The Aegean Sea Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος, Aigaío Pélagos; Turkish: Ege Denizi, Adalar Denizi) is a sea arm of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey respectively. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus. The Aegean Islands are within the sea and some bound it on its southern periphery, including Crete and Rhodes. The Aegean Region, Turkey, consists of nine provinces in southwestern Turkey, in part bordering on the Aegean sea.

The sea was traditionally known as the Archipelago (Greek: Αρχιπέλαγος), the general sense of which has since changed to refer to the Aegean Islands and, generally, to any island group because the Aegean Sea is remarkable for its large number of islands.

Etymology

In ancient times there were various explanations for the name Aegean. It was said to have been named after the Greek town of Aegae, or Aegea, a queen of the Amazons who died in the sea, or Aigaion, the "sea goat", another name of Briareus, one of the archaic Hecatonchires, or, especially among the Athenians, Aegeus, the father of Theseus, who drowned himself in the sea when he thought his son had died.

A possible etymology is a derivation from the Greek word αἶγες (aiges) "waves" (Hesychius; metaphorical use of αἴξ (aix) "goat"), hence "wavy sea", cf. also αἰγιαλός (aigialos) "coast".

In the Bulgarian language the sea is also known as White sea (Бяло море). According to legend, Bulgarian sailors and merchants in the Middle Ages found it a hospitable and timid sea to travel and called it White sea in contrast to the hostile and dangerous Black sea.

History

Aegean civilization is a general term for the Bronze Age civilizations of Greece and the Aegean; in ancient times the sea was the birthplace of two ancient civilizations – the Minoans of Crete, and the Mycenean Civilization of the Peloponnese.^[1] Later arose the city-states of Athens and Sparta among many others that constituted the Athenian Empire and Hellenic Civilization. Plato described the Greeks living round the Aegean "like frogs around a pond".^[2] The Aegean Sea was later invaded by Persians and the Romans, and inhabited by the Byzantine Empire, the Venetians, the Seljuk Turks, and the Ottoman Empire. The Aegean was the site of the original democracies, and its seaways were the means of contact among several diverse civilizations of the Eastern Mediterranean. It is also the location of the wreck of the HMHS Britannic which sank on November 21, 1916 during World War I.

Geography

Satellite Image

The Aegean Sea covers about 214,000 km² in area, and measures about 610 kilometres longitudinally and 300 kilometres latitudinally. The sea's maximum depth is 3,543 metres (11,624 ft), east of Crete. The Aegean Islands are found within its waters, with the following islands delimiting the sea on the south (generally from west to east): Kythera, Antikythera, Crete, Karpathos, and Rhodes.

The Greek Aegean Islands can be simply divided into seven groups: the Northeastern Aegean Islands, Euboea, the Northern Sporades, the Cyclades, the Saronic Islands (or Argo-Saronic Islands), the Dodecanese (or Southern Sporades), and Crete. The word archipelago was originally applied specifically to the Aegean Sea and its islands. Many of the Aegean Islands, or chains of islands, are actually extensions of the mountains on the mainland. One chain extends across the sea to Chios, another extends across Euboea to Samos, and a third extends across the Peloponnese and Crete to Rhodes, dividing the Aegean from the Mediterranean. Many of the islands have safe harbours and bays, but navigation through the sea is generally difficult. Many of the islands are volcanic, and marble and iron are mined on other islands. The larger islands have some fertile valleys and plains. In the Aegean Sea there are two islands belonging to Turkey: Bozcaada (Greek: Τένεδος Tenedos) and Gökçeada (Greek: Ίμβρος Imvros), while the rest belonging to Greece. The Aegean Sea has about 1,415 islands and islets, of which 1,395 belong to Greece.

The bays and gulfs of the Aegean beginning and the South and moving clockwise include on Crete, the Mirabelli, Almyros, Souda and Chania bays or gulfs, on the mainland the Myrtoan Sea to the west, the Saronic Gulf northwestward, the Petalies Gulf which connects with the South Euboic Sea, the Pagasetic Gulf which connects with the North Euboic Sea, the Thermian Gulf northwestward, the Chalkidiki Peninsula including the Cassandra and the Singitic Gulfs, northward the Strymonian Gulf and the Gulf of Kavala and the rest are in Turkey; Saros Gulf, Edremit Gulf, Dikili Gulf, Çandarlı Gulf, İzmir Gulf, Kuşadası Gulf, Gulf of Gökova, Güllük Gulf.

See also

• Aegean civilization
• Aegean Islands
• Aegean dispute
• For Aegean languages, see Tyrsenian languages
• List of traditional Greek place names

Notes

Articles on the Aegean Sea
General
Countries	Greece •  Turkey
Other	Aegean civilization • Aegean Islands • Aegean dispute
Aegean islands
The Cyclades	Amorgos • Anafi • Andros • Antimilos • Antiparos • Delos • Despotiko • Donoussa • Folegandros • Gyaros • Ios • Irakleia • Kardiotissa • Kea • Keros • Kimolos • Koufonisi • Kythnos • Milos • Mykonos • Nata • Naxos • Paros • Polyaigos • Rhineia • Santorini • Schoinoussa • Serifopoula • Serifos • Sifnos • Sikinos • Syros • Therasia • Tinos • Vous
The Dodecanese	Agathonisi • Arkoi • Armathia • Alimia • Astakida • Astypalaia • Çatalada • Chamili • Gaidaros • Gyali • Halki • Iç Ada (Antalya) • Imia/Kardak • Kalolimnos • Kalymnos • Kandelioussa • Kara Ada • Karpathos • Kasos • Kastelorizo • Kekova • Kos • Küçük Tavşan Adası • Leros • Lipsi • Nisyros • Patmos • Pacheia • Pharmakonisi • Platy • Pserimos • Rho • Rhodes • Saria • Salih Ada • Strongili • Symi • Syrna • Telendos • Tilos • Zafora
The North Aegean	Agios Eustratius • Ammouliani • Ayvalık Islands • Büyük Ada • Chios • Chryse • Cunda • Fener Ada • Fournoi Korseon • Icaria • Imbros • Incir Ada • Koukonesi • Lemnos • Lesbos • Metalik Ada • Nissiopi • Oinousses • Psara • Samiopoula • Samos • Samothrace • Tenedos • Thasos • Thymaina
The Saronic	Aegina • Agios Georgios • Angistri • Dokos • Hydra • Poros • Psyttaleia • Salamis • Spetses
The Sporades	Adelfoi Islets • Agios Georgios Skopelou • Alonissos • Argos Skiathou • Dasia • Erinia • Gioura • Grammeza • Kyra Panagia • Lekhoussa • Peristera • Piperi • Psathoura • Repio • Rineia Skyrou • Sarakino • Skandili • Skantzoura • Skiathos • Skopelos • Skyropoula • Skyros • Tsougria • Valaxa
Other	Crete • Dia • Euboea • Gavdos • Makronisos

Coordinates: 39°15′34″N 24°57′09″E / 39.25944, 24.9525 (Aegean Sea)

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Aegean Sea". Image Credit.

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