14. Dardanelles (Hellespont)
The Dardanelles, known in antiquity as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. Spanning approximately 61 kilometers (38 miles) in length and varying in width from 1.2 to 6.5 kilometers (0.75 to 4 miles), it has been a strategic chokepoint throughout history. In 480 BCE, Persian King Xerxes I constructed pontoon bridges across the Hellespont to facilitate his invasion of Greece. The strait’s significance continued into modern times, notably during the Gallipoli Campaign of World War I, where Allied forces attempted to secure control over the Dardanelles to open a sea route to Russia.
