Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea is a narrow body of water separating the Italian peninsula from Dalmatia and the Balkan peninsula. An arm of the Mediterranean, it stretches from the gulfs of Trieste and Venice on the northwest to the strait of Otranto on the southeast, where it joins the Ionian Sea. Averaging 100 mi. wide, the depth of the sea varies from 150 ft. in the north to a low of 600 ft. at the mid-point.

Of the many rivers which flow into the Adriatic, the largest is the Po. Although the sea's western coastline has few indentations, as many as 1,300 rocky islands lie to the east along the coast of Dalmatia. There are as many as 35 market ports located around the body of water; the most important are Brindisi, Bari, Barletta, Ancona, Rimini, Venice, Fiume, Sebenico, Spalato and Ragusa. The eastern shore is controlled by the Ottoman Empire and colonies of Venice; the west side consists of the Papal States and the kingdom of Naples.