Trench facts for kids

Soldiers digging a trench as cover

A trench is a long, narrow ditch. It is like a tiny valley.

Trench warfare has often been used in defense. Entrenched soldiers can be somewhat safe from enemy fire. Trench warfare made World War I longer than expected. The trench coat got its name from there.

Several kinds of trench exist:

• Utility trench has pipes, wires, or other infrastructure
• Road trench carries vehicles
• Military trench provides shelter for soldiers shooting at each other
• Oceanic trench: For example, the Mariana Trench
• Rift valley
• Archaeological trench dug by archaeologists

Images for kids

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  Gas pipe being laid in a trench

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  Automated trench digging on a street in Baku

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  Soldiers in a trench during the Gallipoli Campaign of World War I

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  Archaeological trench on an English farm site

See also

In Spanish: Zanja para niños