Only two of Turkey's provinces have territory both in Europe and Asia, and one of them is Canakkale, home to the Dardanelles Strait port. Separated by the Dardanelles Strait (also called the Canakkale Straits), the waters of two great seas meet here, where Mediterranean waters flow up, and Sea of Marmara (connecting the Black Sea) waters flow down.

The Dardanelles Strait is 65 kilometers long and varies from one to six kilometers in width with a depth of 100 meters. The port of Dardanelles Strait is about 122 nautical miles southwest of Istanbul's Port of Haydarpasa across the Sea of Marmara and about 250 nautical miles northwest of the Port of Piraeus in Greece across the Aegean Sea.

The earliest inhabitants of the Dardanelles Strait lived in the Besiktepe and Kumtepe, Chalcolithic sites from the 4th millennium BC. Trojans followed, populating the area from 3000 to 1200 BC. The word Dardanelles is based on a mythical survivor of Troy, Dardanos. Canakkale's other historic name is Hellespont, coming from the mythology of the Golden Fleece, used much by the ancients in describing the region.

Canakkale and the Dardanelles Strait make a natural crossing point between Europe and Asia. The Roman Empire used it, and the Eastern Roman Empire was established in what is today Turkey, becoming later the Byzantine Empire. Being the only outlet for the Black Sea, the Dardanelles Strait has also been important throughout history for Russia and Eastern Europe.

While no archeological evidence has been found in the immediate area of Canakkale and the Dardanelles Strait, scholars believe the area's history goes back further than that of Troy. Early settlements in the region go back more than 5000 years.

Many civilizations have ruled Canakkale and the Dardanelles Strait region. In 500 BC, the Persians controlled the area, and when they made peace with the Spartans in 386 BC, Persian authority was strengthened. Persia's King Xerxes built a bridge of buoys and ships across the Strait while making war on Greece and Macedonia.

Alexander the Great ended Persian rule when he defeated them in the Battle of Granicas in 334 BC. After Alexander died, Macedonian generals struggled for control of the area. The Pergamum Kingdom renamed the region Galat. The Ottomans took later control of the region, but the city of Canakkale has long been a magnet for many peoples.

Today's Dardanelles Strait city grew up around the 1462 AD Ottoman Cimenlik Castle, serving today as a well-preserved Naval Museum, manned by Muslim military and public servants. Castle personnel created a residential district around the Cami-I Kebir Mosque. While this area was developing, Romanians who helped build the Dardanelles Strait fortress settled the Cay district. Attracted by trade and settlement, the Greeks established the Rum district north of Cami-I Kabir. Armenians also settled the area around the Zafer Meydani church.

The marketplace for the city was established to the north of the fortress on the Dardanelles Strait. As small industries developed on the bank of the Sarıçay, artisans settled to the south of the Armenian district and to the east of the Çay district. At this time, the town was known as Kale-i-Sultaniye.

As Ottoman power declined in the 19th Century, Muslims migrated from the Aegean islands, the Balkans, and the Crimean Peninsula, many settling near the Dardanelles Strait in Canakkale and establishing the Tartar district.

As the Dardanelles Strait became more economically important, the city of Canakkale became more prosperous as a port. Older districts grew together, and foreign governments started establishing consulates, forming trade missions at the waterfront. Its strategic location at the Dardanelles Strait has made Canakkale an international melting pot for millennia.

The Canakkale Port Authority operates the port at Dardanelles Strait, which is located near the Canakkale city center. A complex waterway connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea. The channel passing between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara, the Istanbul Bogazi, is more popularly known as the Bosporus.

The Sea of Marmara is linked to the Aegean Sea by the Canakkale Bogazi, known as the Dardanelles Strait. The Turkish Straits are very narrow and wind more like a river than the sea. These straits are some of the most dangerous waterways in the world for maritime travelers.

The Dardanelles Strait is almost 38 nautical miles with a width of from 0.7 to 1.1 nautical miles, and it contains a very sharp turn at the narrowest point near Canakkale. Turkish vessels over 150 meters long must use a pilot, and all vessels are recommended to use a pilot, even though it is not required for transit vessels. Vessels not using a pilot in the Dardanelles Strait may expect longer waits than those with pilots.

Vessels can anchor at the opening of the Dardanelles Strait in the Gelibou-Sarkoy are of the Sea of Marmara and at the southwest of Bozcaada at the Aegean Sea end of the Dardanelles Strait. Anchorages are also available in Karanlik Harbour in the Dardanelles Strait near Canakkale.

While there are no strict length or draft limits on vessels using the Dardanelles Strait, vessels between 150 and 200 meters long and/or with a draft between 10 and 15 meters must report to the Traffic Control Center no less than 24 hours before entering the Dardanelles Strait. Larger vessels must report no less than 48 hours before entering the Turkish straits.

There are two piers at the Dardanelles Strait operated by the Turkiye Denizcilik Isletmeleri - Cankkale. Berth 1 is 90 meters long with alongside depths from 6 to 7 meters. Berth No. 2, which is used for domestic ferry calls only, is 80 meters long with alongside depths of 8 to 10 meters. Pilotage is required for vessels entering and leaving the Dardanelles Strait, and the Turkish Maritime Organization provides pilot services. Vessels using the Dardanelles Strait port facilities must load/unload their own cargoes, and container facilities are not available.

Dardanelles Strait port facilities at Canakkale handle imports and exports for Akcansa cement works and for local trade. The Dardanelles Strait facilities at Canakkale and Ambarli, as well as terminals in Aliaga and Karamursel, serve this traffic. Dardanelles Strait port facilities at Akcansa, which also serve third parties, handle all types of bulk cargoes.

Dardanelles Strait facilities at Canakkale include docking for vessels up to 50 thousand DWT that can handle five vessels at the same time. The three berths total 925 meters in length and range in depth from five to 13.5 meters. Dardanelles Strait berths at Canakkale handle bulk and general cargo and roll-on/roll-off cargo.

At 251 meters long with alongside depth of 13.5 meters, Canakkale Berth 1 in the Dardanelles Strait handles bulk and general cargo. Also handling bulk and general cargo, Berth 2 is 209 meters long with alongside depth of 13.5 meters. Berth 3 handles bulk and general cargo and is equipped with a roll-on/roll-off ramp. It is 208 meters long with alongside depth of 5 meters.

The Dardanelles Strait berths at Canakkale can load about six thousand tons of cement per day, about eight thousand tons of clinker per day. It can unload about five thousand tons per day. The berths are equipped with mobile cranes, forklifts, and special equipment for the discharge of scrap, logs, paper, and other bulk cargoes. They include a 10 thousand square meter open storage area and six cement silos.

The City of Canakkale is not a popular tourist destination, but it is near some of the world's most fascinating and ancient sites.

Dardanelles Strait has a transition climate between the Mediterranean and Black Sea climates. Rains fall during the winter, and temperatures reach their maximum in August. Temperatures range from an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) in August to an average low of 9 °C (48 °F) in January and February.

Just 25 kilometers southwest of Dardanelles Strait and Canakkale is the ancient and world-famous archaeological site of the city of Troy, the legendary center of the Trojan War described by Homer in the Iliad. Believed to be the location of the historic city, the archaeological site lies under Mount Ida. Roman Emperor Augustus established the new city of Ilium on top of the original site, and Ilium flourished until Constantinople was established. There are many layers in the ancient ruins, numbered Troy I through Troy IX. Troy I dates between 3000 and 2600 BC. Troy VIIa, dating between 1300 and 1190 BC, is the most probably setting for Homer's Troy. Troy IX dates from the 1st Century BC, when it was called Ilium. The archaeological site was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1998. With over four thousand years of history, it is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. First excavated by Heinrich Schliemann in 1870, the vast remains represent the first contacts between the Anatolian civilizations and the Mediterranean world. The siege of Troy by warriors from Sparta and Achaea and the famous Trojan Horse in the 13th or 12th Century BC are perhaps one of the best known tales of ancient history. Depicting the earliest stages of the development of European civilization, the Troy archaeological site may be one of the most important concrete memories held in the modern world.

The Dardanelles Strait Island of Bozcaada is opposite from the site of Troy about 23 kilometers from the mount of Dardanelles and about five kilometers from the West Anatolian coast. The first island inhabitants, the Pelasginas, arrived in about 2000 BC, and the island was later settled by Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Genoese, and Venetians. Bozcaada then became part of the Ottoman Empire. Today, there is only one residential area on the island, and almost all of it is covered with vineyards that have produced wine since the dawn of history. The island offers 17 miles of beautiful beaches and clear blue Aegean waters. This wonderful place is one of the best holiday secrets in the entire Mediterranean region.

In addition to its idyllic setting, Bozcaada is one of the world's richest scuba diving areas, boasting a wealth of undersea life in seas with a clarity of from 20 to 40 meters of visibility. Scuba divers and all-night diving excursions must have permission to dive there, but skin diving is possible without permission. The island is dotted with out-of-the-way coves and shallower diving locations that make it a safe diving location. The Aganta diving school on Bozcaada Island offers one-on-one diving lessons and private diving tours, in addition to renting diving equipment. There are also many shipwrecks that are very popular with more experienced divers.

Travelers who want to visit Dardanelles Strait and Canakkale by sea can find a list of scheduled cruises on the Cruise Compete website.