Sea of Marmara

The Sea of Marmara (/ˈmɑːrmərə/; Turkish:

Marmara Denizi; Ancient Greek:
Προποντίς, Προποντίδα), also known as
the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea,
and in the context of classical antiquity as
the Propontis, is the inland sea, entirely
within the borders of Turkey, that connects
the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus
separating Turkey's Asian and European
lands. The Bosphorus strait connects it to
the Black Sea and the Dardanelles strait to
the Aegean Sea. The former also
separates Istanbul into its Asian and
European sides. The Sea of Marmara is a
small sea with an area of 11,350 km2
(4,380 sq mi), and dimensions 280 km
× 80 km (174 mi × 50 mi).[1] Its greatest
depth is 1,370 m (4,490 ft).
 Sea of Marmara

Satellite image of the Sea of Marmara

Sea of
Marmara

Map of the Sea of Marmara with bathymetry

and surrounding relief
Location Europe and Asia

Coordinates 40°41′12″N 28°19′7″E

Type Inland Sea

Native name Marmara Denizi

Primary inflows Simav River, Biga
Çayı, Nilüfer River

Primary outflows Turkish Straits

Catchment area 11,500 km2

(4,400 sq mi)

Basin countries Turkey

Surface area 11,350 km2

(4,380 sq mi)

Average depth 494 m (1,621 ft)

Max. depth 1,370 m (4,490 ft)

Water volume 3,378 km3 (810 cu mi)

Islands Marmara Island, Avşa,

İmralı, Prince Islands,
Paşalimanı and
Ekinlik Island
Settlements Istanbul, Bursa, İzmit,
Tekirdağ, Balıkesir,
Çanakkale, and
Yalova

Photograph of the Sea of Marmara from space (STS-

40, 1991). The sea is the light-colored body of water.
This astronaut photograph highlights the metropolitan
area of Izmit along the northern and eastern shores of
the Sea of Marmara, at the end of the Gulf of Izmit.

Sea of Marmara – From the dining room of the

Rákóczi exile

Name
The sea takes its name from Marmara
Island, which is rich in sources of marble,
from the Greek μάρμᾰρον (mármaron),
"marble".[2]
The sea's ancient Greek name Propontis
derives from pro- (before) and pontos
(sea), deriving from the fact that the
Greeks sailed through it to reach the Black
Sea, Pontos. In Greek mythology, a storm
on Propontis brought the Argonauts back
to an island they had left, precipitating a
battle where either Jason or Heracles
killed King Cyzicus, who mistook them for
his Pelasgian enemies.[3]

Geography
The surface 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 most
oceans. The water is much more saline at
the sea bottom, 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, does not migrate to the surface.
Water from the Susurluk, Biga (Granicus)
and Gonen Rivers also reduces the salinity
of the sea, though with less influence than
on the Black Sea. With little land in Thrace
draining southward, almost all of these
rivers flow from Anatolia.

The sea contains the archipelago of the

Prince Islands and Marmara Island, Avşa
and Paşalimanı.

The south coast of the sea is heavily

indented, and includes the Gulf of İzmit
(Turkish: İzmit Körfezi), the Gulf of Gemlik
(Turkish: Gemlik Körfezi), Gulf of Bandırma
(Turkish: Bandırma Körfezi) and the Gulf of
Erdek (Turkish: Erdek Körfezi). During a
storm on December 29, 1999, the Russian
oil tanker Volgoneft broke in two in the Sea
of Marmara, and more than 1,500 tonnes
of oil were spilled into the water.

The North Anatolian Fault, which has

triggered many major earthquakes in
recent years, such as the August and
November 1999 earthquakes in Izmit and
Düzce, respectively, runs under the sea.

Extent …

The International Hydrographic

Organization defines the limits of the Sea
of Marmara as follows:[4]

On the West. The Dardanelles limit of

the Aegean Sea [A line joining Kum
Kale (26°11'E) and Cape Helles].
On the Northeast. A line joining Cape
Rumili with Cape Anatoli (41°13′N).

Towns and cities

Towns and cities on the Marmara Sea
coast include:
Istanbul Balıkesir Kocaeli
Province Province Province
Istanbul Bandırma Derince
Adalar Erdek Eskihisa
Bakırköy Gönen Gebze
Bostancı Marmara Gölcük
Kadıköy Bursa Hereke
Kartal Province İzmit (P
Kumkapı Cap)
Maltepe Gemlik Karamü
Pendik Karacabey Körfez
Üsküdar Mudanya
Tekirdağ
Yeşilköy Çanakkale Province
Zeytinburnu Province
Büyükçekmece Marma
Kumburgaz Biga Ereğli
 Silivri Gelibolu Şarköy
Tuzla Lapseki Tekirda
(Pr. Cap)

Image gallery
Aerial view of the Bosphorus, southern end and
Istanbul in the background

View of Marmara Sea from Istanbul (Kumkapı)

Sea of Marmara approaching Yassıada

View of the Marmara Sea from Yeşilköy

 View of the Marmara Sea from Kadıköy

See also
1509 Constantinople earthquake
1999 İzmit earthquake
Black Sea deluge hypothesis
Kanal İstanbul
Montreux Convention Regarding the
Regime of the Straits
Turkish Straits
References
1. "Marmara, Sea of - Dictionary
definition of Marmara, Sea of -
Encyclopedia.com: FREE online
dictionary" . www.encyclopedia.com.
Retrieved 3 January 2018.
2. Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert. "A
Greek-English Lexicon" . Henry Stuart
Jones and Roderick McKenzie.
Perseus. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
3. Parada, Carlos. "Greek Mythology
Link" . Archived from the original on
February 13, 2002. Retrieved April 30,
2001.
 4. "Limits of Oceans and Seas" (PDF)
(3rd ed.). International Hydrographic
Organization. 1953. Retrieved
February 7, 2010.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media

related to Sea of Marmara.

"Sea of Marmara" at the Encyclopædia

Britannica
"Sea of Marmara: Where Ancient Myth
and Modern Science Mix" at SCIENCE
FOCUS – SeaWiFS
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