Arm of the Mediterranean Sea , lying between Greece and Turkey.
About 380 mi (610 km) long and 186 mi (300 km) wide, it has a total area of some 83,000 sq mi (214,000 sq km) and a maximum depth of 11,627 ft (3,543 m). The straits of the Dardanelles , the Sea of Marmara , and the Bosporus connect it with the Black Sea . The Aegean was the cradle of the great early civilizations of Crete and Greece. Thíra , one of its numerous islands, has been linked with the legend of Atlantis .