated by a line running between North Cape, Prince Edward Island and Point Escuminac, New Brunswick while the eastern boundary is delineated by a line running between East Point, Prince Edward Island and Chéticamp, Nova Scotia.
The strait's shallow depths lend to warm water temperatures in summer months, with some areas reaching 25º C. Consequently the strait is reportedly home to the warmest ocean water temperatures in Canada, and some of the warmest ocean water temperatures on the Atlantic coast north of Virginia. During the winter months between December and April, sea ice covers the entire strait and Gulf of St. Lawrence.
While the shores of Cape Breton Island and eastern peninsular Nova Scotia are dominated by granite, sedimentary rocks along the central and western parts of the strait, as well as the entire south shore of Prince Edward Island, consist of sandstoneSandstone is an arenaceous sedimentary rock composed mainly of feldspar and quartz and varies in colour (in a similar way to sand), through grey, yellow, red, and white. Since sandstones often form highly visible cliffs and other rock formations, certain, lending to beautiful sandy beaches with minimal coastal development. The largest island in the strait is Pictou Island .
A ferry service crosses the 23 kilometre (14 mile) wide eastern part of the strait between Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island and Caribou, Nova Scotia .
The narrowest part of the strait, the 13 kilometre (8 mile) wide Abegweit PassageAbegweit Passage is the narrowest part of the Northumberland Strait, comprising the 13-kilometre wide portion between Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island and Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick. Tidal currents in this area can reach up to 4 knots. This portio in the western part of the strait between Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island and Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick , is spanned by the Confederation BridgeThe Confederation Bridge is a bridge spanning the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait, linking Prince Edward Island with mainland New Brunswick, Canada. 9 kilometres, it is the longest bridge over waters that freeze in the world. The two-lane highwa.