By definition, narrow it is a geographic accident that separates two continental masses, connecting two oceanic masses, through a small channel. O Bosphorus Strait it is the channel connecting the Sea of Marmara (and its extension, the Mediterranean Sea) with the Black Sea, separating Europe from Asia (see maps below). Thus, the city where he is located, Istanbul (largest city in Turkey), is the only one in the world to be located on two different continents at the same time.
Bosphorus Strait Location
The geographical position of Bosphorus reveals its strategic importance.
By establishing a natural link between two continents, Bosphorus has an unparalleled geopolitical importance. When the region in which it finds itself – the then glorious city of Constantinople – was taken by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the Europeans were prevented from leaving. to move to East Asia in search of raw materials, which forced them to invest in maritime navigations in order to discover new routes to India. Currently, there are numerous international agreements for the commercial use of this strait.
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Since Antiquity, when the region was home to the Persian civilization, the creation of a point to connect the two sides of the Bosphorus was sought. However, it was only in 1973 that this feat was achieved. Today, the Bosphorus Bridge is one of Istanbul's landmarks due to its beautiful lighting at night.
The origin of the Bosphorus Strait is considered geologically very recent, around 5600 years BC. Ç. Geologists claim that, in the past, the Black Sea was a large freshwater lake, being invaded by the waters of the Mediterranean, giving rise to the strait. This invasion, in the view of some historians, would have inspired the biblical story of the flood and Noah's Ark.
The strategic location of the Bosphorus Strait and the fact that it was the main location point of great empires (such as the Persian, the Roman and Byzantine) are the main evidences of how geographic position can be an important influencing factor on relationships human beings.
By Rodolfo Alves Pena
Graduated in Geography
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PENA, Rodolfo F. Alves. "Straits of Bosphorus"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/estreito-bosforo.htm. Accessed on June 29, 2021.
