| − | The [[strait]] that unites the [[Black Sea]] and the [[Sea of Marmara]] and separates parts of Asian [[Turkey]] (Anatolia) from European Turkey. | + | The [[strait]] that unites the [[Black Sea]] and the [[Sea of Marmara]] and separates parts of Asian [[Turkey]] (Anatolia) from European Turkey. It is strategically important because it is how [[Russia]] (the Former [[Soviet Union]]) has access to the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. |