Kythira Strait (also Kythirian Straits, Kythira–

Antikythira Antikythera or Anticythera ( ) is a Greek island lying on the edge of the Aegean Sea, between Crete and Peloponnese. In antiquity the island was known as (). Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality of Kythira islan ...

Strait or Kithera Channel) is a

waterway A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary ...

off

Kythira Kythira (, ; el, Κύθηρα, , also transliterated as Cythera, Kythera and Kithira) is an island in Greece lying opposite the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula. It is traditionally listed as one of the seven main Ionian Islands ...

Southern Greece Southern Greece ( el, Νότια Ελλάδα) is a loosely defined geographical term, usually encompassing the Peloponnese peninsula and varying parts of Continental Greece (Attica is usually included), as well as the islands of the Cyclades, ...

. The Kythira–

Strait is situated within the Western

Hellenic arc The Hellenic arc or Aegean arc is an arcuate mountain chain of the southern Aegean Sea located on the southern margin of the Aegean Sea Plate. Geologically it results from the subduction of the African Plate under it along the Hellenic subductio ...

. It measures approximately in length and is situated between the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge which ...

and the island of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...

. Many ships have sunk in the area, including , , and .

Navigational hazard

The Kythira Strait represents one of the most dangerous navigational hazards in the Mediterranean. The strait between Kythera and

Cape Maleas Cape Maleas (also ''Cape Malea''; el, Ακρωτήριον Μαλέας, colloquially Καβομαλιάς, ''Cavomaliás''), anciently Malea ( grc, Μαλέα) and Maleae or Maleai (Μαλέαι), is a peninsula and cape in the southeast of the ...

was found dangerous in ancient days by the Greek mariners. Most sea-traffic from

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

, and the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

to the central and western Mediterranean passes through the strait and are often subject to strong winds and shipwreck on Cape Maleas. To circumvent this, the shorter and safer route via the

Isthmus of Corinth The Isthmus of Corinth ( Greek: Ισθμός της Κορίνθου) is the narrow land bridge which connects the Peloponnese peninsula with the rest of the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. The word " isthmus" comes from the Anci ...

has been used since

classical antiquity Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...

, first through the use of the overland

Diolkos The Diolkos (, from the Greek , "across", and , "portage machine") was a paved trackway near Corinth in Ancient Greece which enabled boats to be moved overland across the Isthmus of Corinth. The shortcut allowed ancient vessels to avoid t ...

pathway and in modern times, through the

Corinth Canal The Corinth Canal ( el, Διώρυγα της Κορίνθου, translit=Dhioryga tis Korinthou) is an artificial canal in Greece, that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the ...

Earthquakes and tsunami

The Kythira Strait, located within the Western Hellenic arc, is subject to submergence on account of normal faulting which results in "extensional deformation and rotation" between two major segments of the external arc. According to Papadopoulos and Kijko, the Western Hellenic arc has high seismic activity, resulting in deformations in the strait which are active. Here the "seismic slip" recorded is on the order of 0.3 cm/year. Also reported in the strait are earthquakes at shallow and intermediate depths, with surface-wave magnitudes of up to 8.0. The Kythira Strait's Tsunami Warning System (TWS) comprises two interrelated elements. One is based on the seismographic observations and the other is related to tide-gauge recordings.

References

Bibliography

* * * It is considered to be a "dextral wrench zone". * * {{coord, 35, 50, 34, N, 23, 13, 57, E, display=title Straits of Greece Landforms of Crete Landforms of Islands (regional unit) Landforms of Attica