Today we are going to talk about a sea that geographically separates the European part of Turkey from the Asian part. It is known as Sea of Marmara. It is a sea that is connected to the Black Sea through the Bosphorus Strait and to the Aegean Sea through the Dardanelles Pass. It is known for being a sea where there are hardly any strong ocean currents and several islands.
We are going to dedicate this article to tell you all about the Sea of Marmara and their characteristics.
Key features
It is a sea whose surface is 11.350 square kilometers. Of all this surface, 850 kilometers are in length from the northeast to the southwest where its widest section reaches 80 kilometers. As you can see, it is not a sea that is very large. However, it has an average depth of almost 500 meters reaching a maximum depth in its central zone of 1.350 kilometers. This depth is similar to other major seas in the world such as the .
These are the characteristics that make it become a sea. Despite this, it hardly has strong marine currents and that is in an important area of seismic activity. And it is that this sea has been formed by the result of violent seismic movements of the earth's crust about 2.5 million years ago.
The name Marmara comes from the island with the same name due to the abundance of marble in ancient times. Marmara comes from marron which means marble in Greek.
Islands of the Sea of Marmara
As we have mentioned before, this sea has some quite famous islands. It has the archipelago of the Principe Islands and the Marmara Islands. We begin to describe them one by one. The Prince Islands are a group of 8 small islands that are in the Asian part of Istanbul. Among these islands we find important tourist destinations such as Heybeliada, Burgazada, Kınalıada and Sedef. Among these islands we can find a population of about 14.000 inhabitants. The rest of the islands in this sea are uninhabited and, although their beauty is impressive, they do not have the tourist development that other destinations in the world, such as the .
Marmara Island, which gives this sea its name, covers an area of 117 square kilometers. It is the largest and second-largest island in Turkey. It is located in the western part of the sea, off the Cyzicus Peninsula. The population is around 2.000 inhabitants.
The Bosphorus and the Dardanelles
Mo on the Bosphorus is what marks the northeastern limit of the Sea of Marmara. It is an arm of the sea that has an S shape and is 30 kilometers long and at its narrowest point it measures 750 meters. The Bosphorus Strait is responsible for dividing the city of Istanbul into two parts: On the one hand, we have the European part and on the other the Asian part. This geographical division is similar to that found in other seas of the world.
Both shores are connected by several bridges and a railway tunnel that is submerged 55 meters below the seabed. The Dardanelles Strait consists of a long natural channel 61 kilometers long and is located at the southwestern end of the Sea of Marmara. Its width ranges between 1.5 and 6 kilometers. Both shores of this strait are connected by railway lines. The Dardanelles passage has been of strategic importance both throughout history and today. They handle a large amount of maritime traffic from all over the world. This traffic is surpassed only by the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia and is comparable to that of other international seas.
Sailing the Sea of Marmara
If you want to go on vacation and sail the Sea of Marmara, it's best to charter a yacht. These yachts can't be found in undiscovered bays with crystal-clear waters, fishing areas, and diving spots with excellent restaurants that can only be reached by boat. This sea is filled with ruins, and at night, it creates a rather touristy atmosphere. People party and join other sailboats or go to dinner at wonderful restaurants located along the coast, making it an attractive destination in the maritime world, similar to what you'd experience in the .
Dolmabahçe Palace is one of the palaces found on the Bosphorus and it was built in the mid-600th century. It was built by Sultan Abdulmecit and the facade stretches for XNUMX meters on the European shore of the Bosphorus. It was built imitating other European palaces and you can visit its interior. You can also take advantage of impressive stays such as It is a 2000 m² living room. In this room there are crystal chandeliers weighing more than 4 tons.
As you can see, the Sea of Marmara is quite well known and the object of tourist trips. The rest of the uninhabited islands will surely be so in the future to make better use of the territory. I hope that with this article you can learn more about this sea and have made you want to visit it.