Editing Aegean Sea (section)

==Geography==
The Aegean Sea is an elongated [[Bay|embayment]] of the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and covers about {{convert|214000|km2}} in area, measuring about {{convert|670|km}} longitudinally and {{convert|390|km}} latitudinal. The sea's maximum depth is {{convert|2639|m}}, located at a point west of [[Karpathos]]. The [[Aegean Islands]] are found within its waters, with the following islands delimiting the sea on the south, generally from west to east: [[Kythera]], [[Antikythera]], [[Crete]], [[Kasos]], [[Karpathos]] and [[Rhodes]]. The Anatolian peninsula marks the eastern boundary of the sea, while the Greek mainland marks the west. Several seas are contained within the Aegean Sea; the [[Thracian Sea]] is a section of the Aegean located to the north, the [[Icarian Sea]] to the east, the [[Myrtoan Sea]] to the west, while the [[Sea of Crete]] is the southern section.

The Greek regions that border the sea, in alphabetical order, are [[Attica]], [[Central Greece (administrative region)|Central Greece]], [[Central Macedonia]], Crete, [[Eastern Macedonia and Thrace]], [[North Aegean]], [[Peloponnese (region)|Peloponnese]], [[South Aegean]], and [[Thessaly]]. The traditional Greek region of [[Macedonia (Greece)|Macedonia]] also borders the sea, to the north.

The Aegean Islands, which almost all belong to [[Greece]], can be divided into seven groups:
# [[List of Aegean Islands#The North Aegean Islands|Northeastern Aegean Islands]], which lie in the [[Thracian Sea]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Aegean-Sea#ref170179|title=Aegean Sea {{!}} Mediterranean Sea|work=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=18 October 2017|language=en|archive-date=28 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528110411/https://www.britannica.com/place/Aegean-Sea#ref170179|url-status=live}}</ref> 
# [[Euboea|East Aegean Islands (''Euboea'')]] 
# Northern [[Sporades]]
# [[Cyclades]]
# [[Saronic Islands]] (or ''Argo-Saronic Islands'')
# [[Dodecanese]] (or ''Southern Sporades'')<ref>Administratively, the Greek Dodecanese also contains [[Kastellorizo]], situated further east outside the Aegean proper.</ref>
# [[Crete]]

Many of the Aegean islands or island chains, are geographical extensions of the mountains on the mainland. One chain extends across the sea to Chios, another extends across Euboea to Samos, and a third extends across the Peloponnese and Crete to Rhodes, dividing the Aegean from the Mediterranean.

The bays and gulfs of the Aegean beginning at the South and moving clockwise include on Crete, the [[Mirabello Bay|Mirabello]], [[Almyros Bay|Almyros]], [[Souda Bay|Souda]] and [[Gulf of Chania|Chania]] bays or gulfs, on the mainland the [[Myrtoan Sea]] to the west with the [[Argolic Gulf]], the [[Saronic Gulf]] northwestward, the [[Petalies Gulf]] which connects with the [[Gulf of Euboea|South Euboic Sea]], the [[Pagasetic Gulf]] which connects with the [[Gulf of Euboea|North Euboic Sea]], the [[Thermian Gulf]] northwestward, the [[Chalkidiki]] Peninsula including the [[Cassandra Gulf|Cassandra]] and the [[Singitic Gulf]]s, northward the [[Strymonian Gulf]] and the [[Gulf of Kavala]] and the rest are in [[Turkey]]; [[Saros Gulf]], [[Edremit (District), Balıkesir|Edremit]] Gulf, [[Dikili Gulf]], [[Gulf of Çandarlı]], [[Gulf of İzmir]], [[Gulf of Kuşadası]], [[Gulf of Gökova]], [[Güllük]] Gulf.

The Aegean Sea is connected to the Sea of Marmara by the [[Dardanelles]], also known from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont. The Dardanelles are located to the northeast of the sea. It ultimately connects with the [[Black Sea]] through the [[Bosporus]] strait, upon which lies the city of [[Istanbul]]. The Dardanelles and the Bosporus are known as the [[Turkish Straits]].

===Extent===
According to the [[International Hydrographic Organization]], the limits of the Aegean Sea as follows:<ref name="iho">{{cite web|url=https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/standards/s-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf#page=20|title=Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition|format=PDF|year=1953|publisher=International Hydrographic Organization|access-date=20 October 2021|page=18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008191433/http://www.iho.int/iho_pubs/standard/S-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf#page=20|archive-date=8 October 2011}}</ref>

* On the south: A line running from [[Cape Aspro]] (28°16′E) in [[Asia Minor]], to Cum Burnù (Capo della Sabbia) the Northeast extreme of the Island of [[Rhodes]], through the island to Cape [[Prasonisi]], the Southwest point thereof, on to Vrontos Point (35°33′N) in Skarpanto <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Karpathos]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>, through this island to Castello Point, the South extreme thereof, across to Cape Plaka (East extremity of Crete), through Crete to Agria Grabusa, the Northwest extreme thereof, thence to Cape Apolytares in [[Antikythera]] Island, through the island to Psira Rock (off the Northwest point) and across to Cape Trakhili in [[Kythira]] Island, through Kythira to the Northwest point ([[Cape Karavugia]]) and thence to Cape Santa Maria ({{coord|36|28|N|22|57|E|display=inline}}) in the [[Morea]].
* In the Dardanelles: A line joining Kum Kale (26°11′E) and [[Cape Helles]].

===Hydrography===
Aegean surface water circulates in a counterclockwise [[Ocean gyre|gyre]], with [[hypersaline]] Mediterranean water moving northward along the west coast of Turkey, before being displaced by less dense Black Sea outflow. The dense [[Mediterranean]] water sinks below the Black Sea inflow to a depth of {{convert|23|-|30|m}}, then flows through the [[Dardanelles Strait]] and into the [[Sea of Marmara]] at velocities of {{cvt|5|-|15|cm/s|in/s|0}}. The Black Sea outflow moves westward along the northern Aegean Sea, then flows southwards along the east coast of Greece.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Aksu |first1=A.E. |last2=Yaşar |first2=D. |last3=Mudie |first3=P.J. |last4=Gillespie |first4=H. |title=Late glacial-Holocene paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic evolution of the Aegean Sea: micropaleontological and stable isotopic evidence |journal=Marine Micropaleontology |date=April 1995 |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=1–28 |doi=10.1016/0377-8398(94)00026-J |bibcode=1995MarMP..25....1A }}</ref>

The physical oceanography of the Aegean Sea is controlled mainly by the regional climate, the fresh water discharge from major rivers draining southeastern Europe, and the seasonal variations in the Black Sea surface water outflow through the [[Dardanelles Strait]].

Analysis<ref>Yagar, D., 1994. Late glacial-Holocene evolution of the Aegean Sea. Ph.D. Thesis, Inst. Mar. Sci. Technol., Dokuz Eyltil Univ., 329 pp. (Unpubl.){{unreliable source?|date=December 2020}}</ref> of the Aegean during 1991 and 1992 revealed three distinct water masses:

* '''Aegean Sea Surface Water'''&nbsp;– {{convert|40|-|50|m}} thick veneer, with summer temperatures of 21–26&nbsp;°C and winter temperatures ranging from {{convert|10|°C}} in the north to {{convert|16|°C}} in the south.
* '''Aegean Sea Intermediate Water'''&nbsp;– Aegean Sea Intermediate Water extends from {{convert|40|-|50|m|abbr=on}} to {{convert|200|-|300|m|abbr=on}} with temperatures ranging from {{convert|11|-|18|C}}.
* '''Aegean Sea Bottom Water'''&nbsp;– occurring at depths below {{convert|500|-|1000|m|abbr=on}} with a very uniform temperature ({{convert|13|-|14|C}}) and salinity (3.91–3.92%).

===Climate===
[[File:Greece map of Köppen climate classification (new).svg|thumb|Climate map of Greece. Most of the landmass surrounding the Aegean Sea 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 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:
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Climate characteristics of some major cities on the Aegean coast'''
! rowspan="3" |City
! colspan="4" |Mean temperature (daily high)
! colspan="6" |Mean total rainfall
|-
! colspan="2" |January
! colspan="2" |July
! colspan="3" |January
! colspan="3" |July
|-
!°C
!°F
!°C
!°F
!mm
!in
!days
!mm
!in
!days
|-
|[[Alexandroupolis]]
|8.4
|47.1
|30.1
|86.2
|60.4
|2.38
|6.8
|17.6
|0.69
|2.5
|-
|[[Bodrum]]
|15.1
|59.2
|34.2
|93.6
|134.1
|5.28
|12.3
|1.3
|0.05
|1.5
|-
|[[Heraklion]]
|15.2
|59.4
|28.6
|83.5
|91.5
|3.6
|10.1
|1.0
|0.04
|0.1
|-
|[[İzmir]]
|12.4
|54.3
|33.2
|91.8
|132.7
|5.22
|12.6
|1.7
|0.07
|0.4
|-
|[[Thessaloniki]]
|9.3
|48.7
|32.5
|90.5
|35.2
|1.39
|8.8
|27.3
|1.07
|3.8
|-
| colspan="11" |Source: [[World Meteorological Organization]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldweather.wmo.int/europe.htm|title=World Weather Information Service – Europe|website=worldweather.wmo.int|access-date=16 June 2019|archive-date=25 November 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051125063413/https://worldweather.wmo.int/europe.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Turkish State Meteorological Service]]<ref>[https://www.mgm.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?m=IZMIR "Resmi İstatistikler: İllerimize Ait Genel İstatistik Verileri"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416120845/https://www.mgm.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?m=IZMIR |date=16 April 2019 }} (in Turkish). Turkish State Meteorological Service. Retrieved 4 May 2019.</ref>
|}

===Population===
Numerous Greek and Turkish settlements are located along their mainland coast, as well as on towns on the Aegean islands. The largest cities are Athens and Thessaloniki in Greece and İzmir in Turkey. The most populated of the Aegean islands is Crete, followed by Euboea and Rhodes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Coughlin |first=Tara |title=10 Largest Islands in Greece |url=https://www.touropia.com/largest-islands-in-greece/ |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=Touropia |language=en-US |archive-date=22 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240222150629/https://www.touropia.com/largest-islands-in-greece/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 
[[File:Skyscrapers in Izmir - Turkey.jpg|thumb|right|150x150px|İzmir]]
[[File:Acropolis wide view.jpg|thumb|right|150x150px|Athens]]
[[File:White Tower and Beach front.jpg|thumb|right|150x150px|Thessaloniki]]
[[File:Bodrum Castle (2017).jpg|thumb|right|150x150px|Bodrum]]
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin-right:10px; font-size:90%"
|+Most populous urban areas on the Aegean coast
!  style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|Rank
!  style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|City
!  style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|Country
!  style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|Region/County
!  style="text-align:center; background:#f5f5f5;"|Population (urban)
|-
|  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]]||2,948,609
|-
|  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|'''[[Bodrum]]'''||Turkey||[[Muğla Province]]||198,335
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|5||align=left|'''[[Çanakkale]]'''||Turkey||[[Çanakkale Province]]||182,389
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|6||align=left|'''[[Heraklion]]'''||Greece||[[Crete]]||173,993
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|7||align=left|'''[[Volos]]'''||Greece||[[Thessaly]]||144,449
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|8||align=left|'''[[Kuşadası]]'''||Turkey||[[Aydın Province]]||133,177
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|9||align=left|'''[[Chania]]'''||Greece||[[Crete]]||108,642
|-
|  style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"|10||align=left|'''[[Didim]]'''||Turkey||[[Aydın Province]]||100,189
|}
{{clear}}