Bosporus facts for kids

Satellite image of the Bosporus, taken from the International Space Station in April 2004

View of the Bosporus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge as seen from Rumelihisarı

The Bosporus or Bosphorus is a strait that forms part of the boundary between the European part of Turkey and its Asian part (Anatolia). It connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. It is about 30 km long, with a maximum width of 3,700 metres at the northern entrance, and a minimum width of 700 metres between Kandilli and Aşiyan; and 750 metres between Anadoluhisarı and Rumelihisarı. The depth varies from 36 to 124 metres in midstream.

The shores of the strait are heavily populated as Istanbul is nearby. Several bridges and tunnels cross the strait.

Coordinates: 41°07′10″N, 29°04′31″E

Images for kids

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  Aerial view of the Bosporus taken from its northern end near the Black Sea (bottom), looking south (top) toward the Marmara Sea, with the city center of Istanbul visible along the strait's hilly banks.

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  Map of Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), designed in 1422 by Florentine cartographer Cristoforo Buondelmonti. This is the oldest surviving map of the city, and the only surviving map that predates the Turkish conquest of 1453. The Bosporus is visible along the right-hand side of the map, wrapping vertically around the historic city.

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  The Bosphorus, with the Castles of Europe & Asia. 19th-century engraving by Thomas Allom. The castles are Rumelihisarı and Anadoluhisarı, respectively. The original is a watercolor available in the online collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

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  Modern (2012) view of the European side of Istanbul from the southern entrance to the Bosphorus

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  Bosphorus Bridge, the first to be built across the Bosphorus, completed in 1973

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  Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, the second crossing built in 1988, looking from the Asian side towards the Rumelian Castle on the Bosphorus

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  Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third and most recent crossing, in September 2016. The bridge was opened on 26 August 2016.

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  Russian fleet under the command of Admiral Fyodor Ushakov, sailing through the Bosporus

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  The Rumelian Castle on the Bosphorus, with both suspension bridges which span the strait

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  Ottoman era waterfront houses on the Bosphorus

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  The yalı of Ahmet Rasim Pasha

See also

In Spanish: Bósforo para niños