Laura Rosecrans, age 16, of Barre, Vt., for her question:

WHERE IS THE DARDANELLES?

Dardanelles is the name of the strait which connects the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara. The strait is part of a longer waterway that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the landlocked Black Sea.

The average width of the Dardanelles is about three and a half miles, although it slims down to about one mile wide in one area. The strait is about 40 miles long and has an average depth of 200 feet.

The strait's name comes from the ancient Greek city of Dardanus, located on the Asia side. The ancient Greeks called the waterway the Hellespont.

The Dardanelles is mentioned often in Greek legends and it also had the chance many times to play important roles in history.

After World War II Russia made an unsuccessful try to gain control of the Dardanelles but the Western powers backed Turkey's long time rights to the waterway.