Sea of Marmara

The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea and separates Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus is a strait that connects it to the Black Sea and the Dardanelles to the Aegean. The Sea of Marmara has an area of 11,350 km² (280 km x 80 km),^[1] and its greatest depth is 1,370 m.

The Sea of Marmara.

Geography

The salinity of the Sea of Marmara averages about 22 parts per thousand, which is slightly greater than that of the Black Sea but only about two thirds that of most oceans and of the Mediterranean Sea. The water is much more saline at the bottom of the sea, with an average salinity of around 38 parts per thousand, whic is similar to that of the Mediterranean Sea. Water from the Susurluk, Biga (Granicus) and Gönen Rivers reduces the salinity of the sea.

There are two major island groups: the Princes' and the Marmara Islands.

The south coast of the sea includes the Gulf of Izmit, the Gulf of Gemlik and the Gulf of Erdek.

The North Anatolian Fault, which has caused many major earthquakes in recent years such as the 1999 İzmit earthquake, runs under the sea. from under the city of İzmit, in the Gulf of İzmit. in the east, to under the coastal town of Kapaklı, in the west.