Aegean Sea

Branch of the Mediterranean between Greece and Turkey, extending as far south as Crete; the Dardanelles connect it with the Sea of Marmara, in turn linked with the Black Sea via the Bosporus. It is about 600 km/372 mi long and 290 km/180 mi wide, and covers some 214,000 sq km/82,625 sq mi, with a maximum depth of 3,540 m/11,600 ft. Tides are minimal, with a range of only about 40 cm/15 in. The numerous islands in the Aegean Sea include Crete, the Cyclades, the Sporades, and the Dodecanese. There is political tension between Greece and Turkey over sea limits claimed by Greece around such islands as Lesvos, Chios, Samos, and Kos.

Declining stocks of fish and sponges remain important, but tourism has become the area's principal economic activity. There is political tension between Greece and Turkey over sea limits claimed by Greece around such islands as Lesvos, Chios, Samos, and Kos, and over oil deposits discovered here in the 1970s.