Gallipoli

Gallipoli (Turkish Gelibolu), city and seaport in northwestern Turkey, in Çanakkale Province, on a narrow peninsula extending into the Dardanelles. Situated in European Turkey, it has two harbors and is strongly fortified. Lignite, copper, and petroleum are mined in the area surrounding the city. Roman and Byzantine ruins are in the immediate vicinity. Gallipoli was captured by the Ottomans in the mid-14th century. The city has long been strategic in the defense of İstanbul (formerly Constantinople) and was the scene of a major military campaign during World War I (1914-1918), known as the Gallipoli Campaign. Population (1990) 40,020.