Dardanelles - a passage between the north-western part of Asia Minor and the Gallipoli Peninsula, located in the European part of Turkey.Dardanelles, the width of which ranges from 1.3 km to 6 km, and the length - 65 km, is of strategic importance because it is part of a waterway linking the Mediterranean with the Black Sea.
Sea Gell
formerly known as the Straits - the Hellespont, which in Greek means "Sea Gell."This name is associated with the ancient myth of the twins, brother and sister, Frix and Gell.Born orhomenskim king Athamas and Nephele, the children soon lost their mother - they brought up an evil stepmother Ino.She wanted to kill his brother and sister, but the twins fled on a flying ram with golden wool.During the flight, Helle slipped into the water and died.Place the fall of the girls - between Chersonesos and Shiga - since dubbed "Sea Gell."Dardanelles got its present name by name once stood on the bank of the ancient city - Dardania.
Bosphorus
This is another Black Sea Strait.Bosporus connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara.The strait has a length of about 30 kilometers, its width ranges from 700 m to 3700 m. The depth of the channel - from 36 to 124 m. On both sides of the Strait is Istanbul (Constantinople historical).The shores of the Bosphorus are connected by two bridges: the Bosphorus (length - 1074 meters) and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (length - 1090 meters).In 2013, to unify the Asian and European side of Istanbul, it was built underwater tunnel Marmaray rail.
Geographical location
Dardanelles and the Bosphorus are at a distance of 190 kilometers from each other.In between is the Marmara Sea, an area of 11.5 km2.Marine vessel coming from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, must first enter into a rather narrow Bosporus bypass Istanbul, swim to the Sea of Marmara, after which he will meet with the Dardanelles.This strait ends Aegean Sea, which in turn is part of the Mediterranean.According to its length, this route does not exceed 170 nautical miles.
strategic importance of the Bosporus and Dardanelles are links in the chain connecting the closed sea (Black) open (Mediterranean).These passages have been the subject of controversy leading world powers.For Russia in the 19th century the way to the Mediterranean Sea provides access to the center of world trade and civilization.In today's world it is also important is the "key" to the Black Sea.International Convention suggests that the passage of merchant and military ships through the Straits should be free and free.However, Turkey, which is the main regulator of traffic through the Bosphorus, is trying to use this situation to their advantage.When in 2004 greatly increased the amount of oil export from Russia, Turkey authorized limit traffic in the Bosphorus.The Strait appeared plugs and oil began to suffer all sorts of damages for the failure of the timing of deliveries and simple tankers.Russia formally accused Turkey of deliberately complication traffic on the Bosphorus with a view to redirect export cargo of oil in Ceyhan port, whose services are paid for.It is not only Turkey's attempt to capitalize on its geophysical position.The country has developed a project for the construction of the Bosphorus channel.The idea is good, but the Turkish Republic has not yet found investors for the realization of this project.
Fighting in the region
In antiquity Dardanelles Strait belonged to the Greeks, and the main city in the region was Abydos.In 1352 the Asian shore of the strait moved to the Turks and became the dominant town of Canakkale.
Under a contract signed in 1841, only Turkish warships could pass the Dardanelles.First Balkan War put an end to this state of affairs.The Greek fleet defeated the Turkish at the entrance to the Straits twice: in 1912, 16 December, during the Battle of Ally, and in 1913, on January 18 at the Battle of Lemnos.After that, the Turkish fleet did not dare to get out of a strait.
During the First World War of Dardanelles were bloody battles between Atlanta and Turkey.In 1915 Sir Winston Churchill once decided to knock Turkey out of the war, to break through to the capital through the Dardanelles.First Lord of the Admiralty was stripped of his military talent, so the operation has failed.The campaign was poorly planned and incompetently implemented.In one day, the Anglo-French fleet lost three battleships, other ships were seriously damaged, and miraculously survived.The landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula fighters turned into an even greater tragedy.150 thousand people were killed in trench grinder not brought any results.After the Turkish destroyer and a German submarine sank the British battleship three, and the second landing in the Bay Suvli was ignominiously defeated, the military operation was decided to collapse.About the circumstances of the greatest disaster in British military history wrote a book called "Dardanelles 1915. The bloodiest defeat of Churchill."
question of the Straits
While the Byzantine and then Ottoman Empire held sway in the area of the Straits, the question of their functioning was decided within states.However, at the turn of 17-18 centuries, the situation has changed - Russia has reached the shores of the Black and Azov Seas.The problem of control over the Bosporus and Dardanelles stood on the international agenda.
In 1841 at a conference in the city of London, an agreement was reached that the Straits will be closed for the passage of warships in peacetime.Since 1936, according to contemporary international law, the area of the Straits is considered "high seas" and the questions about it are governed by the Montreux Convention on the status of the Straits.Thus, control of the Straits carried out while maintaining the sovereignty of Turkey.
provisions of the Montreux Convention
Convention states that merchant ships of any State have free access to pass through the Bosporus and Dardanelles in wartime and in peacetime.Black Sea powers may pass through the Straits warships of any class.Non-Black Sea States may pass through the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus is only small surface ships.
If Turkey will be involved in hostilities, the country has the discretion to pass warships of any power.During the war, to which the Republic of Turkey is not relevant, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles should be closed to warships.
recent conflicts, which were involved in the mechanisms under the Convention was the South Ossetian crisis in August 2008.At this time, through the straits have been omitted warships of the US Navy, which proceeded in the direction of the Georgian ports of Poti and Batumi.
Conclusion
Dardanelles on the map of Eurasia takes up very little space.However, the strategic importance of this transport corridor in the continent can not be overestimated.From an economic point of view is important for Russia, in particular, exports of petroleum products.Transportation of "black gold" on the water is much cheaper than by pipeline.Every day through the Dardanelles and Bosporus 136 vessels, 27 of them - tankers.The density of traffic through the Straits is four times the intensity of the Panama Canal, three times - Suez.Because of the low permeability of the straits Russian Federation carries daily loss of about 12.3 million. Dollars. However, a great alternative is not found.
