Sea of Marmara
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Map of the Sea of Marmara |
The
Sea of Marmara (
Turkish:
Marmara Denizi,
Greek:
Θάλασσα του Μαρμαρά or
Προποντίς), also known as the
Sea of Marmora or the
Marmara Sea, is an inland
sea that connects the
Black Sea to the
Aegean Sea, thus separating the
Asian part of
Turkey from its
European part. The
Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black Sea and the
Dardanelles strait to the Aegean. The former also separates
Istanbul into its
Asian side and European side. The Sea has an area of 11,350
km².
The
salinity of the sea averages about 22 parts per thousand, which is slightly greater than that of the
Black Sea but only about two-thirds that of the
oceans. However, sea-bottom waters are much more saline, averaging salinities of around 38 parts per thousand - similar to that of the
Mediterranean Sea. This high-density saline water, like that of the Black sea itself, does not migrate to the surface. Water from the
Granicus, Susurluk, Biga and Gonen Rivers also reduces the salinity of the sea, though with less influence than on the Black Sea. Almost all of these rivers flow from
Anatolia: very little land in
Thrace drains southward.
There are two major
island groups known as the
Prince's and
Marmara islands. The latter group is rich in sources of
marble and gives the sea its name (Greek
marmaros, marble). A notable island located in this sea is
İmralı, where
Abdullah Öcalan is imprisoned.
During a storm on
December 29 1999, the Russian oil tanker Volgoneft broke in two in the Sea of Marmara, and more than 1500 tonnes of oil were spilled into the water.
The
North Anatolian fault, which has triggered many major earthquakes in recent years, such as the
Izmit Earthquake of 1999, runs under the sea.
Propontis (
Προποντίς,
-ίδος <
pro 'before' +
pontos 'Black Sea') was the ancient Greek name for the sea.
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City of Adiyaman, Turkey - Sea of Marmara
