The Aegean Sea is the cradle of ancient civilizations

The beautiful name of the Aegean, as the legend says, the sea received on behalf of the king of Aegeus. He, thinking that his son Theseus was killed by the Minotaur, suffered no loss and rushed from the rock into the blue waters. Another version of the origin of the name is less tragic. Some believe that it originated from the ancient Greek "aiges", meaning "wave." Another version says that the sea is named after the ancient city of Egeus, once located on the island of Euboea.

In general, the Aegean Sea has a mass of large inhabited and small uninhabited islands. Some number more than 3000 of them. The most famous and largest are Rhodes, Crete, Naxos, Chios, Methylini, Samos, Santorini.

But, despite such abundance, shipping here is one of the most developed in the world. Ships go on strictly laid routes, not deviating by an inch.

Sometimes they run so close to the islands that, sitting on the deck, one can view faults in rocks or small rocks on the shore. But stranded ships in this area sit very seldom.

The Aegean Sea has a different depth. In the southern part there are pits up to 2500 meters. But on average the depth of the sea is 200-1000 meters. In summer the wave here is calm, rarely rises to 4-5 points. In autumn, and especially in winter, storms are 8-9 points or higher. There were times when a strong storm threw out ships and destroyed the coastline of the islands.

Once the Aegean Sea washed the banks of Byzantium, the Bulgarian kingdom, the Ottoman and Latin empires, Ancient Rome, ancient Greece. Now - only two countries, Greece and Turkey, between which the conflict will not subside, who will be the main one in the local waters. Greece has here two major international ports - in Thessaloniki and Athens. Turkey has one port - Izmir.

In addition to shipping, the Aegean Sea is famous for its fishing. Hundreds of tons of fish, squid, octopus, stingrays, crabs, lobsters, shrimps, sea urchins and other representatives of marine fauna are caught here. Also, there is a developed industry for collecting sponges and ornamental shells. Due to the fact that the number of plankton in this region has decreased, fish in recent years, too, is caught less. To ensure that its numbers do not decrease, fishing is allowed only in certain months. On January 6, Greece celebrates the Day of Light. At the same time, that for the fishermen the coming season was successful, the clergy consecrate the Aegean Sea. Greece piously honors this ancient custom and celebrates it very widely.

The tourism business on the islands and the sea coast is excellent. There is a huge number of hotels built, beautiful embankments with restaurants and shops, there are water parks, surfing and diving centers. Each inhabited island has one or more ports. Tourists love the Aegean Sea. The temperature of water here, however, does not spoil. Almost everywhere, it only rises to 22 degrees Celsius in summer . Even in May in many regions it barely reaches +19 degrees. To the same mark, it fits in October.

By the salinity of the waters, the Aegean Sea has overtaken Black. Therefore, the density is high here. It's easy to swim, the water always pushes the human body to the surface. But after bathing it is necessary to wash the salt with fresh water.

For tourists here it is organized not only beach, but also excursion rest. There is a wonderful island museum in the Aegean Sea. He's called Dilos. Scientists have established that civilization blossomed here long before the construction of the Acropolis of Athens. In addition to Dilos, the inhabited islands, especially Mykonos, are of great interest. Here, Hollywood celebrities like to relax. In general, in the Aegean Sea all the islands are beautiful, you can relax here perfectly.