<P> Several of the Aegean issues deal with the delimitation of both countries ' zones of influence in the air and on the sea around their respective territories . These issues owe their virulence to a geographical peculiarity of the Aegean sea and its territories . While the mainland coasts of Greece and Turkey bordering the Aegean Sea on both sides represent roughly equal shares of its total coastline , the overwhelming number of the many Aegean islands belong to Greece . In particular , there is a chain of Greek islands lined up along the Turkish west coast ( Lesbos , Chios , Samos , and the Dodecanese islands ) , partly in very close proximity to the mainland . Their existence blocks Turkey from extending any of its zones of influence beyond a few nautical miles off its coastline . As the breadth of maritime and areal zones of influence , such as the territorial waters and national airspace , are measured from the nearest territory of the state in question , including its islands , any possible extension of such zones would necessarily benefit Greece much more than Turkey proportionally . </P>
<P> Several of the Aegean issues deal with the delimitation of both countries ' zones of influence in the air and on the sea around their respective territories . These issues owe their virulence to a geographical peculiarity of the Aegean sea and its territories . While the mainland coasts of Greece and Turkey bordering the Aegean Sea on both sides represent roughly equal shares of its total coastline , the overwhelming number of the many Aegean islands belong to Greece . In particular , there is a chain of Greek islands lined up along the Turkish west coast ( Lesbos , Chios , Samos , and the Dodecanese islands ) , partly in very close proximity to the mainland . Their existence blocks Turkey from extending any of its zones of influence beyond a few nautical miles off its coastline . As the breadth of maritime and areal zones of influence , such as the territorial waters and national airspace , are measured from the nearest territory of the state in question , including its islands , any possible extension of such zones would necessarily benefit Greece much more than Turkey proportionally . </P>
what island do greece and turkey fight over
what island do greece and turkey fight over
Aegean islands
Aegean islands