Black Sea like. Stories about the Black Sea. How did the Black Sea appear?

The history of the Black Sea goes back millions of years.

Ancient location of continents and oceans

250 -240 million years ago, in the place where the waves of the Black Sea now splash, the Tethys Ocean, its outskirts, was located. According to Wikipedia, the Tethys Ocean was located between the ancient continents of Gondwana and Laurasia. This was a time when the world landscape was being formed, continents were moving, oceans and seas were changing. As can be seen from the figure, North America was one continent with modern Europe and Asia, and the continent was called Laurasia.

Modern Africa was one continent with modern South America and was called Gondwana.

1. Gondwana split

Geologists believe that about 66 million years ago, Gondwana split, as can be seen in the picture above, and pieces of the continent began to move northward, compressing the Tethys Ocean to the size of the Indo-Atlantic Sea. 50 million years ago, Hindustan wedged itself into Eurasia, occupying its modern position. About 13 -10 million years ago, the Tethys Ocean disappeared. The picture above shows the movement of continental fragments.

2.Sarmatian Sea

During this period, the Sarmatian Sea with the islands of Crimea and the Caucasus was formed, isolated from the world ocean; it was desalinated due to the waters of the rivers flowing into the Sarmatian Sea. This sea occupied the territory of the current Black, Caspian, and Aral seas; it was sometimes called a lake. At the same time, freshwater fauna and flora appeared, some species of which still live in the Black Sea. Approximately 10 million years ago, the Bosporus Strait appeared, and the Sarmatian Sea connected through it with the world ocean. The sea began to be called Meotic, it included the current Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, connected to each other by the North Caucasian channel. About 6 million years ago, the Black and Caspian Seas separated, the Caucasus rose and the level of the Mediterranean Sea dropped.

3.Absheron Sea

After some time, the Black Sea again merges with the Caspian Sea. The Caspian, Black Sea, Aral, part of the territory of Turkmenistan were flooded with water and this formation was called the Absheron Sea. A new division into seas that have an almost modern appearance occurred relatively recently, approximately 300 thousand years ago. Thus, the Mediterranean, Black, and Caspian seas are relics of the disappeared Tethys Ocean.

4.Novoevksinsky sea-lake

About 20 thousand years ago, the Black Sea was not even considered a sea, it was called the New Euxinian Sea - a lake and it was almost fresh. Even closer to our period, approximately 6-8 thousand years ago, as a result of some cataclysm, the Bosphorus Strait was formed, connecting the sea-lake with the Mediterranean Sea. Before this cataclysm, the level of the sea-lake was below the level of the Mediterranean Sea, so salty water from the Mediterranean Sea began to flow into the sea-lake. According to some sources, the water flowed quickly, sweeping out of its path the settlements of people who lived along the shores at that time, and according to other sources, the waters of the Mediterranean flooded the sea valley - lakes gradually, over approximately 30 - 50 years. As a result of this change, the salinity of the sea-lake and, naturally, its aquatic biota changed. Sea - the lake turned into the Black Sea, freshwater flora and fauna were replaced by marine ones.

5. Features of the Black Sea

Currently, the peculiarity of the Black Sea is that it is slightly salted, its salinity is 17% ppm (gram of salt per liter), while the salinity of ocean water is 35% ppm. The salinity is greatly influenced by the rivers - Danube, Dnieper, Dniester, Buk, Rioni - flowing into the sea, they bring a lot of fresh water. If earlier the lake-sea level was lower than the Mediterranean Sea, now it is the other way around. Due to the large amount of fresh water, the level of the Black Sea is higher than the level of the Atlantic Ocean, an interesting current is created through the Bosphorus, the water flows into the Sea of ​​Marmara. In general, currents are also a feature of the Black Sea; they are unique and unusual. There is a main current in the Black Sea, it is called the main Black Sea current, moving counterclockwise along the entire coast at a speed of 5 kilometers per hour.

At the same time, this flow collapses into two vortex flows that look like glasses; they are called Knipovich glasses, in honor of the name of the scientist hydrologist who studied and described the flows for the first time. It is believed that the direction of the Black Sea current is influenced by the rotation of the earth and wind.

6.Why is the Black Sea called Black

As you can see, the name of the sea has changed many times, as well as its size. When did the name Black Sea appear and why is it called Black? There is no unanimity on this issue; there are several versions and legends.

Legend of Ancient Greece: The ancient Greeks, even before the new era, called the Black Sea Pontos Aksinsky, which means an inhospitable, hostile sea. At that time, the Crimean peninsula was called Taurida, (you can read) in the forests on the mountain slopes there was a lot of game, and the sea around this peninsula was rich in fish and other seafood. The Mediterranean Sea had become impoverished by that time and the Greeks created a flotilla, which they sent to the shores of Tauris. The Greeks were armed and did not march in peace, but with the idea of ​​conquest. At that time, a proud and peace-loving tribe of mountaineers lived in Taurida. They did not attack anyone and no one attacked them. The clever hands of the mountaineers learned to grow fragrant sweet grapes, fruit trees and roses on the mountain slopes. When the Greek ships sailed to the shores of Tauris, women and children hid in a cave, and the men prepared to repel the onslaught. But then, as if clouds covered the stars, these giant vulture eagles flew up from the rocks and attacked the Greeks. The mountaineers rejoiced when they saw support from the sky and began pushing huge boulders into the water. The sea rebelled, it became stormy, and huge waves rose. There was a continuous groan and roar over the sea. In fear, the Greeks turned their ships back, but few returned to their shores. Since then, the Greeks began to call this sea Pontus Aksinsky - the Inhospitable Sea. And they punished their children so that they would never raise arms against the inhabitants of Taurida, and never try to pass along the Aksinsky Pontus. You never know, how much time has passed since then, but the Greeks once again began to be drawn to the sunny shores of rich Taurida. But they remembered well the order of their ancestors, and not thousands of ships went to Pont Aksinsky, but only five. Peaceful ambassadors were sitting in the ships with rich gifts for the mountaineers. After this meeting, the mountaineers and the Greeks swore that they would never take up arms against each other, and the Greeks began to call the sea near the shores of Tauris the Pontus of Euxinus, which translated means a hospitable, fertile sea.

This is not the only legend, there are other legends and opinions.

There is a version that when the Scythians came to the shores of the Black Sea and observing it from the shore, they saw large thickets of brown algae, Cystoseira barbata, which stretched for many kilometers.

There are many of these algae, their color varies from brown to black. They are useful, they are collected, dried and used for weight loss, to prevent atherosclerosis and reduce blood pressure. Perhaps at that moment, seeing entire fields of these dark algae, the Scythians called the sea Black. This is the version about the origin of the name - Black Sea.

There is an opinion among scientists that the Black Sea was called the Black Sea for its dark color during a storm. Indeed, during the storm the sea boiled, it got dark, dark lead clouds hanging low over the sea created a general impression of darkness, blackness.

No matter who first called the sea Black, we will never know, but the sea is friendly, rich and serves people, and makes people happy, especially in the summer, when its warm waves and bright rays of the sun invite them to swim, dive, and just rock on the waves . You can read what it’s like in winter.

The Black Sea ranks first in popularity among Russian tourists. In former times it was called the “Russian Sea”. However, so famous and dear, it still conceals a lot of mysteries.

Why is the Black Sea “black”

Science knows more than twenty names of the Black Sea. When the Black Sea was still little developed, the ancient Greeks called it Pont Aksinsky, which translates as “inhospitable sea.” As the reservoir was developed, the name also changed. Now the same Greeks called it Pont Eusinius, which meant “hospitable sea.”

Today the sea is called “black”. Why? Science cannot give a definite answer to this question.

According to one version, this name comes from the color designation of parts of the world, where the North was marked black, and the Black Sea was considered the northern sea. According to another version, the Black Sea became so called due to the fact that any metal objects lowered to its depth become black due to the hydrogen sulfide contained in the water. Finally, according to another version, the Black Sea began to be called that because of the difficulties of navigation. Within the framework of this nominative theory, “black” became synonymous with the words “mysterious”, “unknown”

"Sea of ​​Dead Depths"

Another name for the Black Sea sounds very ominous - “the sea of ​​dead depths.” Indeed, the waters of the Black Sea have unusual characteristics. The depths of the Black Sea are divided into two levels. Below 150-200 meters there is practically no life here due to the high percentage of hydrogen sulfide contained in the deep layers of water.

Over the years of its existence, the Black Sea has accumulated more than a billion tons of this substance, which is a product of bacterial activity.

According to one version, the very appearance of the Black Sea (7500 years ago) was associated with the mass death of the freshwater inhabitants of the Black Sea lake that was once here. Because of this, reserves of hydrogen sulfide and methane began to accumulate at its bottom. However, scientists do not yet have a consensus on the origin of the huge volume of hydrogen sulfide in the waters of the Black Sea. The approximate amount of hydrogen sulfide in the Black Sea is 3.1 billion tons.

Research in recent years also allows us to speak of the Black Sea as a giant reservoir of not only hydrogen sulfide, but also methane. It is the detonation of methane due to movements of lithospheric plates that today explains the strange phenomenon that occurred during the earthquake of September 11, 1927.

Well-known researcher of Crimea, professor-geologist S.P. Popov described this phenomenon as follows: “... during the earthquake, observers of three lighthouses on the western coast of the Black Sea noticed a giant fiery stripe 55 kilometers from the coast over a long distance between Sevastopol and Cape Lucullus.” Subsequent interviews made it possible to establish that the fire was not isolated - observers noticed three explosions.

Black Sea flood

Around 5600 BC The Black Sea was within much more modest boundaries than it is now. According to the theory of American geologists Ryman and Pitman, the Black Sea was previously a freshwater lake, but then, due to earthquakes, the previously closed Mediterranean Sea connected with the Black Sea, which began to quickly fill with salty sea water.

Then the level of the Black Sea rose by 140 meters - at the same time the Sea of ​​Azov arose, and instead of the modern Bosphorus Strait, an endless gigantic waterfall flowed, 200 times greater in volume than the Niagara waterfall.

A rapid increase in the volume of the Black Sea by 1.5 times led to the immediate flooding of a huge coastal zone.

There is a version that it was this event that served as the basis for the myth of the global flood that exists in many cultures. Some historians also connect Plato's story of Atlantis with the flooding of the Black Sea. In any case, the Black Sea flood caused a full-scale resettlement of peoples.

Having examined the shores of the Black Sea in 2000, conducting radiocarbon analysis of mollusks and changes in sedimentary rocks in the reservoir, the famous marinologist Ballard came to the conclusion that 7500 thousand years ago the Black Sea was absolutely fresh, which indirectly confirms the theory of the expansion of the Black Sea as a Flood .

Black Sea Gold

According to recent studies, the waters of the Black Sea are rich not only in hydrogen sulfide, but also in noble metals such as gold and silver. According to Gennady Bugrin’s calculations, the weight of silver contained in the water of the Black Sea is 540 thousand tons, the weight of gold is 270 tons.

Development of the extraction of precious metals from sea water has been going on for a long time. The simplest installations for such extraction are based on ion exchangers - ion exchange resins capable of attracting ions of substances dissolved in water. Türkiye, Bulgaria and Romania use such technologies today.

Nascent Ocean

The Black Sea is relatively young, which is why it is still growing, and the geological processes occurring at its bottom and along its shores (lithospheric shifts and the growth of coastal mountains) can speak of it as an emerging ocean. According to scientists, in just one century the shores of the Black Sea are expanding by 20-25 centimeters. This may seem insignificant if you do not know that the Black Sea already contains the ancient cities of Taman in its depths.

The Black Sea is one of the most beautiful and richest seas on our planet, and today we want to tell you about it - huge and unique.

In terms of geography, the Black Sea is a deep-sea basin with an area of ​​413,000 square meters. kilometers. Its greatest length reaches 580 kilometers, its smallest width is 265 kilometers, and its maximum depth is 2210 kilometers! Just think about these sizes!

The sea has several bays, the largest are Karkinitsky, Varna, Samsunsky, Yagorlytsky, Dzharylgachsky, Burgarsiysky, Tendrovsky, Feodosiysky and Sinopsky. The largest rivers flow into it: the Dnieper, Danube and Dniester, as well as Psou, Bzyb, Southern Bug, Sakarya, Kamchia, Inguri, Veleka, Chorokh, Kyzylirmaki Eshelyirmak. And as many as 7 countries are safely located on the shores - Abkhazia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and, of course, our Motherland.

“Castle by the Sea” offers a little glimpse into history and invites you to visit this piece of paradise.

Why was the sea called Black?

One of the main questions of guests of the coast is why such an amazing sparkling blue sea was suddenly called the Black Sea? Where did this name come from, who first came up with it? Of course, we can recommend flying over it and seeing that it is actually from above and looks black, unlike the Red or Mediterranean seas. But if we dig deeper into history and the fascinating science of toponymy, which studies the names of geographical objects, we will understand that everything is not so simple.

The sea did not receive its name right away; the name changed several times depending on the time and the people who inhabited or conquered it at that time.

According to one of the versions proposed by the ancient Greek historian and geographer Strabo (he lived in the 1st century BC), it was called Black by Greek colonists, whom the sea initially met unfriendly with strong winds and storms. Under the impression, they gave it the name “Pontos Akseinos”, that is, “black, inhospitable sea”. When they settled down and became related to the sea, they changed their anger to mercy and called it “Pontos Euxeinos” (“hospitable sea”).

One of the other assumptions sounds like this: back in the 1st millennium BC. Ancient Indian tribes lived on the eastern and northern shores of the Sea of ​​Azov, who gave the name to the neighboring sea “Temarun”, which literally means “black sea”. It is assumed that they simply visually compared the colors of the water surface of the two seas and came to this conclusion. The Indians were replaced by the Scythians, who also completely agreed with this description and began to call it “Akhshaene”, literally “dark, black”. And, for example, when the Russians came to the coast, they gave the name in their own way - “Russian” or “Japanese”, then it sounded like Surozh, Chimerian, Scythian and Taurian. There were other national accents that also sounded in his name: Amshyn (Abkhazian), Sshedshe (Ubykh), Shavi zgva (Georgian).

Third version: the name familiar to us appeared and stuck after fierce battles between the Turkish conquerors and the Circassian side - Shapsugs, Circassians and Ubykhs. The Turks were so amazed by the incredible bravery and bravery of the warriors that they even began to call the sea in their own way “Karaden-giz”, that is, “black, inhospitable”. Well, the sailors made their contribution; they nicknamed him black for strong storms that changed the color of sea water from turquoise to blue-black. And scientists tend to call it that because of its characteristic feature - the deep layers contain a huge amount of hydrogen sulfide, and at a depth of 150-200 meters there is absolutely no life, all this gives a dark tint.

There are so many versions of the event of naming the sea, if you know any other interesting fact, write to us and we will be happy to post it!

How did the Black Sea appear?

Many, many millions of years ago, on the territory of the modern seas: Azov, Aral, Mediterranean, Caspian, Marmara and Black, there was a gulf of the ancient Tethys Ocean. This very bay was divided into two halves - the Eastern, which was desalinated due to the large influx of rivers, and the Western, which was salty.

More than 13 million years ago, the ridge of the Alpine mountains rose above the surface of Tethys, as a result of which the bay separated from the ocean and turned into an independent fresh sea - the Sarmatian. Time passed, the sea did not stop in its evolution, and after 10 million years it changed in shape, decreased in size and was able to increase salinity.

8 million years ago, evolutionary processes raised the mountains of the Caucasus and Crimea even higher and led to the formation of the already slightly salty Pontic Sea, which consisted of the modern seas: the Caspian and the Black. Well, as the main Caucasian ridge grew above the water surface, these seas constantly moved away from each other. The Caspian Sea was fresh, but the Black Sea was constantly connected to the Mediterranean and its waters became increasingly saltier.

The last confluence of the Black and Mediterranean seas occurred 8 thousand years ago, it took place during a strong earthquake, forming the Bosphorus Strait. And currently, the process of raising the land above sea level is underway, and the waters are also gradually rising. In the region of the Krasnodar Territory, these processes are still equalized, but in other places, the rise of land prevails over the rise of water.

Inhabitants of the Black Sea

The turquoise water of the Black Sea gives many pleasant moments and sensations. The sea gives us only positive emotions, a boost of energy, vigor and good health, so we must respect it and take care of it, especially since it is the home of many living beings and various plants.

There are over 250 species of algae alone, the most common of which are: peridiney, coralline, cystoseira, ulva, lawrencia, zoster and phyllophora - all of them are useful and necessary for the sea.

And in the summer at night you can see a ray of light from the sea - this is the cornet, the largest jellyfish of all species living in the Black Sea, out for a walk. The Black Sea is rich in several types of mollusks, mussels, brine, oysters, scallops, and all of them can be eaten. There are also crabs - there are about 17 species of them, for example, spider, stone and red crab. The sea will also pamper you with fish: there are more than 180 species of fish here, including anchovy, mullet, sprat, red mullet, horse mackerel, mackerel, flounder, sea ruffe, pipefish, and seahorse. There are also sharks - Katran and Scillium, but they are harmless to humans, and you can swim calmly.

In the sea you can also meet people’s favorites – dolphins; there are two species of them living here: the white sided dolphin and the bottlenose dolphin. They often swim very close to the shore, and you can watch them hunt and play. Among the birds you will find cormorants, gulls, and petrels.

But as they say, it’s better to see once than to hear a hundred times - come to the beautiful Black Sea coast, to our “Castle by the Sea”! We will organize a great vacation for you, and the sea will give you unforgettable impressions and the most vivid emotions!

October 31 is celebrated as International Black Sea Day. On this day in 1996, representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Georgia signed a strategic action plan to save the Black Sea. The need for such a document arose due to the danger of destruction of the unique natural complexes of the water area. At the same time, it was decided to make October 31 International Black Sea Day.

The depths of the Black Sea are fraught with many mysteries. Thousands of years ago, the sea was one with the Caspian, until they were separated by rising land. As a result, the Caspian Sea remained desalinated, and the Black Sea more than once connected with the Mediterranean and became increasingly salty.

The last connection occurred 8 thousand years ago, when the Bosphorus Strait was formed. Due to the salt water, many freshwater inhabitants died. The decomposition of the remains of their organisms created the initial supply of hydrogen sulfide, which still exists today.

No less interesting is the history of the name of the sea, which was not always “Black”. Over the centuries it has changed several names. Greek sailors in the 6th-5th centuries. BC e. they called it Pont Aksinsky, which means Inhospitable Sea. Other historical names of the Black Sea are Temarun, Cimmerian, Akhshaena, Scythian, Blue, Tauride, Ocean, Surozh, Holy.

There are several versions of why the sea was called Black.

Turkish hypothesis

According to the historical hypothesis, the modern name of the Black Sea was given by the Turks, who tried to conquer the population of its shores, but met such fierce resistance that the sea was nicknamed Karaden-giz - Black, inhospitable.

Sailors' hypothesis

From the point of view of sailors, the sea is called the Black Sea because of strong storms, during which the water in the sea darkens. True, strong storms are rare on the Black Sea, and strong waves (more than 6 points) too - no more than 17 days a year. And the change in water color is typical for any sea, not only the Black Sea. They also claim that the sea could be called Black because of the black silt that remains on the shore after a storm. But this silt is more gray than black.

Hydrologists' hypothesis

According to hydrologists, the sea is called Black because any metal objects lowered to great depths rise to the surface blackened. The reason is hydrogen sulfide, which is saturated in the Black Sea water at a depth of more than 200 m.

Because of hydrogen sulfide, the Black Sea is also called the sea of ​​dead depths. The thing is that the water does not mix well there, and hydrogen sulfide accumulates at the bottom. This is a product of the vital activity of bacteria that live in large numbers in the depths. They decompose the corpses of animals and plants. Starting from a depth of 150-200 m, there is no other life in the Black Sea. Over millions of years, bacteria have accumulated more than a billion tons of hydrogen sulfide.

Mysterious glow

Peridene algae give the Black Sea water a mysterious glow. Together with her, tiny luminous predators live in the water - noctilucs, or night lights. They will glow even if you filter them from water and dry them. The glow is caused by a substance that scientists named “luciferin” in honor of the lord of hell Lucifer.

In addition to the predators of nocturnals, some species of jellyfish glow in the water of the Black Sea at night. The most common jellyfish are Aurelia and Cornerot jellyfish. Aurelia is the smallest Black Sea jellyfish; it is rarely more than 30 cm in diameter. Cornerot is the largest local jellyfish; the size of its dome can reach half a meter in diameter. Aurelia is not poisonous, but cornet can cause a burn similar to that of nettles.

Why is there no oxygen at the bottom?

Due to the desalination of the Black Sea by rivers, there are two layers of water in it. Superficial, to a depth of about 100 m, mainly of river origin, and more salty water flows into the depths of the sea along the bottom of the Bosphorus. The salinity of the bottom layers reaches 30 grams of salt per liter of water, and on the surface it is twice as fresh - 17 grams of salt per liter of water. Water stratification prevents vertical mixing of the sea and enrichment of the depths with oxygen.

The salinity of the surface layer of the Black Sea water is 17 grams of salt per liter of water, which is two times lower than that of the ocean. This is too small for most marine organisms, so the underwater world of the Black Sea is relatively sparsely diverse. But the total mass of living organisms is large. After all, the very rivers that desalinate the Black Sea bring nutrients necessary for the development of marine vegetation. Therefore, there is a lot of plankton in the Black Sea, and algae grow thickly along the shores.

"Healing" jellyfish

Some vacationers believe in the healing power of jellyfish and deliberately seek encounters with them. It is believed that jellyfish venom can cure radiculitis. It's a delusion. Such “therapy” will only cause suffering to both the jellyfish and the person: for example, the root can cause a burn similar to a nettle burn, burning, redness, and blisters will appear. To prevent the cornet from causing harm, it is enough to move this jellyfish away from you with your hand, grasping the upper part of the dome, which has no tentacles.

The most dangerous inhabitants of the Black Sea

Sea ruff, or Black Sea scorpionfish, looks creepy: a head covered with outgrowths, bulging eyes, a mouth with sharp teeth. Instead of the rays of the dorsal fin there are spines, at the base of each there is a poisonous gland. There are scorpionfish of different colors - black, gray, yellow, pink. The wounds from its thorns cause severe pain. The main symptoms of poisoning are local inflammation and a general allergic reaction. There are no known deaths from scorpionfish injections.

Sea dragon- a snake-like bottom-dwelling fish with bulging eyes and a huge mouth. The rays of its dorsal fin contain poisonous spines. It lies in wait for prey, buried in sand or silt. If you step on a baby dragon and get hurt, you will have to urgently run to the pharmacy for an antihistamine to relieve the allergic reaction and inflammation.

They live in the Black Sea stingray(sea cat) and sea fox stingray. You should be wary of the spines that are located on the tail of stingrays. In the stingray, this spine is a real sword up to 20 cm in length. He can inflict a deep chopped wound on them.

The only Black Sea shark - katran- usually no more than a meter in length. She is afraid of people and rarely comes to the shore; she stays in the cold water of the depths. It can pose a danger only for fishermen when they take it with their hands - the dorsal fins of the katran are equipped with large poisonous spines. Katran's liver contains a substance that helps patients with certain forms of cancer. There is even a drug called “katrex”, which is made from the liver of a Black Sea shark.

The most harmless inhabitants of the Black Sea depths

The most common shellfish in the Black Sea are mussels, brine, oysters and scallops. They are edible. Oysters are rare on the Black Sea coast of Kuban, and all the coastal stones and piers are covered with mussels. They need to be boiled or fried before eating. It is not recommended to eat mussels caught in the port or near sewage treatment plants: after all, these are real living filters that pass through a huge amount of sea water.

Among the mollusks that live in the Black Sea are scallops. They have about a hundred eyes, but are completely blind. In place of the removed eye, a new one appears in the scallops. It is unclear why scallops need eyes. They move very briskly: the mollusk slams the valves of its shell with force, and a stream of water carries it a meter or two forward.

The largest and most unusual crab of the Black Sea, the blue crab Callinectes sapidus, is found in the coastal soil. It is bright blue. Its homeland is the east coast of the USA. It entered the Black Sea in the 1960s. from the Mediterranean, and there, most likely, was transported with the ballast waters of ships. True, over the years of life in the Black Sea, the blue crab was never able to truly spread. Winter water temperatures are too low for it.

In the shallow waters of the Black Sea lives the gerbil fish, or sand miner. While swimming underwater, you can sometimes stumble upon a shiny silver and, in addition, moving wall made up of a flock of gerbils. Fish that look like silver worms hide in the sand and rise up unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, filling everything around them. In a moment, they will disappear just as quickly - they will dive into the sand.

The material was prepared by the editors of rian.ru based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Located in the depths of the continent, the Black Sea is the most isolated part of the World Ocean. In the southwest it communicates with the Sea of ​​Marmara through the Bosphorus Strait, the border between the seas runs along the line Cape Rumeli - Cape Anadolu. The Kerch Strait connects Chernoye and.

The area of ​​the Black Sea is 422 thousand km2, volume - 555 thousand km3, average depth - 1315 m, greatest depth - 2210 m.

The coastline, with the exception of the north and northwest, is slightly indented. The eastern and southern shores are steep and mountainous, the western and northwestern shores are low and flat, steep in places. The only large peninsula is Crimean.

The length of the Russian coast of the Black Sea (from the Kerch Strait to the mouth of the Psou River) is about 400 km. The entire region of the Black Sea coast of Russia can be divided into two large regions - Taman and Western Caucasus.

In the northwestern part of the sea there are the largest bays - Karkinitsky, Kalamitsky. In addition to them, on the southern coast of the sea there are Sinop Bay and Samsun Bay, and on the western coast there is Burgas Bay. The small islands of Zmeiny and Berezan are located in the northwestern part of the sea, Kefken - east of the Bosphorus.