Bosporus

"Bosphorus" redirects here. Not to be confused with Phosphorus. For other uses, see Bosphorus (disambiguation).

Bosporus Strait
İstanbul Boğazı (Turkish)
Bosporus Strait is located in Istanbul
Bosporus Strait
Bosporus Strait
Bosporus Strait is located in Turkey
Bosporus Strait
Bosporus Strait
Bosporus Strait is located in Europe
Bosporus Strait
Bosporus Strait
Bosporus Strait is located in Asia
Bosporus Strait
Bosporus Strait
Coordinates41°07′10″N 29°04′31″E / 41.11944°N 29.07528°E / 41.11944; 29.07528
TypeStrait
Part ofTurkish Straits
Basin countriesTurkey
Max. length31 km (19 mi)
Min. width700 m (2,300 ft)
Max. depth110 m (360 ft)
Bosporus is located in Europe
Bosporus
Dardanelles
class=notpageimage|
A map depicting the locations of the Turkish Straits, with the Bosporus in red, and the Dardanelles in yellow. The territory of Turkey is highlighted in green.
Location of the Bosporus (red) relative to the Dardanelles (yellow) and the Sea of Marmara
Close-up satellite image of the Bosporus Strait, taken from the International Space Station in April 2004. The body of water at the top is the Black Sea, the one at the bottom is the Marmara Sea, and the Bosporus is the winding waterway that connects the two. The western banks of the Bosporus constitute the geographic starting point of the European continent, while the banks to the east are the geographic beginnings of the continent of Asia. The city of Istanbul is visible along both banks.
Aerial view of the Bosporus taken from its northern end near the Black Sea (bottom), looking south (top) toward the Marmara Sea, with the city center of Istanbul visible along the strait's hilly banks

The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait (/ˈbɒspərəs, ˈbɒsfərəs/ BOSS-pər-əs, BOSS-fər-əs;[a] Turkish: İstanbul Boğazı, lit. 'Istanbul strait', colloquially Boğaz) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental boundaries between Asia and Europe. It also divides Turkey by separating Asia minor from Thrace. It is the world's narrowest strait used for international navigation.

Most of the shores of the Bosporus Strait, except for the area to the north, are heavily settled, with the city of Istanbul's metropolitan population of 17 million inhabitants extending inland from both banks.

The Bosporus Strait and the Dardanelles Strait at the opposite end of the Sea of Marmara are together known as the Turkish Straits.

Sections of the shore of the Bosporus in Istanbul have been reinforced with concrete or rubble and those sections of the Strait prone to deposition are periodically dredged.

  1. ^ "Bosporus". Lexico.com. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Bosporus". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins.
  3. ^ "Bosporus". Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Pearson.
  4. ^ "Bosporus". American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. HarperCollins.
  5. ^ "Bosporus". Columbia Encyclopedia. Columbia University Press.


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