Aegean Sea: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

Line 13:

| caption = The location of the Aegean Sea

| coordinates = {{coord|39|N|25|E|type:waterbody_dim:500000|display=inline,title}}

| inflow = [[Inachos (river)|Inachos]], [[Ilisos]], [[Spercheios]], [[Pineios (Thessaly)|Pineios]], [[Haliacmon]], [[Vardar]], [[Struma (river)|Struma]], [[Nestos (river)|Nestos]], [[Maritsa]]

| islands = [[Aegean Islands|150+]]

| length = {{convert|700|km|abbr=on}}

Line 19:

| width = {{convert|400|km|abbr=on}}

| cities = [[Alexandroupolis]], [[Athens]], [[Ayvalık]], [[Bodrum]], [[Çanakkale]], [[Çeşme]], [[Didim]], [[Heraklion]], [[İzmir]], [[Kavala]], [[Kuşadası]], [[Thessaloniki]], [[Volos]]

| max-depth = 3,544 m (11,627 feet)<ref name=AgSeaBritannica></ref>

| max-depth = 2,639 m (8,658 feet)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/emodnet_bathymetry?locale=en |title=EMODnet Digital Bathymetry (DTM) |publisher=European Union |accessdate=23 September 2022 |archive-date=23 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220923145943/https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/emodnet_bathymetry?locale=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

<!-- Map -->

| pushpin_map = Aegean Sea

Line 25:

[[File:Location of the Aegean Sea.png|thumb|The extent of the Aegean Sea on a map of the [[Mediterranean Sea]]]]

The '''Aegean Sea'''{{efn|{{IPAc-en|i|ˈ|dʒ|iː|ə|n}}, {{respell|ee|JEE|ən}}; {{lang-el|Αιγαίο Πέλαγος|Eyéo Pélagos}} {{IPA-el|eˈʝeo ˈpelaɣos||Ell-Aigaio Pelagos.ogg}}; {{lang-tr|Ege Denizi}} {{IPA-|tr|eˈɟe deniˈzi|}}}} is an elongated embayment of the [[Mediterranean Sea]] between [[Europe]] and [[Asia]]. It is located between the [[Balkans]] and [[Anatolia]], and covers an area of some {{Convert|215,000|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Aegean-Sea |title=Aegean Sea {{!}} Mediterranean Sea |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=14 June 2019 |archive-date=28 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528110411/https://www.britannica.com/place/Aegean-Sea |url-status=live }}</ref> In the north, the Aegean is connected to the [[Marmara Sea]], which in turn connects to the [[Black Sea]], by the straits of the [[Dardanelles]] and the [[Bosphorus]], respectively. The [[Aegean Islands]] are located within the sea and some bound it on its southern periphery, including [[Crete]] and [[Rhodes]]. The sea reaches a maximum depth of {{Convert|23,639544|m|ft|abbr=on}} to the westeast of [[KarpathosCrete]].<ref name=AgSeaBritannica>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Aegean-Sea |title=Aegean Sea|website=Britannica |access-date=29 June 2024|quote=The maximum depth of the Aegean is to be found east of Crete, where it reaches 11,627 feet (3,544 metres).|date=24 June 2024|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.}}</ref> The [[Thracian Sea]] and the [[Sea of Crete]] are main subdivisions of the Aegean Sea.

The Aegean Islands can be divided into several island groups, including the [[Dodecanese]], the [[Cyclades]], the [[Sporades]], the [[Saronic Islands|Saronic islands]] and the [[North Aegean islands|North Aegean Islands]], as well as Crete and its surrounding islands. The Dodecanese, located to the southeast, includes the islands of Rhodes, [[Kos]], and [[Patmos]]; the islands of [[Delos]] and [[Naxos]] are within the Cyclades to the south of the sea. [[Lesbos]] is part of the North Aegean Islands. [[Euboea]], the second-largest island in Greece, is located in the Aegean, despite being administered as part of [[Central Greece (administrative region)|Central Greece]]. Nine out of twelve of the Administrative regions of Greece border the sea, along with the [[Provinces of Turkey|Turkish provinces]] of [[Edirne]], [[Çanakkale]], [[Balıkesir]], [[İzmir]], [[Aydın]] and [[Muğla Province|Muğla]] to the east of the sea. Various Turkish islands in the sea are [[Imbros]], [[Tenedos]], [[Cunda Island]], and the [[Foça Islands]].

Line 78:

===Climate===

[[File:Greece map of Köppen climate classification (new).svg|thumb|Climate map of Greece. Most of the landmass surrounding the Aegean seaSea is classified as ''Csa'', with the northern region being ''BSk''.]]

The climate of the Aegean Sea largely reflects the climate of Greece and Western Turkey, which is to say, predominantly [[Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean]]. According to the [[Köppen climate classification]], most of the Aegean is classified as [[Mediterranean climate|Hot-summer Mediterranean]] (''Csa''), with hotter and drier summers along with milder and wetter winters. However, high temperatures during summers are generally not quite as high as those in arid or semiarid climates due to the presence of a large body of water. This is most predominant in the west and east coasts of the Aegean, and within the Aegean islands. In the north of the Aegean Sea, the climate is instead classified as [[Semi-arid climate|Cold semi-arid]] ''(BSk)'', which feature cooler summers than Hot-summer Mediterranean climates. The [[Etesian]] winds are a dominant weather influence in the Aegean Basin.

The below table lists climate conditions of some major Aegean cities:

Line 175:

Athens

[[File:WhiteSkyscrapers Towerin andIzmir Beach- frontTurkey.jpg|frameless|150x150px|alt=]]

İzmir▼

Thessaloniki▼

! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|Rank

! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|City

Line 183:

! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|Region/County

! style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|Population (urban)

!rowspan=23 width:150|[[File:SkyscrapersWhite inTower Izmirand -Beach Turkeyfront.jpg|frameless|150x150px|alt=]]

▲Thessaloniki

▲İzmir

[[File:VenetianBodrum ArsenalsCastle in Heraklion Crete(2017).jpg|frameless|150x150px|alt=]]

Bodrum

Heraklion

|-

| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|1||align=left|'''[[Athens]]'''||Greece||[[Central Greece (geographic region)|Central Greece]]||3,090,508

|-

| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|2||align=left|'''[[İzmir]]'''||Turkey||[[İzmir Province]]||2,947948,000609

|-

| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|3||align=left|'''[[Thessaloniki]]'''||Greece||[[Macedonia (Greece)|Macedonia]]||824,676

|-

| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|4||align=left|'''[[HeraklionBodrum]]'''||GreeceTurkey||[[CreteMuğla Province]]||173198,993335

|-

| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|5||align=left|'''[[VolosÇanakkale]]'''||GreeceTurkey||[[ThessalyÇanakkale Province]]||144182,449389

|-

| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|6||align=left|'''[[ÇanakkaleHeraklion]]'''||TurkeyGreece||[[Çanakkale ProvinceCrete]]||111173,137993

|-

| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|7||align=left|'''[[ChaniaVolos]]'''||Greece||[[CreteThessaly]]||108144,642449

|-

| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|8||align=left|'''[[Rhodes (city)Kuşadası]]'''||GreeceTurkey||[[SouthAydın AegeanProvince]]||86133,199177

|-

| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|9||align=left|'''[[AlexandroupolisChania]]'''||Greece||[[Western ThraceCrete]]||72108,959642

|-

| style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|10||align=left|'''[[KavalaDidim]]'''||GreeceTurkey||[[MacedoniaAydın (Greece)|MacedoniaProvince]]||70100,501189

|-

| colspan="5" style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|

Line 216:

==Biogeography and ecology==

===Protected areas===

Greece has established several [[marine protected area]]s along its coasts. According to the Network of Managers of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean ([[MedPAN]]), four Greek MPAs are participating in the Network. These include [[Alonnisos Marine Park]], while the [[Missolonghi–Aitoliko Lagoons]] and the island of [[Zakynthos]] are not on the Aegean.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mpatlas.org/region/country/GRC/|title=MPAtlas » Greece|website=www.mpatlas.org|access-date=16 June 2019}}{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==History==

===Ancient history===

[[File:Cycladic figurine, female, 2800-2300 BC, AM Naxos (13 01), 143205.jpg|200px|thumb|upright=1.25|Female figure from [[Naxos]] (2800-23002800–2300 BC)]]

The current coastline dates back to about 4000&nbsp;BC. Before that time, at the peak of the [[last glacial period|last ice age]] (about 18,000 years ago) sea levels everywhere were {{Convert|130|m}} lower, and there were large well-watered coastal plains instead of much of the northern Aegean. When they were first occupied, the present-day islands including [[Milos]] with its important [[obsidian]] production were probably still connected to the mainland. The present coastal arrangement appeared around 9,000 years ago, with post-ice age sea levels continuing to rise for another 3,000 years after that.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Tjeerd H. van Andel |author2=Judith C. Shackleton |title=Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic Coastlines of Greece and the Aegean|journal=Journal of Field Archaeology |volume=9|issue=4|date=Winter 1982|pages=445–454|jstor=529681 |doi=10.1179/009346982791504454}}</ref>

Line 241:

===Medieval period===

{{unreferencedsection|date=June 2024}}

[[File:Emirate of Crete Map.svg|200px|thumb|upright=1.25|[[Emirate of Crete]], after early conquest of Arabs]]

The [[Fall of the Western Roman Empire]] allowed its successor state, the [[Byzantine Empire]], to continue Roman control over the Aegean Sea. However, their territory would later be threatened by the [[Early Muslim conquests]] initiated by [[Muhammad]] in the 7th century. Although the [[Rashidun Caliphate]] did not manage to obtain land along the coast of the Aegean seaSea, its conquest of the Eastern Anatolian peninsula as well as Egypt, the Levant, and North Africa left the Byzantine Empire weakened. The [[Umayyad Caliphate]] expanded the territorial gains of the Rashidun Caliphate, conquering much of North Africa, and threatened the Byzantine Empire's control of Western Anatolia, where it meets the Aegean Sea.

During the 820s, Crete was conquered by a group of [[Berbers]] [[Al-Andalus|Andalusians]] exiles led by [[Abu Hafs Umar al-Iqritishi]], and it became an independent [[Islamic]] state. The Byzantine Empire launched a campaign that took most of the island back in 842 and 843 under [[Theoktistos]], but the re-conquest was not completed and was soon reversed. Later attempts by the [[Byzantine Empire]] to recover the island were without success. For the approximately 135 years of its existence, the emirate of Crete was one of the major foes of Byzantium. Crete commanded the sea lanes of the Eastern Mediterranean and functioned as a forward base and haven for Muslim corsair fleets that ravaged the Byzantine-controlled shores of the Aegean Sea. Crete returned to Byzantine rule under [[Nikephoros II|Nikephoros Phokas]], who launched a huge campaign against the Emirate of Crete in 960 to 961.

Meanwhile, the [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarian Empire]] threatened Byzantine control of Northern Greece and the Aegean coast to the south. Under [[Presian of Bulgaria|Presian]] and his successor [[Boris I of Bulgaria|Boris I]], the Bulgarian Empire managed to obtain a small portion of the northern Aegean coast. [[Simeon I of Bulgaria]] led Bulgaria to its greatest territorial expansion, and managed to conqueror much of the northern and western coasts of the Aegean. The Byzantines later regained control. The Second Bulgarian Empire achieved similar success along, again, the northern and western coasts, under [[Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria]].

[[File:Aegean Sea by Piri Reis.jpg|200px|thumb|upright=1.25|A 1528 map of the Aegean Sea by Turkish geographer [[Piri Reis]]]]

The [[Seljuk dynasty|Seljuk Turks]], under the [[Seljuk Empire]], invaded the Byzantine Empire in 1068, from which they annexed almost all the territories of Anatolia, including the east coast of the Aegean Sea, during the reign of [[Alp Arslan]], the second [[Sultan]] of the [[Seljuk Empire]]. After the death of his successor, [[Malik Shah I]], the empire was divided, and Malik Shah was succeeded in Anatolia by [[Kilij Arslan I]], who founded the [[Sultanate of Rum]]. The Byzantines yet again recaptured the eastern coast of the Aegean.

After [[Constantinople]] was occupied by Western European and Venetian forces during the [[Fourth Crusade]], the area around the Aegean seaSea was fragmented into multiple entities, including the [[Latin Empire]], the [[Kingdom of Thessalonica]], the [[Empire of Nicaea]], the [[Principality of Achaea]], and the [[Duchy of Athens]]. The Venetians created the maritime state of the [[Duchy of the Archipelago]], which included all the Cyclades except [[Mykonos]] and [[Tinos]]. The Empire of Nicaea, a Byzantine rump state, managed to effectaffect the [[Recapture of Constantinople]] from the Latins in 1261 and defeat Epirus. Byzantine successes were not to last; the Ottomans would conquer the area around the Aegean coast, but before their expansion the Byzantine Empire had already been weakened from internal conflict. By the late 14th century, the Byzantine Empire had lost all control of the coast of the Aegean Sea and could exercise power around their capital, Constantinople. The Ottoman Empire then gained control of all the Aegean coast with the exception of Crete, which was a Venetian colony until 1669.

===Modern Period===

[[File:German tanks in Rhodes.gif|200px|thumb|upright=1.25|German Tanks in [[Rhodes]] during the [[WW2]]]]

The [[Greek War of Independence]] allowed a Greek state on the coast of the Aegean from 1829 onward. The Ottoman Empire held a presence over the sea for over 500 years until its [[Dissolution of the Ottoman Empire|dissolution]] following [[World War I]], when it was replaced by modern [[Turkey]]. During the war, Greece gained control over the area around the northern coast of the Aegean. By the 1930s, Greece and Turkey had about resumed their present-day borders.

In the [[Italo-Turkish War]] of 1912, Italy captured the Dodecanese islands, and had occupied them since, reneging on the 1919 [[Eleftherios Venizelos|Venizelos]]–[[Tommaso Tittoni|Tittoni]] agreement to cede them to Greece. The Greco-Italian War took place from October 1940 to April 1941 as part of the [[Balkans Campaign (World War II)|Balkans Campaign]] of [[World War II]]. The Italian war aim was to establish a Greek [[puppet state]], which would permit the Italian annexation of the [[Sporades]] and the [[Cyclades]] islands in the Aegean Sea, to be administered as a part of the [[Italian Aegean Islands]]. The German invasion resulted in the [[Axis occupation of Greece]]. The German troops evacuated Athens on 12 October 1944, and by the end of the month, they had withdrawn from mainland Greece. Greece was then liberated by Allied troops.

==Economy and politics==

Line 265 ⟶ 266:

===Transport===

Multiple ports are located along the Greek and Turkish coasts of the Aegean Sea. The [[port of Piraeus]] in Athens is the chief port in Greece, the largest passenger port in Europe<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081220151552/http://www.olp.gr/INDEXen.htm "Presentation"]. http://www.olp.gr. Archived from [http://www.olp.gr/en/INDEXen.htm the original] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220151552/http://www.olp.gr/INDEXen.htm |date=20 December 2008 }} on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.maritime-database.com/port.php?pid=2239|title=Piraeus by Maritime Database|website=www.maritime-database.com|access-date=17 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416152404/http://www.maritime-database.com/port.php?pid=2239|archive-date=16 April 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the third largest in the world,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081203132339/http://www.anek.gr/english/dromol/pireaus1.html "ANEK Lines – Piraeus"]. [[ANEK Lines|http://www.anek.gr]]. Archived from [https://www.anek.gr/en/english/dromol/pireaus1.html the original]{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2008.</ref> [[List of busiest cruise ports by passengers|servicing about 20 million passengers]] annually. With a throughput of 1.4&nbsp;million [[Twenty-foot equivalent unit|TEUs]], Piraeus is placed among the top ten ports in container traffic in Europe and the top container port in the [[Eastern Mediterranean]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081220151552/http://www.olp.gr/INDEXen.htm "Container terminal"]. http://www.olp.gr {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731043505/http://www.olp.gr/ |date=31 July 2016 }}. Archived from [http://www.olp.gr/en/INDEXen.htm the original] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220151552/http://www.olp.gr/INDEXen.htm |date=20 December 2008 }} on 20 December 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2008.</ref> Piraeus is also the commercial hub of [[Greek shipping]]. Piraeus bi-annually acts as the focus for a major shipping convention, known as Posidonia, which attracts maritime industry professionals from all over the world. Piraeus is currently Greece's third-busiest port in terms of tons of goods transported, behind [[Agioi Theodoroi]] and [[Port of Thessaloniki|Thessaloniki]].<ref>{{cite web |urlyear=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=mar_go_aa&lang=en2010 |title=Maritime transport – Goods (gross weight) – Annual data – All ports – by direction |yearurl=2010 |publisherhttp://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=[[Eurostat]] |access-datemar_go_aa&lang=2 December 2011en |archiveurl-datestatus=21 January 2012live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121143656/http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=mar_go_aa&lang=en |urlarchive-statusdate=live21 January 2012 |access-date=2 December 2011 |publisher=[[Eurostat]]}} </ref>{{verify source |date=August 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted ([[Special:Diff/902179474]]) by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite at [[Special:Permalink/901463900]] cite #27 – please verify the cite's accuracy and remove this {verify source} template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref> The central port serves ferry routes to almost every island in the eastern portion of Greece, the island of Crete, the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, and much of the northern and the eastern Aegean Sea, while the western part of the port is used for cargo services.

As of 2007, the Port of Thessaloniki was the second-largest container port in Greece after the port of Piraeus, making it one of the busiest ports in Greece. In 2007, the Port of Thessaloniki handled 14,373,245 tonnes of cargo and 222,824 [[Twenty-foot equivalent unit|TEU's]]. Paloukia, on the island of [[Salamis Island|Salamis]], is a major passenger port.

Line 272 ⟶ 273:

Fish are Greece's second-largest agricultural export, and Greece has Europe's largest fishing fleet.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-way-of-life-drowned-by-greeces-crisis-1440051334 |title=A Way of Life Drowned by Greece's Crisis |last1=Forelle |first1=Charles |last2=Kantchev |first2=Georgi |last3=Kelly |first3=Mark |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=20 August 2015 |access-date=16 June 2019 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=12 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312034946/https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-way-of-life-drowned-by-greeces-crisis-1440051334 |url-status=live }}</ref> Fish captured include [[Sardines as food|sardines]], [[Mackerel as food|mackerel]], [[grouper]], [[grey mullet]]s, [[sea bass]], and [[Sparidae|seabream]]. There is a considerable difference between fish catches between the pelagic and demersal zones;<ref>{{cite journal |last=Stergiou, Pollard |date=August 1994 |title=A spatial analysis of the commercial fisheries catches from the Greek Aegean Sea |journal=Fisheries Research |volume=20 |issue= 2–3|pages=109–135 |doi=10.1016/0165-7836(94)90078-7|bibcode=1994FishR..20..109S }}</ref> with respect to pelagic fisheries, the catches from the northern, central and southern Aegean area groupings are dominated, respectively, by [[anchovy]], [[Trachurus|horse mackerels]], and [[boops]]. For demersal fisheries, the catches from the northern and southern Aegean area groupings are dominated by [[Mullet (fish)|grey mullets]] and [[Spicara smaris|pickerel]] (''Spicara smaris'') respectively.

The industry has been impacted by the [[Great Recession]].{{clarify|date=August 2019}} Overfishing and [[habitat destruction]] is also a concern, threatening [[grouper]], and [[Sparidae|seabream]] populations, resulting in perhaps a 50% decline of fish catch.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-greece-fishing-idUSKBN1JS1HK |title=As stocks deplete, Greek fishermen scrap boats and livelihoods |publisher=Reuters |date=3 July 2018 |access-date=16 June 2019 |archive-date=26 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220326163001/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-greece-fishing-idUSKBN1JS1HK |url-status=live }}</ref> To address these concerns, Greek fishermen have been offered a compensation by the government. Although some species are defined as protected or threatened under EU legislation, several illegal species such as the molluscs ''[[Pinna nobilis]]'', ''[[Charonia tritonis]]'' and ''[[Lithophaga lithophaga]]'', can be bought in restaurants and fish markets around Greece.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archipelago.gr/en/our-work/marine-conservation/fisheries/ |title=Fisheries |website=Archipelagos |access-date=16 June 2019 |archive-date=15 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615190235/https://archipelago.gr/en/our-work/marine-conservation/fisheries/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Tourism===