city, northwestern Turkey, at the mouth of Koca River (the ancient Rhodius River), on the Asian side of the Dardanelles. Originally a 15th-century Ottoman fortress called Kale-i Sultaniye, it had by the 18th century developed a reputation for its pottery, whence its name (Turkish çanak, “pot,” and kale, “fortress”). The pottery industry reached its peak in the 18th and 19th centuries and has now declined; but the city has become one of the chief centres of the Turkish fish-canning industry. It is connected by steamer service with Istanbul. Because of its location controlling the Dardanelles (Turkish: Çanakkale Boğazı), less than 1 mile (1.6 km) wide at that point, Çanakkale has always been strategically important. It was damaged by British bombardment during World War I. Pop. (2000) 75,810.