Strait of dardanelles on the map of eurasia. Which strait connects the Black and Mediterranean seas

The right of passage of warships and merchant ships through the Black Sea straits of the Bosphorus, the Sea of ​​Marmara and the Dardanelles defines the Convention of 20 July 1936.
It was signed by all the Black Sea states, including the USSR, as well as many European countries in Montreux (Switzerland) and regulates the legal regime of passage through the Black Sea straits ..
In everyday life they call her - Montreux Convention.
I will dwell on the provisions of this Convention in particular, since the Black Sea Straits are the most important and only way for ships and vessels of our state from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and further through Gibraltar to the Atlantic, and through the Suez Canal to the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

The question of the mode of navigation through the Black Sea straits of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles is one of the oldest international issues... The Black Sea powers have always sought to get free access to the Mediterranean for their ships and vessels, while not infringing on the interests of Turkey, without which any agreement on the Black Sea straits would be impossible. The non-Black Sea countries, for their part, sought permission for their ships to enter the Black Sea.
V Peaceful time merchant ships enjoy complete freedom of passage and navigation in the Black Sea straits day and night, regardless of the flag of the state and the cargo carried and without any formalities. Pilotage in the straits is optional. The Montreux Convention gives Turkey the right to collect a fee from each passing ship to cover the costs of sanitary control, navigational fencing and the maintenance of the rescue service.

The order of passage of warships through the Black Sea straits is regulated by Articles 8-22 of the Convention. It can be seen from Appendix IV to the Convention on the Regime of the Straits that the fleets of the Black Sea states can include ships of any class (i.e., aircraft carriers). At the time of the passage of the straits, it is forbidden to carry out flights of aircraft on board the ships.

Non-Black Sea countries are allowed to sail through the straits into the Black Sea only light surface ships and auxiliary vessels with a displacement of one ship not exceeding 10,000 tons.
The total displacement of a detachment of ships at the time of the passage of the straits should not exceed 15,000 tons. and their passage is allowed only during the daytime.
Non-Black Sea states are not entitled to introduce aircraft carriers and submarines into the Black Sea. The total tonnage of a squadron of warships of non-Black Sea countries located in the Black Sea should not exceed 45,000 tons.

The time spent on the Black Sea by a detachment of warships from non-Black Sea countries should not exceed 21 days, regardless of the purpose of their arrival.

The Turkish authorities must be notified through diplomatic channels of the passage of warships through the Black Sea straits, for non-Black Sea countries - 15 days in advance, for Black Sea countries - usually 8 days in advance, but not less than three days.

The passage of foreign warships through the straits and during the war is regulated. If Turkey is a belligerent, then the passage of ships depends solely on the Turkish government.

The Black Sea states are obliged annually as of January 1 and July 1 to report to the Turkish government the total displacement of the ships of their fleet.

The Montreux Convention was concluded in 1936 for 20 years and is automatically extended for another 20 years if there are no comments from the signatory states two years before its expiration.
The Montreux Convention continues to operate today.

According to a document circulated by the Novorossiysk information service, in 1980 about 20,000 ships passed through the straits, of which more than a third were under the flag of the USSR (according to Lloyd's data, in 1967, 11,926 ships passed through the straits, of which 2,736 were Soviet. almost doubled!). According to Turkish data, in 1977, 91% of the 272 warships passing through the Black Sea straits were Soviet.

Vladimir Viktorovich Volk - expert of the Center for Scientific political thought and ideology

It is not clear to what extent the aggravation of relations between Russia and Turkey will reach and what "know-how" will be used by provocateurs of military confrontation in this region, given that the heirs Ottoman Empire often acted as a "battering machine" on the side of the Anglo-Saxon partners. The Russian side periodically throws into the information space theses about its own reaction to aggression against the Su-24 who were carrying out a combat mission. No one doubts that Vladimir Putin will return the "favor". Another question is how? And what results can this lead to?

All sorts of predictions and proposals are heard from all sides: from sanctions on Turkish imports and an asymmetric response with attacks on Turkish aircraft to support for the Kurdish people's liberation movement in Turkey, which makes up about a third of the total population. Can Turkey use against Russia the subtle but very painful factor of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits?

FROM TROYAN TO WORLD FIRST

Reference: The straits of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles are at a distance of 190 km from each other and are separated by the Sea of ​​Marmara (an area of ​​11.5 thousand km). The straits connect the open sea (Mediterranean) with the closed (Black) one. A seagoing vessel going from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea enters the Bosphorus, on the shores of which the former capital of Turkey, Istanbul, is located. A rather narrow (in some places its width reaches 750 m) strait about 30 km long near its Asian shores formed the Golden Horn Bay 12 km long and up to 33 m deep.Passing the Bosphorus, the ship enters the Sea of ​​Marmara, and after a while it is met by another strait - Dardanelles. It is 60 km long, 1.3 km wide in its narrowest part, and 7.5 km wide in the widest part, and separates the Gallipoli Peninsula, which belongs to the European continent, and the northwestern coast of Asia Minor. This is the only route of communication between the Black and Mediterranean Seas. It is through them that tankers with goods from the Black Sea countries pass. Most of the Russian cargo traffic following this route is oil and oil products. The supply of the Russian air group in Latakia, as well as the supply of the Syrian army, after the demarche at the American click of the Bulgarian "brothers" is carried out by Russia also by sea - through these "stone gates".

The Strait of the Dardanelles, not only now, but also from ancient times, was of great strategic importance. The beginning of its military-strategic history is the Trojan War. The exact date of this war has not been established, while most historians believe that it took place in the XIII-XII centuries. BC e. According to the theory of the German historian Paul Cauer, published in 1895 and still considered one of the most fundamental today, the Trojan War is a confrontation between the Aeolians and the inhabitants of the northwestern part of the peninsula of Asia Minor.

In the era Byzantine Empire(395-1453), and then the Ottoman Empire (1299-1922) and the Dardanelles, and the Bosphorus entirely belonged to them, but as soon as the fleet appeared in Russia, the “question of the straits”, or the Eastern question, arises. After protracted negotiations in 1833 between Russia and Turkey, the Unikyar-Iskelesi treaty on a defensive alliance was concluded. A secret article of the treaty obliged Turkey to close the Bosphorus and Dardanelles to warships of all third countries at the request of Russia. This agreement greatly worried England and France, and in 1841, when its term expired, the London Convention on the Straits was immediately adopted, restoring the law of the Ottoman Empire, according to which the Bosphorus and Dardanelles were declared closed in peacetime to the warships of all countries.

The right to free passage Russian fleet through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles was one of the reasons for the Crimean War of 1853-1856. for domination in the Middle East. Originally Russian-Turkish, in world historiography this war is called the Eastern War. England, France and Turkey have been allies in it since 1854, in 1855 the Kingdom of Sardinia joined them. Russia was defeated in this war. Under the terms of the Paris Peace Treaty of 1856, she was prohibited from having a navy on the Black Sea. There was no question of going out into the straits. But in the first world war Great Britain and France were already opponents of Turkey. By the time of the signing of the Peace Treaty of Sevres in 1920, along with the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the war, most of Turkey was occupied by the Entente troops.

It is worth adding that before the revolution, in 1915, a secret agreement was signed between the Entente countries, according to which Great Britain and France agreed to resolve the age-old Eastern question by transferring Constantinople with the Black Sea straits to the Russian Empire in exchange for land in the Asian part of the Ottoman Empire. However, the Bosphorus operation did not take place - after the October coup, Vladimir Lenin signed an appeal to the working Muslims of the East in December 1917, where he disclosed the existence of a secret agreement, stating that “the secret treaties of the deposed tsar on the capture of Constantinople, confirmed by the overthrown Kerensky, are now torn and destroyed ".

TURKEY DETERMINES ITSELF - IS IT THREATENED

Which strait connects the Black and Mediterranean seas?

1. No strait connects, see the map
2. According to http://ru.wikipedia.org

   Bosfo # 769; p (tur. # 304; stanbul Bo # 287; az # 305; Istanbul Strait) is the strait between Europe and Asia Minor, connecting the Black Sea with the Marmara Sea, and paired with the Dardanelles with the Mediterranean. The Bosphorus is part of the intra-Eurasian border. The largest Turkish city, Istanbul, is located on both sides of the strait.

   The length of the strait is about 30 km. The maximum width of the strait is 3700 m in the north, the minimum width is 700 meters (this is the narrowest intercontinental strait) 1. The depth of the fairway is from 33 to 80 m 2.

   According to one of the most widespread legends, the strait got its name thanks to the daughter of the ancient Argivian king, the beautiful beloved of Zeus named Io was turned into a white cow by him in order to avoid the wrath of his wife Hera. Unhappy Io chose the waterway to salvation, diving into the blue of the strait, which since then has been called a cow's ford or Bosphorus 3.

   The shores of the strait are connected by two bridges: the Bosphorus Bridge with a length of 1074 meters (completed in 1973) and the Sultan Mehmed Fatih Bridge with a length of 1090 meters (built in 1988), 5 km north of the first bridge. It is planned to build a third road bridge in the northern part of the strait on the Black Sea coast. The 1275-meter bridge will connect the Northern Marmara Expressway with the Trans-European Highway. The preliminary cost of the project is about $ 56 billion. The path on the bridge will consist of eight lanes 4. Currently time is running construction of the Marmaray5 railway tunnel (completion date 2013), which will unite the high-speed transport systems of the European and Asian parts of Istanbul.

   It is assumed (the theory of the Black Sea flood) that the Bosphorus was formed only 75005000 years ago. Previously, the level of the Black and Mediterranean Seas was significantly lower, and they were not connected. At the end of the last ice age, as a result of the melting of large masses of ice and snow, the water level in both reservoirs rose sharply. A powerful stream of water in just a few days made its way from one sea to another, as evidenced by the bottom topography and other signs.

   The ancient Greeks also called the Kerch Strait the Bosporus Cimmerian Bosporus.

   The Bosphorus is one of the most important straits, as it provides access to Mediterranean and the world's oceans of a large part of Russia, Ukraine, Transcaucasia and southeastern Europe. In addition to agricultural and industrial products, oil from Russia and the Caspian region plays an important role in the export through the Bosphorus.

   In the winters of 16211669, the strait was covered with ice. These times were characterized by a general decrease in temperature in the region and were called Small ice Age.

3. The Bosphorus Strait is translated from Greek as cattle ford. And this statement must be taken literally, that is, this name arose at a time when cattle could cross the strait from one coast to another, with a ford depth of about one meter. And this ford apparently existed in the place of the bottom threshold of the Bosphorus with its depth of 27.5 meters. There are known works to determine the terraces of erosion of the coastal slopes of the eastern and western coasts Atlantic Ocean... There are exactly 31 of them: from a depth of 155 meters to the very surface of the ocean. Their genesis is a meteorite-fireball-asteroid: during their successive fallout into the ocean, its level periodically increased. And for the threshold of the Bosphorus with a depth of 27.5 meters, the age of overlap of this height of land mass sea ​​water 6 m in height, equal to age - 146575 BC e. In 117260 BC. e. such a catastrophe was repeated again. Researcher
4. The Orsk straits consistently connect the Black Sea with the Marmara, and the Marmara with the Aegean, which is part of the Mediterranean. They also separate Europe (Thrace) from Asia Minor (Anatolia). The straits provide access to the Mediterranean Sea and the world's oceans of most of Russia, Ukraine, the Transcaucasus and the countries of southeastern Europe. In addition to agricultural and industrial goods, oil from Russia and the rest of the Caspian countries constitutes a significant share of exports through the Straits.
   Content remove
   1 Description
   1.1 Bosphorus
   1.2 Dardanelles
   2 Question of the Straits
   3 Notes
   4 See also
   5 Literature
   6 References
   rule the Bosphorus
   Bosho # 769; p (tour # 304; stanbul Bo # 287; az # 305 ;, Greek # 914; # 972; # 963; # 960; # 959; # 961; # 959; # 962;) strait, connecting the Black Sea with the Marmara Sea. The length is about 30 km, the maximum width is 3,700 m in the north, the minimum width of the strait is 700 meters. The depth of the fairway is from 36 to 124 m. On both sides of the Bosphorus there is historical city Constantinople, now Istanbul.
   The shores of the strait are connected by two bridges: the Bosphorus Bridge with a length of 1074 meters (completed in 1973) and the Sultan Mehmed Fatih Bridge with a length of 1090 meters (built in 1988), 5 km north of the first bridge. A third road bridge is planned, but the construction site is kept secret by the Turkish government to avoid rising land prices. Currently, the Marmaray railway tunnel is under construction (completion date 2012), which will unite the transport systems of Istanbul, located in the European and Asian parts of the city.
   rule the Dardanelles
   Dardane # 769; ll (tour. # 199; anakkale Bo # 287; az # 305;, Greek # 916; # 945; # 961; # 948; # 945; # 957; # 941; # 955; # 955; # 953; # 945;), the ancient Greek name Hellespo # 769; nt. The strait between the European Gallipoli Peninsula and the northwest of Asia Minor. It connects the Sea of ​​Marmara with the Aegean. The coordinates of the Dardanelles are 4015 north latitude and 2631 east longitude. The strait is 61 kilometers long and 1.2 to 6 kilometers wide. The average depth of the fairway is 55 meters.
5. There is a strait there, but few people mark it. This is the Bosphorus
6. Bosphorus - but not directly
7. The Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea are not directly connected. Black through the Bosphorus is connected with the Marmara Sea, the Marmara through the Dardanelles is connected with the Aegean, the Aegean through several straits is connected with the Mediterranean.
8. Thank you
9. right now, for nothing, a little bit is left and I will call you by your name.
10. There is no such strait
11. black earth

Bosporus strait

On November 30, it became known that Russian ships are experiencing difficulties in crossing the Bosphorus, although the situation later returned to normal. Seems to be, weather did not allow ships to pass the strait in the prescribed manner.

The Bosphorus and Dardanelles are critical points from the point of view of the merchant and navy, and Turkey has direct control capabilities.

Montreux Convention

Since 1936, the Montreux Convention was adopted, according to which Turkey's sovereignty over the Black Sea straits was restored. Although in general case all merchant and military ships have the right to free passage through the straits, Turkey can restrict the passage of merchant ships at night and determine the routes to follow if it determines the situation as an imminent military threat. At the same time, only the Black Sea countries have the right to full free passage of warships in peacetime, and even they must notify Turkey in advance. For other states, stricter restrictions apply regarding classes, tonnage and total ships of non-Black Sea states in the Black Sea.

Turkey should prohibit the passage of any warships through the strait in the event of a war in which it does not participate. Otherwise, Turkey has the right to determine the degree of danger itself and to allow or deny passage.

Roughly speaking, Turkey can close the passage for warships only in the event of an official declaration of war. At the same time, the UN can cancel the decision under a certain voting procedure.

But this is a theory that is quite different from practice. For several decades Turkey has passed internal laws that made it difficult to use the provisions of the convention, or tried to do so.

So, for example, the Turkish "Regulations for navigation in the straits" is now in force, which allows you to block the passage, hiding behind the need technical works, special police operation, etc.

In NATO, as in Russia, the possibility of blocking the straits is ruled out.

The importance of the Black Sea straits

Oil, grain, metal and fertilizers are primarily exported from the ports of Novorossiysk along this route.

In addition, along this route, Russia carries out most of the supplies to the air base in Syria.

The main transport hub through which deliveries on these routes pass, is the seaport of Novorossiysk, which is the largest port on the Black Sea. By the end of 2014, the throughput of the port of Novorossiysk increased by 8% to the level of 2013 to 121.59 million tons. The number of ship calls increased by 9.8% to 5780 units. fleet.

In general, the cost of goods that passed through the Novorossiysk customs, according to the results of last year, amounted to $ 9.852 billion, for 10 months of this year the figure was $ 5.641 billion.

In the structure of exports, as you can see, Egypt is in the lead, which is explained by the huge volumes of supplies of grain and metallurgical products.

In the structure of imports through Novorossiysk, the leaders are China, Turkey, Egypt, Israel and Brazil.

Fruits and vegetables are imported primarily from Egypt, Turkey and Israel, as well as machinery and equipment from China.

In non-oil exports, cereals and ferrous metals are in the lead by a wide margin, while in imports the main share is taken by vegetables, fruits and equipment.

As for energy resources, about 25 million tons of oil and about 37 million more oil products from Russia pass annually through the Bosporus and Dardanelles. And if crude oil is thus exported along this route about 5% of the total production, and most of it is supplied via pipelines, then the share of petroleum products is even higher, since they are transported through sea transportation.

As you can see, Turkey may well cause great damage to Russian trade if it goes to extreme measures and closes the passage through the straits. But if this happens, then it will be a very short-term solution.

With a very high probability, NATO will put pressure on Ankara, since no one wants further escalation in the region. In addition, from a legal point of view, Turkey cannot close the straits just for Russian ships, which means that they will be closed completely, which will cause justly indignation in many countries.

It should also be borne in mind that most of the grain, oil and steel exports are not carried out under Russian flags, but under the Liberian, Cypriot, etc. This is a common practice that will reduce the effectiveness of Turkey's radical steps.

Flags of convenience

The so-called FOCs are ubiquitous, and according to UNCAD, in 2014, approximately 73% of the world's national tonnage was carried by vessels with foreign flags.

Russia has one of the highest rates of FOCs. ESIMO statistics show that, as of 2015, out of 1387 vessels attributable to beneficiaries Russian Federation only 1110 fly the Russian flag. According to other estimates, the share of FOCs exceeds 70% of the domestic tonnage.

Nevertheless, the current legislation makes it possible for Ankara to significantly complicate and slow down the work of merchant courts, the only question is a political decision on the part of Erdogan. It cannot be ruled out that, for the sake of his own ambitions, the Turkish president will finally decide to turn almost the entire world community against him.

Turkey can block the straits of Bofsor and Dardanelles in several ways. First, to completely prohibit passage for certain ships, for example, those flying the Russian flag or leaving Russian ports in the Black Sea. This completely contradicts the current legislation and is a gross violation, therefore Russia can quite successfully act through the UN and NATO. This is almost a suicidal step, and if it works, it is unlikely to last longer than a few days.

Secondly, the straits can be partially blocked for all ships, which Ankara can explain by the need for technical work or ongoing special operations... Although in this case we are not talking about a complete official blocking of the straits, the speed of passage along the route will significantly decrease, which will complicate the work Russian companies... Searches, checks, inspections - all this the Turkish side can use, but such actions are unlikely to become widespread. The Turkish authorities are more likely to take such steps with regard to individual courts, which are of the greatest importance to Russia.

It is hardly worth talking about the complete closure of the straits for all ships of all countries. Turkey gets good money from transit, taking advantage of its unique geographic location... But if the straits are closed, the region and the whole world will be on the verge of collapse in sea freight, and the reaction of other countries, including NATO partners, will be very quick and, most likely, quite tough.

According to a legendary ancient legend for these places, the almighty god Zeus fell in love with Io - the daughter of the Argive king and river god, which did not please Zeus' wife Hera. Io turned into a white cow and, trying to escape, descended into the waters of the strait, which has since been called the "cow's ford", or Bosphorus.

In fact, it is not known exactly why the ancient Greeks called the strait exactly like this: "boss" - bull, "poros" - ford, that is - "bull ford". But the "cow" was fixed.
The science of historical geology does not have an unambiguous version of the origin of the Bosphorus. The most common - "Theory of the Black Sea Flood" is that the Bosphorus was formed about 7500-5000 years ago. According to this theory, earlier the level of the Black Sea was 120 m below the level of the World Ocean and the seas were not reported in any way. At the end of the last ice age, as a result of the melting of huge masses of ice and snow, the water level in both reservoirs rose sharply - by 140 m, a powerful water flow made its way from one sea to another. This is indicated, in particular, by the bottom topography, as well as the change of aquatic plants and sedimentary rocks from freshwater to saline at about the time indicated above. Another reason for the appearance of the strait could be an earthquake.
The Bosphorus Strait has an important geopolitical position. From the time of Trojan War XIII-XII centuries BC e. it has repeatedly become the cause of international tension, especially during periods of weakening of one of the main great powers.
Under the Byzantine Empire (IV-XV centuries), and after its fall - during the Ottoman Empire, the Bosphorus remained internal affairs these states.
The Ottoman period in the history of the strait left a significant mark on the architecture of buildings on the shores of the Bosphorus. After the conquest, the padishahs built many fortifications here, and not only. At first, construction was carried out in central regions city, but with the appearance in the XIX century. luxury summer residences began to be built on steamships on the more distant parts of the Bosphorus coast.
At the end of the 17th century. fixed on the coast of the Azov and Black Seas Russian empire, and then the problem of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles arose, which in history received the name "The Question of the Straits".
Firstly, the Bosphorus is very narrow, so it is easy to "lock" it. Secondly, the shores of the Bosphorus belong to one state of Turkey. Thirdly, the strait connects the open Mediterranean Sea with the closed Black Sea. At all times, Turkey used its exclusive position on the Bosporus and allowed foreign ships to pass through the strait, issuing them "firmans" a kind of license for the right to trade with the Black Sea countries. The Bosphorus has always been the subject of disputes between Russia and Turkey, causing several Russian-Turkish wars... Russia managed to force Turkey to sign the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi peace treaty of 1774, according to which Russian ships could navigate the strait without hindrance.
After the end of the First World War, according to the Sevres Peace Treaty of 1920, the Bosphorus was declared a demilitarized zone under the control of the League of Nations. Currently, the treaty on the regime of the Turkish straits, signed in 1936, is in force, according to which the Bosphorus is an international shipping zone. Today in terms of modern international law The Bosphorus is “ open sea": Merchant ships of all countries have freedom of passage through the strait both in peace and in war time... But Turkey retained the right to restrict the movement of ships from non-Black Sea countries, in particular, its long-standing enemy, Greece, and introduced a regime of prior notification of the passage of warships.

Only through the Bosphorus can Russia, Ukraine and Transcaucasia communicate from the Black Sea with the Mediterranean and further with the World Ocean.
A significant part of the traffic through the strait is oil from Russia and the Caspian region, delivered to Western Europe and the United States by tankers loading at the terminals of the Russian port of Novorossiysk.
The passage of the Bosphorus is associated with significant difficulties. The fairway used by the ships is very winding, has an S-shaped configuration, repeating the equally winding line of the coast. Thanks to the extremely well-coordinated work of coastal services at lighthouses and in control rooms modern history does not know the strait major disasters... Since 1960, only two dozen incidents have occurred here without significant human casualties and damage to the environment.
The flora and fauna of the Bosphorus are no different from the Mediterranean, and the main commercial species the fish here are mackerel.
The idea of ​​a bridge across the Bosphorus dates back to ancient times. But only in the second half of the 20th century, after long and heated discussions, two bridges were built, connecting the shores of the strait.
The Bosphorus Bridge - the first suspension bridge across the strait - with a total length of 1510 m was opened for traffic in 1973. It bears the name of Ataturk, but locals more often they call it Bogaziki (in Turkish - "strait"). It connects the European and Asian parts of Istanbul. The height above the water is 64 m. Every day more than half a million people are transported across the bridge. Travel on the bridge is paid, it is closed for pedestrians.In the first four years people walked on it, but later it was forbidden, because those who decided to commit suicide regularly tried to use the bridge. Pedestrians are encouraged to use ferries that have been running between the shores of the Bosphorus since the time of the Persian king Darius I (V-IV centuries BC).
The Sultan Mehmed Fatih Bridge has the same overall length as its older brother and was completed in 1988. It also does not allow pedestrians. The bridges are 5 km apart.
For the convenience of movement along the strait, there are several towers for controlling sea traffic, or simply lighthouses. They are not all alike. The first lighthouse tower was erected by the Byzantine emperor Alexei I Komnenos in 1110. The Maiden Tower, or Leandra's Tower, is one of the symbols of Istanbul, which has been restored many times.
One of the oldest and most prestigious districts of Istanbul, Besiktas, is located on the European coast of the Bosphorus. One of the Istanbul ports is also located here, from where ferries leave for the Asian coast of the Bosphorus. The most impressive square of Istanbul is the Barbarossa Square - also located in the Besiktas district, and here is the Naval Museum and the mausoleum of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who died, according to one version, while crossing the Bosphorus during the Third crusade in 1190
If the day is sunny, the local population bathes in the Bosphorus, entering the water from the Kennedy embankment, in the Sultanahmet area, even despite the coastal fortifications in the form of randomly thrown boulders, constantly passing by the court and, to put it mildly, not quite clean water... Such recklessness can probably be explained by the fact that for Lately the population of the city has noticeably changed both in number and in composition: there are more people from distant rural provinces.
And the indigenous people of Istanbul no longer come here.
The largest number of attractions on the Bosphorus are concentrated in the Sultanahmet region. These are the most famous historical monuments Istanbul: Hagia Sophia (Hagia Sophia), Blue Mosque (Ahmediye Mosque, in honor of Sultan Ahmed), Hippodrome, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Archaeological Museum Istanbul and Suleymaniye Mosque. In 1985 the area was listed World heritage UNESCO.

general information

The strait between Europe and Asia Minor.
It connects with Mramorna, and together with the Dardanelles - with, thus with the entire Mediterranean basin.
Administrative affiliation: Turkey, Marmara region, Istanbul province.
The largest city: Istanbul.
Language: Turkish.
Currency unit: Turkish lira.
Religion: Islam

Numbers

Lenght: 31 km.
Width: 3329 m at the northern entrance, 2826 m at the southern entrance.
Maximum width: 3420 m.
Minimum width: 700 m.
Depth on fairway: from 36 to 124 m.
Average depth: 65 m.
Maximum depth: 110 m.
Minimum depth: 18 m in the north, 13 m in the south.
Population: about 17 million people. (2001).

Economy

Shipping: 48 thousand ships per year.
Tourism.

Climate and weather

Moderate continental, subtropical marginal... Influence of cold winds from the north.
Average annual air temperature:+ 15 ° C.
Average annual water temperature:+ 14 + 18 ° C.
Average annual rainfall: 850 mm.
Relative humidity: 71,5%.
Salinity of water: in surface current predominantly freshened (18% o) Black Sea water, and in the counter deep current, the salinity of the water is 38% o.
Problems: fog, poor visibility, strong wind.

sights

European coast

■ Golden Horn Bay;
■ Building: Rumelihisar fortress (mid-15th century), Tophane castle (mid-19th century), Chifte Saraylar palace (mid-19th century), Dolmabahce palace (mid-19th century);
■ Religious buildings: mosque Kilich Ali Pasha Jami ( end XVI c.), Dolmabahche Jami Mosque (mid-19th century), Ortakey Mosque (mid-19th century);
■ Museums: Museum fine arts, The Maritime Museum;
■ Yildiz Park;
■ Sariyer Fish Market;

Asian side

■ Leandre Tower(XII century);
■ Religious buildings: Mihriman Sultan Jami mosque (mid-16th century), Yeni Valide Jami mosque ( early XVIII v.);
■ Building: Anadolukhisary fortress (late 14th century), Veylerbeyi palace (mid-19th century), Kuchkzhsu villa (mid-19th century), Haydar Pasha Tary station (19th-20th centuries);
■ Port Haydar Pasha Limany (end of XIX v.);
■ Amlıca hill;

Other

■ Bridges: Ataturk Bridge (Bogaziki), Sultan Mehmed Fatih Bridge;
■ Adapar(Princes' Islands, Sea of ​​Marmara).

Curious facts

■ On the surface of the Bosphorus, the current usually goes from the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea. At some depth, the current changes direction and goes to opposite side.
■ In the winter of 1621-1669, the strait was covered with ice. This time was distinguished by a general decrease in temperature in the region and in climatology was called the "Little Ice Age".
■ The “Black Sea Flood” could serve as the basis for the legend of the Flood, which is present in the folklore of all peoples inhabiting or inhabiting this region, and could also become the basis for the story of the “Dardanic Flood” from the tales of Troy.
■ Every year in Istanbul in the middle of summer there is an intercontinental swim across the Bosphorus, in which anyone who has time to register can take part.
■ On November 27, 2010, Oleg Sofyanik, a Sevastopol marathon swimmer, sailed along the Bosphorus in six hours. The swim was about conservation natural environment Bosphorus. The athlete was helped to swim by a strong south wind and a favorable current. The water temperature was 14 degrees.
■ On May 15, 2005, American tennis star Venus Williams played an exhibition game with Turkish tennis player Ipek Senoglu on the Bogaziki Bridge. It was the first in literally"Intercontinental" match.
■ Construction of the Marmaray railway tunnel between the shores of the Bosphorus is already underway and is scheduled for completion in 2013. In 2010, the Turkish government announced to the public that it was planning to build another road bridge across the Bosphorus, in the northern part of the strait, on the Black Sea coast. An eight-lane bridge with a length of 1,275 meters will connect the Northern Marmara Expressway with the Trans-European Highway.