A GEOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF KANAL ISTANBUL

Abstract

The importance of the seas and the Bosphorus in the development of Istanbul is an indisputable
fact. Due to the advantages provided by the waterways in the region, this region has been one of the
most desirable places to be seized throughout history. With the Montreux Straits Convention signed
in 1936, the region gained an international status in terms of maritime transportation. The
Bosphorus has a special significance in this important waterway which consists of the Bosphorus,
the Dardanelles and the Marmara Sea. The increase in the number of ships passing over the years,
changing the content of the cargoes they carry and the increase in population density in the
Bosphorus line has caused the ships passing through the Bosphorus to become a subject of
discussion. Tanker accidents at different dates also support these concerns. For security reasons, the
Turkish Government plans to construct an artificial channel to the Bosphorus. Both ecological and
legal debates are still ongoing in relation to the designated Kanal Istanbul.