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==Description==

==Description==

The Aegean covers an estimated area of 83,000 square miles, approximately 380 miles long and 186 miles wide.  On its northern side the Aegean is connected to the Black Sea via the Dardanelles straits, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus.  To the south, it is connected to the Mediterranean by the waterways on either side of Crete.  A man-made canal (Corinthian) connects the Aegean through the Peloponnese Penninsula to the Ionian Sea on the west side of Greece.   

The Aegean covers an estimated area of 83,000 square miles, approximately 380 miles long and 186 miles wide.  On its northern side the Aegean is connected to the Black Sea via the Dardanelles straits, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus.  To the south, it is connected to the Mediterranean by the waterways on either side of Crete.  A man-made canal (Corinthian) connects the Aegean through the Peloponnese Peninsula to the Ionian Sea on the west side of Greece.   

The Aegean is relatively shallow compared to the rest of the Mediterranean; its deepest point is east of Crete at 11,627 feet.  The large number of islands within the Aegean are suspected by geologists to be the mountain peaks of a submerged landmass (called “Aegeis”);  these islands facilitated shipbuilding, trade and communication among the early peoples who lived on their shores, and contributed greatly to the rise of the civilizations which existed there.

The Aegean is relatively shallow compared to the rest of the Mediterranean; its deepest point is east of Crete at 11,627 feet.  The large number of islands within the Aegean are suspected by geologists to be the mountain peaks of a submerged landmass (called “Aegeis”);  these islands facilitated shipbuilding, trade and communication among the early peoples who lived on their shores, and contributed greatly to the rise of the civilizations which existed there.