The Sea of Marmara is one of the seas of the Atlantic Ocean, located among the lands. The sea got its name in honor of the island of Marmara, where serious quarrying of marble was carried out. The ancient Greeks called it "Submarine".
Features of the Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara is surrounded by lands belonging to Turkey, between its European territories and those located in Asia Minor. The length of the Sea of Marmara is 280 km, the widest part is about 80 km. In total, the average annual volume of water in the Sea of Marmara is about four thousand cubic meters. Maximum depth: 1355 m.
The Sea of Marmara connects with the Black and Aegean Seas through the straits: the Bosphorus on the northeastern side, and the Dardanelles on the southwestern side. It is believed that the origin of the Sea of Marmara is tectonic. As a result of significant fractures of the earth's crust, a division into continents took place, and the Sea of Marmara was also formed.
The winding shores of the sea are covered with mountains, their southeastern outlines are strongly indented. On the north side, there are underwater rocks and reefs. The largest islands located on the Sea of Marmara are Marmara and the Princes' Islands. Several small rivers flow into the sea, most of which are located in the Asian part of the land.
History of the Sea of Marmara
For the first time, the outlines and written evidence of the shores of the Sea of Marmara were compiled by M. P. Manganari was a Lieutenant Commander of the Russian Navy at the time. This happened in the middle of the 19th century. Later, at the end of the 19th century, Russian explorers carried out an expedition dedicated to the study of the Sea of Marmara. The organizers were the Russian Geographical Society and the Imperial Academy of Sciences. The expedition was headed by I. B. Spindler, S. O. Makarov.
Due to the fact that the Sea of Marmara passes through the sea route separating Europe and Asia, shipping is very developed there. Since ancient times, that territory has been densely populated. Today there are several large resorts on the coast.
At the end of 1999, a Russian oil tanker crashed while passing through the Sea of Marmara, at the same time considerable volumes of oil got into its waters. At present, the consequences of this event have been practically eliminated.
Sea of Marmara temperature
The average temperature in summer is 20 degrees Celsius and in winter 9 degrees. The Sea of Marmara does not freeze. The salinity level is about 26 ppm at the surface, near the bottom - up to 38 ppm. This is about the same level as in the Mediterranean. Therefore, the flora and fauna of the underwater world of the Marmara and Mediterranean seas are in many ways similar. Fishing is well developed in the Sea of Marmara.
