The Dardanelles is a long, narrow stretch of sea in Turkey. It runs between the Aegean Sea to the southwest and the Sea of Marmara to the northeast. One bank is in Europe, the other in Asia, so the strait really does split the two continents at that point. Ships that want to reach Istanbul and then the Black Sea must pass through here, which is why it has always mattered in war and in trade. In ancient times people called it the Hellespont. In World War I the Allies tried to force this waterway; the fighting on the nearby Gallipoli peninsula was terrible and became famous. Though actually, people often mix it up with the Bosporus, which is the other famous Turkish strait. The Bosporus is the one at Istanbul itself. The Dardanelles is further south, by Çanakkale and Gallipoli. We say the Dardanelles, with the.