Dardanelles
Narrow strait connecting the Sea of Marmara to the Aegean Sea, forming part of the continental boundary between Asia and Europe.
The Dardanelles, also called the Strait of Gallipoli, is a narrow natural waterway in northwestern Turkey. It marks the continental boundary between Asia and Europe, separating Asian Turkey from European Turkey. Along with the Bosporus, it forms the Turkish Straits. As one of the world’s narrowest straits used for international shipping, it links the Sea of Marmara to the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, and via the Bosporus, provides passage to the Black Sea. The strait is 61 kilometers long, between 1.2 and 6 kilometers wide, with an average depth of 55 meters and a maximum depth of 103 meters at its narrowest point near the city of Çanakkale. The first fixed crossing, the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, opened in 2022.
Quick Facts
- Native Name
- tr · Çanakkale Boğazı
- Depth
- 55 m
- Max Depth
- 103 m
- Countries
- Turkey
- Length
- 61 km
- Min Width
- 1200 m
- Part Of
- Turkish Straits
- Other Name
- Strait of Gallipoli
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The ancient Greek name Hellespont means 'Sea of Helle', derived from Helle, daughter of King Athamas, who drowned here after falling from a flying golden ram in the mythology of the Golden Fleece. The strait was also the scene of the legend of Hero and Leander. The Persian army of Xerxes I crossed the Dardanelles in 480 BC via pontoon bridges, and Alexander the Great crossed in 334 BC. During the Byzantine period, the Dardanelles were vital to the defence of Constantinople, and a 6th-century AD law by Emperor Anastasius I regulated passage fees.
Reader's Guide
The Dardanelles is 61 km long and 1.2 to 6 km wide, averaging 55 m deep with a maximum depth of 103 m at its narrowest point at Nara Burnu, abreast Çanakkale. There are two major currents: a surface current flows from the Black Sea towards the Aegean Sea, and a more saline undercurrent flows in the opposite direction. The strait is considered one of the most hazardous, crowded, difficult, and potentially dangerous waterways in the world. Ships under sail must wait at anchorage for ideal conditions before entering.
Did You Know?
- The Dardanelles connects the Sea of Marmara to the Aegean Sea, not directly to the Black Sea.
- The maximum depth of 103 m is recorded at its narrowest point abreast the city of Çanakkale.
- Most of the northern shores along the Gallipoli peninsula are sparsely settled, while the southern shores along the Troad peninsula are inhabited by Çanakkale's urban population of 110,000.
- The first fixed crossing across the Dardanelles opened in 2022 with the completion of the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge.
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