Bosporus Strait in Istanbul – What is the Total Length?
Turkey, a transcontinental country stretching from Asia to Europe, is not a continuous landmass. Instead, it is divided into Asian Turkey and European Turkey by the Turkish Straits. The Turkish Straits are an important waterway between Europe and Asia. Two straits, the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, connect the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas with the Black Sea. The Bosporus Strait is one of the few straits that act as a border between two continents, dividing the country. It has played an important role in European politics, trade, and history.
Where is the Bosporus located?
The Bosporus, the Dardanelles, and the Sea of Marmara are all in Turkey. The strait is located in northwestern Turkey, separating Thrace from Anatolia. It is the narrowest strait in the world, connecting the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. The Sea of Marmara is connected to the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas through the Dardanelles. The Turkish Straits occupy the western part of the Eurasian continent and form the border between Asia and Europe.
The Bosporus is a narrow strait with a maximum length of 31 km and a maximum width of 3.7 km, located near the northern entrance. The narrowest point is 700 meters wide and is located in Anatolian Hisari and Rumeli Hisari. Its depth ranges from 36.5 meters to 124 meters below sea level. It passes through Istanbul, the only city that straddles two continents.
Origin of the name
The name “Bosporus” is derived from the Ancient Greek “Bosporus”, which means “bull strait” or “bull’s ford”. The origin of this name can be traced back to Io in Greek mythology. Io was one of Zeus’ lovers. Io initially rejected Zeus until her father, Hera, drove her out of the house.
In order to hide this from his wife, Zeus turned Io into a bull. But his deception backfired, and he brought her to Hera (still in bull form). However, Zeus later stole it from her father. In retaliation, Hera sent a horsefly to bite Io (the bull), forcing it to cross the path between Propontis (the Sea of Marmara) and the Black Sea, from which the Bosporus got its name.
How it formed?
The events that led to the formation of the Bosporus Strait remain controversial. However, some sources confirm that the flooding of the Black Sea was the cause of its formation. According to researchers at Columbia University, the strait was most likely flooded around 5600 BC. C- when the waters of the Sea of Marmara and the Mediterranean Sea rose and filled the Black Sea.
According to Greek mythology, colliding rocks (Symplegades) occupied the sides of the strait. These rocks fell on any ship that tried to roll down the hill to cross the strait. However, Jason heroically defeated the Symplegades, causing the rocks to stabilize and allow access to the Black Sea.
A brief history
As part of the only passage between the Mediterranean and Black Seas, the Bosporus Strait has historically been strategically important in politics and trade. Its control has been the subject of conflict, including the Russo-Turkish War and the Gallipoli Campaign. In the fifth century B.C., it facilitated grain export from Scythia to Athens. It allowed the Greek city to maintain alliances with several other cities, including Byzantium and Megaria. In the 15th century, the Ottoman Empire built fortresses on both sides of the strait: Rumelihisari and Anadoluhisari. In the 19th century, growing European influence over the strait led to codifying rules governing its use.
The strait is densely populated. It is part of the Istanbul metropolitan area and is the largest city in Turkey with a population of 17 million. Two suspension bridges have been built over the strait. The First Bosporus Bridge (15 July Matilis Bridge) was built in 1973, and the Second Bosporus Bridge (Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge) was completed in 1988. The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge completed in 2016.
