century, when European powers sought to establish a strategic balance on the conti-
nent that would limit the possibility of war. The London Straits Convention of 1841
resulted in the de-militarization of the Turkish Straits, a move supported by most
major European powers in the hope that the prohibition of warships from the straits,
under any flag, would lend support to a weakened Ottoman Empire. The Convention
had the effect of denying Russian warships access to the Mediterranean Sea, and
ultimately increased tensions between the Russian and Ottoman empires. Jurisdic-
tion of the straits is now governed by the Montreux Convention Regarding the
Regime of the Turkish Straits, a series of agreements concluded in 1936, which
granted Turkey full military control over the Bosporus and Dardanelles.
Other notable strategic straits include the Strait of Gibraltar, and the Strait of
Malacca. The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow band of water only about eight miles
wide that separates Europe from Africa, or most specifically, Spain from Morocco.
The strategic value of the strait is the primary reason the British Empire took con-
trol of the Rock of Gibraltar in 1713, at the conclusion of the War of Spanish Suc-
cession. Control of the Strait of Gibraltar allows a state to control access from the
Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, and vice versa, making the Strait of324 Straits, Passages, and Canals
One of the most strategic straits in the world is the Bosporus, shown here as it passes through the
city of Istanbul, Turkey. This narrow stretch of water controls access between the Black and
Mediterranean seas, and carries a large amount of the region’s goods to the remainder of the world.
(Tomas Sereda/Dreamstime.com)