Sea of Marmara

Marmara region

11,500sq.km/4440sq.mile inland sea between Thrace and Asia Minor

Situation and Origins

The Sea of Marmara separates European Turkey from Asia Minor. In antiquity it was known as Propontis. 280km/173mi long and 80km/50mi wide, it extends from the Bosphorus to the Dardanelles and links the Black Sea with the Aegean Sea. Tectonic movement in the Early Quaternary period created a rift valley with large parts of the old land surface ending up only 200m/650ft under water. The deepest water is to be found in an underwater trough which extends 1,300m/4,250ft below the surface and which follows the line of a broken shelf into the Gulf of Izmit (Izmit Körfezi). This rift valley is part of the long North Anatolian fault line, which is responsible for making the Sea of Marmara and northern Anatolia an area where earthquakes are frequent. Coasts

The southern coast in particular consists of bays, peninsulas and low-lying lakeland and these troughs and ridges include the Gulf of Gemlik, Erdek, Bandirma, KapiDag peninsula and Samanli Dag. Most of the protected ports such as Izmit, Gemlik, Bandirma and Mudanya are situated along this part of the coastline. The northern coastline on the other hand is relatively straight, there are few natural harbors and what were once high mountains are now islands. Close to Istanbul in the east lie the Princes' Islands. In the southwest a number of small islands are clustered around the island of Marmara and the KapiDag peninsula, which in antiquity was an island.

Climate

The summer climate in the Marmara region has many attractions as it stays relatively cool in high summer with frequent northerly and northwesterly winds (meltem) and also cooling currents from the Black Sea. In winter, however, the Sea of Marmara is subject to cold and stormy weather, but the olive groves in the region rarely fall victim to sudden frosts.

Resorts on the north coast

In the last ten years the northern coastline of the Sea of Marmara has become very popular with holidaymakers from the major Turkish cities. Holiday villages, chalets and apartment blocks line the coast between TekirDag and the western outskirts of Istanbul and also for 100km/60mi on the eastern side of the Bosphorus. With building work continuing unabated, almost the whole length of coast is now devoted to tourism, but the western section and the area between Marmara Ereglisi and Kumburgaz are most affected. The sandy beaches southwest of TekirDag remain as yet untouched with the exception of the Barbaros and Kumbag regions (10km/7mi) and, after the coast-road was extended, Sarköy (55km/34mi).