Marmara, Sea of
Small inland sea in Turkey, connected to the Black Sea by the Bosporus and to the Aegean Sea by the Dardanelles, separating the continents of Europe and Asia; area 11,140 sq km/4,300 sq mi. In parts it reaches depths of over 1,200 m/3,936 ft. There are several islands in the sea that contain white-marble quarries, the largest of which is Marmara.
| The island of Marmara rose to prominence in the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires because of its marble quarry. The quarry continues to be mined, and is also a tourist attraction. In the village itself, an open-air museum displays artefacts dating from the Roman and Byzantine eras. The Marmara region was badly affected by an earthquake in August 1999. |
