Tavşan Islands, Çanakkale
The Rabbit Islands are a group of small uninhabited Turkish islands in the northern Aegean Sea. They are situated approximately four nautical miles off the mainland coast of the Turkish province of Çanakkale, north of the island of Tenedos, and south-west of the entrance of the straights of the Dardanelles. The largest islet of the group, called Tavşan adası or Rabbit Island proper, is some long and wide. To its south are three small rocky islets called Pırasa, Orak and Yılan.
The Rabbit Islands gained some political and strategic significance in the early 20th century, because their territorial waters are important for the control of the entrance to the Dardanelles. In the Treaty of Lausanne they are mentioned in Article 12 along with the nearby larger islands of Tenedos and Imbros as the only Aegean islands not under Greek control, in addition to those islands situated less than from the Turkish mainland.
Today the islets are a popular spot for diving enthusiasts.
