All Topics  
Turkish Straits

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Turkish Straits
 
 
  Topics Turkish Straits Topic Home

The term Turkish Straits in northwestern Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
 refers to the two narrow strait
Strait

A strait or straits is a narrow, navigable channel of water that connects two larger navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not navigable, for example because it is too shallow, or...
s that connect the Sea of Marmara
Sea of Marmara

The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts....
 with the Aegean
Aegean Sea

The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkans and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey respectively....
 arm of the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea or Ocean off the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia....
 on the one side and the Black Sea
Black Sea

The Black Sea is an inland sea sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolia and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Seas and various straits....
 on the other. They are conventionally considered as the boundary between the continents of Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 and Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
. The Turkish Straits are an international waterway, governed since 1936 by the Montreux Convention
Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits

The Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits was a 1936 agreement that gives Turkey control over the Bosporus and the Dardanelles and regulates military activity in the region....
.



Straits have been of urgent maritime strategic importance since the Trojan War
Trojan War

In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta....
 was fought near the Aegean entrance.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Turkish Straits'
Start a new discussion about 'Turkish Straits'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The term Turkish Straits in northwestern Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
 refers to the two narrow strait
Strait

A strait or straits is a narrow, navigable channel of water that connects two larger navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not navigable, for example because it is too shallow, or...
s that connect the Sea of Marmara
Sea of Marmara

The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts....
 with the Aegean
Aegean Sea

The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkans and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey respectively....
 arm of the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea or Ocean off the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia....
 on the one side and the Black Sea
Black Sea

The Black Sea is an inland sea sea bounded by southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Anatolia and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean Sea and Aegean Seas and various straits....
 on the other. They are conventionally considered as the boundary between the continents of Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 and Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
. The Turkish Straits are an international waterway, governed since 1936 by the Montreux Convention
Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits

The Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits was a 1936 agreement that gives Turkey control over the Bosporus and the Dardanelles and regulates military activity in the region....
.

  • The Bosporus
    Bosporus

    The Bosporus or Bosphorus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms the boundary between the European part of Turkey and its Asian part ....
     (in Turkish Bogaziçi or Istanbul Bogazi, "Istanbul Strait"), about 30 km long and only 700 m wide, connects the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea in the north. It runs right through the city of Istanbul
    Istanbul

    Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, List of metropolitan areas in Europe by population, and List of cities proper by population in the world with a population of 12.6 million....
    , making it a city located on two continents. It is crossed by two suspension bridges (Bosphorus Bridge
    Bosphorus Bridge

    The Bosphorus Bridge, also called the First Bosphorus Bridge is one of the two bridges in Istanbul, Turkey spanning the Bosphorus strait and thus connecting Europe and Asia....
     and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge
    Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge

    The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge , is a bridge in Istanbul, Turkey spanning the Bosphorus strait ....
    ), with a rail tunnel currently under construction (Marmaray
    Marmaray

    Marmaray is an undersea rail tunnel being constructed to link the European and Asian sections of Istanbul, running under the Bosporus. When completed, it will be the world's deepest undersea immersed tube tunnel....
    ).
  • The Dardanelles
    Dardanelles

    .The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara....
     (in Turkish Çanakkale Bogazi, "Çanakkale Strait"), 68 km long and 1.2 km wide, connects the Sea of Marmara with the Mediterranean in the southwest, near the city of Çanakkale
    Çanakkale

    ?anakkale is a town and seaport in Turkey, in ?anakkale Province, on the southern coast of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point.?anakkale Province, like Istanbul Province, has territory in both Europe and Asia....
    . They were historically also known as the Hellespont
    Hellespont

    Hellespont was the ancient name of the narrow strait, now known by the modern European term 'Dardanelles'. It was so called from Helle , the daughter of Athamas, who was drowned here in the mythology of the Golden Fleece....
    , and they were the scene of the Battle of Gallipoli
    Battle of Gallipoli

    The Gallipoli Campaign took place at Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey from 25 April 1915 to 9 January 1916, during the World War I. A joint British Empire and French operation was mounted to capture the Ottoman Empire capital of Constantinople , and secure a sea route to Russia....
     during the First World War.


The Straits Question

The Straits have been of urgent maritime strategic importance since the Trojan War
Trojan War

In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta....
 was fought near the Aegean entrance. In the declining days of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
 the "Straits Question" involved the diplomats of Europe and Turkey.

By terms of the London Straits Convention
London Straits Convention

In the London Straits Convention concluded on July 13, 1841 between the Great Powers of Europe at the time - Russian Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Second French Republic, Austrian Empire and Kingdom of Prussia - the "ancient rule" of the Ottoman Empire was re-established by closing the Turkish people straits of Bosp...
 concluded on July 13th, 1841 between the Great Powers of Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 — Russia
Russian Empire

File:Russian Emperor Flag.jpgFile:Romanov Flag.svgThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917....
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name and the state form of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927....
, France, Austria
Austrian Empire

The Austrian Empire was a periodization successor state empire founded on a remnant of the Holy Roman Empire centered on what is today's Austria that officially lasted from 1804 to 1867....
 and Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia

The Kingdom of Prussia was a Germany monarchy from 1701 to 1918 and, from 1871, was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising almost two-thirds of the area of the empire....
  — the "ancient rule" of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire , also known by its contemporaries as the Turkish Empire or Turkey , was an empire that lasted from 1299?1923. It was Treaty of Lausanne by the Republic of Turkey, which was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923....
 was re-established by closing the Turkish straits to all warships whatsoever, barring those of the Sultan
Sultan

Sultan is an Islamic honorifics, with several historical meanings. Originally it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", or "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ???? sulah, meaning "authority" or "power"....
's allies
Allies

In general, allies are people, groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose....
 during wartime. It thus benefited British naval
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
 power at the expense of Russian as the latter lacked direct access for its navy
Russian Navy

The Russian Navy or VMF is the Navy of the Russian Armed Forces. The international designation of Russian naval vessels is "RFS" - "Russian Federation Ship"....
 to the Mediterranean.

The treaty
Treaty

A Treaty is an agreement under international law entered into by actors in international law, namely states and international organizations. A Treaty may also be known as: agreement, protocol, covenant, convention, exchange of letters, etc....
 is one in a series dealing with access to the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara
Sea of Marmara

The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts....
, and the Dardanelles. It evolved from the secret Hünkâr Iskelesi (Unkiar Skelessi)
Treaty of Hünkâr Iskelesi

The Treaty of H?nk?r Iskelesi was a treaty signed between Russia and the Ottoman Empire in 1833, following the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829....
, 1833, in which the Ottoman Turkey guaranteed exclusive use of the straits to "Black Sea Powers'" (i.e. Ottoman Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
 and Imperial Russia
Russia

Russia , or the Russian Federation , is a list of countries spanning more than one continent country extending over much of northern Eurasia....
) warships in the case of a general war.

The modern
Modern

Modern generally means something that is "up-to-date", "new", or from the present time. It may refer to:* Late modernity* Modern , an album from the British punk rock band, Buzzcocks...
 treaty controlling relations is the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits
Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits

The Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Turkish Straits was a 1936 agreement that gives Turkey control over the Bosporus and the Dardanelles and regulates military activity in the region....
 from 1936, which is still in force.

See also

  • List of maritime incidents in the Turkish Straits
    List of maritime incidents in the Turkish Straits

    The list of maritime incidents in the Straits is a listing of major maritime casualties occurred in the Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits in Turkey....
  • United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
    United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

    The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty, is the international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea , which took place from 1973 through 1982....
  • Marmara Region
    Marmara Region

    The Marmara Region , with a surface area of 67.000 km?, is the smallest but most densely populated of the seven geographical regions of Turkey....
  • International law
    International law

    Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of states and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond domestic legal interpretation and enforcement....
  • Hellespont
    Hellespont

    Hellespont was the ancient name of the narrow strait, now known by the modern European term 'Dardanelles'. It was so called from Helle , the daughter of Athamas, who was drowned here in the mythology of the Golden Fleece....