Istanbul Strait, is more like a twisting river than an international waterway. It offers the only connection between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea. The average depth of the Bosphorus, as it is more commonly referred to, is 35 m.

The width ranges from 4.7 km at northern entrance to 2.5 km in southern line, but in between it narrows down to a mere 700 m.

The Strait cuts through the heart of Istanbul and its shore line is embroidered with sharp turns of up to 80 degrees which the ships have to take while blinded to oncoming.

The 62 km long, average of 4 km wide and 55 m deep Canakkale Strait, on the other hand, is the connecting seaway between the Marmara Sea and the Aegean Sea. Since 1936, when the Montreux Treaty was signed, navigating through the Turkish Straits has gained similar standarts and rules as navigating on international waters.