Sea · Greece, Türkiye
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea is the part of the Mediterranean between Greece and Turkey, where Europe meets Asia. It is sprinkled with islands, from tiny rocks to big Crete at its southern edge.
Picture credit: Esin Üstün (CC BY 2.0) · WikipedystaGA (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Aegean Sea?
Part of: Mediterranean Sea.
Countries on its coasts: Greece, Türkiye.
The story behind it
Sail across the Aegean Sea and you will never be far from an island. Many of them belong to groups such as the Cyclades, the Dodecanese and the Sporades, and Crete marks the southern edge of the sea. Santorini is a volcanic island. Long ago, the Minoans had a great civilisation in this region. The sea may be named after Aegeus, a king from old Greek legends. In the north, a narrow strait called the Dardanelles leads to the Sea of Marmara and on towards the Black Sea. Athens with its port Piraeus, Thessaloniki and the Turkish city of İzmir lie on the coast, and Piraeus is Europe's biggest port for passenger ships. Dolphins swim in the waves, sea turtles live here too, and so do rare Mediterranean monk seals.
Find it on the globe
Aegean Sea is there as a name written across its water — tap the water and its card opens. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
Questions children ask
How big is the Aegean Sea?
The Aegean Sea covers about 214 000 km². It is roughly 610 km long and 300 km wide, according to Britannica.
Which countries lie on the Aegean Sea?
Greece and Turkey share the coast of the Aegean Sea. Most of the islands belong to Greece; only a few, such as Gökçeada and Bozcaada, belong to Turkey.
How is the Aegean Sea connected to the Black Sea?
In the north-east, the narrow Dardanelles lead into the Sea of Marmara. From there, the Bosporus strait leads on to the Black Sea.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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