How many countries are in the Black Sea?
The Black Sea is located at the southeastern extremity of Europe. It is bordered by Ukraine to the north, Russia to the northeast, Georgia to the east, Turkey to the south, and Bulgaria and Romania to the west.
What country own the Black Sea?
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine....Black SeaPrimary outflowsBosporus15 more rows
Why is Black Sea called black?
There are a number of hypotheses for why it was eventually called the Black Sea: Metal objects from ships, dead plants, and animal matter that sunk deeper than 150 meters for a long period of time became covered with a black sludge due to the high concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the sea.
Why does Russia need access to the Black Sea?
Furthermore, the Black Sea region is Russia's gateway to other regions such as the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Africa. Russia also seeks to influence and exploit these regions as part of its attempts to maintain world power status.
Is Ukraine a Black Sea country?
There are six countries with coastlines on the Black Sea (clockwise), Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Turkey (Türkiye), Bulgaria, and Romania. The Black Sea (without the Sea of Azov) has a surface area of 436,400 km², which is somewhat larger than Germany or slightly larger than the US state of California.
Can you swim in the Black Sea?
However, the Black Sea is COMPLETELY SAFE to swim in and is a popular summer destination for many looking for refuge from the heat. The Black Sea has a unique feature, which might make people believe it is not swimmable. The Black Sea is anoxic, meaning there is absolutely no oxygen in the water.
What is so special about the Black Sea?
The Black Sea is the largest water body with a meromictic basin, which means the movement of water between the lower and upper layers of the sea is a rare phenomenon to find anywhere in the world.
Which one is the largest sea in the world?
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of the world ocean basins. Covering approximately 63 million square miles and containing more than half of the free water on Earth, the Pacific is by far the largest of the world's ocean basins. All of the world's continents could fit into the Pacific basin.
Who owns the island in the Black Sea?
UkraineIt is located 35 km from the coast in the Black Sea, to the east of the mouth of the Danube and roughly southwest of the port city of Odessa. The island, which has been known since ancient times and is marked on the map by the tiny village of Bile that is located on it, belongs to Ukraine.
Are there US ships in the Black Sea?
by John Konrad (gCaptain) Every year, the US Navy sails warships into the Black Sea as part of Sea Breeze 2022 an annual joint military exercise with Romania and eight other NATO nations.
Does the Black Sea belong to Turkey?
The Black Sea Region (Turkish: Karadeniz Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Samsun.
What part of the Black Sea does Turkey own?
They consist of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus. The straits are on opposite ends of the Sea of Marmara. The straits and the Sea of Marmara are part of the sovereign sea territory of Turkey and subject to the regime of internal waters.
Where is the Black Sea located?
The Black Sea is located at the southeastern extremity of Europe. It is bordered by Ukraine to the north, Russia to the northeast, Georgia to the e...
What is the maximum depth of the Black Sea?
The Black Sea reaches a maximum depth of more than 7,250 feet (2,210 meters) in the south-central sector.
Is the Black Sea freshwater or saltwater?
The Black Sea is a saltwater sea, but it is of lesser salinity than the oceans. The salinity of the Black Sea's surface waters averages between 17...
What's notable about oxygen levels in the Black Sea?
A notable feature of the Black Sea is that oxygen is dissolved (and rich sea life is made possible) only in the upper water levels. Below a depth o...
What kind of fish live in the Black Sea?
There are about 180 species of fish in the Black Sea, and a fifth of them are of commercial importance. The most important are khamsa, sprat, horse...
How deep is the Euxine plain?
The Euxine abyssal plain in the centre of the Black Sea reaches a maximum depth of 2,212 metres (7,257.22 feet) just south of Yalta on the Crimean Peninsula. The littoral zone of the Black Sea is often referred to as the Pontic littoral or Pontic zone.
Why are the black seas important?
Scientists have reported an annual phytoplankton bloom that can be seen in many NASA images of the region. As a result of these characteristics the Black Sea has gained interest from the field of marine archaeology as ancient shipwrecks in excellent states of preservation have been discovered, such as the Byzan tine wreck Sinop D , located in the anoxic layer off the coast of Sinop, Turkey .
What are the two largest bays in the Black Sea?
The largest bays on the Black Sea are Karkinit Bay, in Ukraine; Burgas Bay, in Bulgaria; Dnieprovski Bay and Dniestrovski Bay, both in Ukraine; and Sinop Bay and Samsun Bay, both in Turkey.
How many countries are in the Black Sea?
The 2-million km 2 (0.77-million sq mi) drainage basin that flows into the Black Sea covers wholly or partially 24 countries:
What organization defines the limits of the Black Sea?
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Black Sea as follows:
How deep is the Black Sea?
The Black Sea covers 436,400 km 2 (168,500 sq mi) (not including the Sea of Azov ), a maximum depth of 2,212 m (7,257 ft), and a volume of 547,000 km 3 (131,000 cu mi). Most of its coasts rapidly ascend.
What is the name of the sea that connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov?
To the north, the Black Sea is connected to the Sea of Azov by the Kerch Strait . The water level has varied significantly over geological time. Due to these variations in the water level in the basin, the surrounding shelf and associated aprons have sometimes been dry land.
How many miles is the Black Sea?
The maximum east-west extent of the sea is about 730 miles (1,175 km), and the shortest distance between the tip of Crimea and Cape Kerempe to the south is about 160 miles (260 km). The surface area, excluding the Sea of Marmara but including the Sea of Azov, is about 178,000 square miles (461,000 square km); the Black Sea proper occupies about ...
What is the coastline of Turkey?
The shelf gives way at its edge to a slope, which is broken by submarine valleys and is steep in its upper parts. Between the port cities of Sinop and Samsun (Turkey), the coastline is paralleled by a rugged range of underwater mountains extending for nearly 100 miles (160 km).
How much salinity is in the Black Sea?
A marked increase in salinity, up to 21 parts per thousand, occurs in the Black Sea at depths of roughly 160 to 500 feet (50 to 150 metres).
How deep is the Black Sea?
Below a depth of about 230 to 330 feet (70 to 100 metres) at the sea's centre and 330 to 500 feet (100 to 150 metres) near its edge, there is no oxygen. This means that its lower levels are, ...
What did the Turks call the Black Sea?
The Turks, when they came to control the lands beyond the sea’s southern shores, encountered only the sudden storms whipped up on its waters and reverted to a designation reflecting the inhospitable aspect of what they now termed the Karadenız, or Black Sea.
What are the most important fish in the Black Sea?
The most important are khamsa, sprat, horse mackerel, and others, including the spiny dogfish, a type of small shark that is especially prolific in the Black Sea. The roughly oval-shaped Black Sea occupies a large basin strategically situated at the southeastern extremity of Europe but connected to the distant waters of the Atlantic Ocean by ...
Why is the Black Sea important?
To scientists, the Black Sea is a remarkable feature because its lower levels are, to all intents and purposes, almost biologically dead—not because of pollution but because of continued weak ventilation of the deep layers. To the countries of the region, the Black Sea has been of immense strategic importance over the centuries;
Where Is The Black Sea?
The Black Sea lies between the continents of Asia and Europe. It is bound to the west by the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe, to the east by the Caucasus, north by East European Plains, and south by Anatolia of Western Asia. The black Sea drainage basin drains several countries, including the six countries that share its coast.
What is the largest island in the Black Sea?
The largest island in the Black Sea is Dzharylhach Island in Ukraine. It covers an area of approximately 56 km 2 and is 42 km long. The island is famous for its mineral springs and sandy beaches. Besides the springs, over 400 small salty lakes are scattered throughout its territory.
What is the average temperature in the Black Sea?
The average air temperature over the sea’s central portion in January is 46 degrees Fahrenheit and decreases westwards. In spring, the air temperature rises to 61 degrees Fahrenheit and 74 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. The northwest portion experiences the lowest temperature, falling below -22 degrees Fahrenheit in winter. June, October, and December are the wettest months
What is the climate of the Black Sea?
The Climate Of The Black Sea. Sunrise on the Black Sea in Odessa. The Black Sea region experiences climatic variation due to the North Atlantic Oscillation phenomena over the North Atlantic Ocean. This weather phenomena result from the interaction between the mid-latitude air mass and the North Atlantic Ocean.
Why is the water black?
Due to high hydrogen sulfide concentration, black sludge forms on these objects and dead bodies, giving the water its black color. Another theory is that the name “Black” was given to the sea by sailors, who observed that the sea turned black during severe storms in winter.
How has human activity affected the sea?
Human activities, including pollution and settlement along the seashore, has negatively affected its ecology. The activities have led to a significant decline in some species. Dolphins and porpoises are endangered, while the Mediterranean monk seals are critically endangered.
What color represents the four cardinal directions?
According to color symbolism, different colors represent the four cardinal directions. Black represents north, green or light blue represents east, red represents the south, and white is for the west. Thus, the Black Sea was referred to as the “Northern Sea.”
What is the main port on the Black Sea coast?
The main port at Black Sea Coast is Istanbul. As other Black Sea Countries, the Turkey coastline is dominated by small and beautiful resorts with endless beaches and golden sand. Ordu Turkey BlackSea Coast. Istanbul is one of the best European destinations and best town from the Black Sea.
What is the Black Sea?
Most of the countries of the Black Sea occupy a strategic position due to their location, right between the Caucasus, Western Asia and Eastern Europe. The expanse of saltwater is surrounded by Pontic Mountains, Caucasus Mountains and Crimean Mountains and is home to many marine creatures. BlackSea has many islands belonging to Romania, Ukraine, ...
What is the climate of Russia?
The northeast neighbour of this inland expanse of saltwater is Russia, part of ex Soviet Union. The climate in the coastal zone is subtropical and Mediterranean and is influenced by the Caucasus Mountains. The most important cities of the coastline are Sochi, Novorossiysk, Tuapse and Gelendzhik.
Where is Constanta located?
It is the ideal destination if you are searching for beach and history. Constanta is the biggest port located on the Black Sea and one of the oldest cities in Europe. BlackSea Coast Mamaia. Mamaia is located right near Constanta and is the most famous resort from the Romanian shore.
Why is Romania so famous?
Romania is one of Europe’s hidden gems, famous because of its vast virgin forests, untamed nature and traditions very well preserved.
What is the most important destination from the Black Sea?
Georgia. Georgia is located in the Caucasus region and borders the Black Sea on the southeast. The country’s predominant relief is mountainous and is split in two by Likhi Range. The most important destination from Georgia Black Sea Coast is Batumi. Among Black Sea Countries, Georgia has the smallest number of resorts.
Which country has the most Black Sea coasts?
Black Sea Coast Romania. Romania is one of the most beautiful Black Sea Countries which has 3 islands in the Black Sea: Sacalinu Mic Island, Sacalinu Mare Island, and Novaya Zemlya. Black Sea Coast Sfantu Gheorghe. The most important city of the Romanian coastline is Constanta and the most vibrant and famous resort at Black Sea Coast is Mamaia.
What is the role of economic coordination in the Black Sea?
And in this, economic coordination -- if not a closer cooperation -- at least has a genuine role to play in enhancing broader prosperity as well as mitigating extant risks. And in spite of the haze of uncertainty looming across the region (as it does over the whole world in many respects), there is a definable value proposition for the Black Sea region as an economic unit.
What are the limitations of the Black Sea?
The Black Sea’s regional limitations also extend to the realm of economic affairs. In some respects, the economic elements of the Black Sea region reflect the same fractured strategic picture, with overlapping, contending spheres vying for influence and institutional purchase. The EU and its institutional subsidiaries in the EU Customs Union and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA); the Eurasian Economic Union; and a crisscrossing palette of bilateral deals with their own idiosyncrasies and novelties.
What is the organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation?
One of the few region-wide platforms that continues to trudge on with relative animation is the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), which maintains an international secretariat and hosts a variety of working groups in promotion of regional trade, investment, and business development cooperation.
Is the Black Sea a crosshatching region?
Put another way, the Black Sea region’s economic and political hodgepodge is also a place of crosshatching gradients of varying institutional traditions . And in this there is a potential economic value proposition, allowing product to be moved among multiple trade regimes from a single point of origin or hub. From Georgia, for example, products can be certified for export for Turkey under the bilateral FTA, to the EU under its DCFTA, to Russia and even China under similar bilateral relationships. From a broader perspective, this gradient may also be expressed in transit infrastructure, with the array of overland pipelines, rail links, and port facilities, potentially enabling and facilitating European trade to east Asia and back again. In this formulation, contesting trade regimes aren’t expressions of conflict, but of critical mass. Done well, it’s not anarchy between vendors, but an open market.
Is the Black Sea a viable economic unit?
This is not to say that the Black Sea region is already well on its way staking itself out as a viable and coherent economic unit in its own right -- it’s not. At least not yet. And amid the extended uncertainties of the present age, overlain the conflicts and acrimonies that saturate the Black Sea space, economic cohesion may be a longshot. But it may show that the Black Sea region’s variegated peoples, polities, and priorities does not necessarily doom it to uncontrolled circumstance, and that it may have a path all its own.
Is the Black Sea region a confederation?
Instead, the Black Sea region is really better thought of (and more broadly understood as) collected fragments of civilizations, nation states, and ethnes bound together in a loose confederation of proximity by historical and geographical happenstance .
Overview
Geography
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Black Sea as follows:
On the Southwest. The Northeastern limit of the Sea of Marmara [A line joining Cape Rumili with Cape Anatoli (41°13'N)]. In the Kertch Strait. A line joining Cape Takil and Cape Panaghia (45°02'N).
Name
Current names of the sea are usually equivalents of the English name "Black Sea", including these given in the countries bordering the sea:
• Abkhazian: Амшын Еиқәа, romanized: Amšyn Eiķa̋a, IPA: [ɑmʂɨn ɛjkʷʰɑ]
• Adyghe: Хы шӏуцӏэ, romanized: Xı Ş́uts’ə, IPA: [xə ʃʼəw.t͡sʼa]
Geology and bathymetry
The Black Sea is divided into two depositional basins—the Western Black Sea and Eastern Black Sea—separated by the Mid-Black Sea High, which includes the Andrusov Ridge, Tetyaev High, and Archangelsky High, extending south from the Crimean Peninsula. The basin includes two distinct relict back-arc basins which were initiated by the splitting of an Albian volcanic arc and the subduction of …
Hydrology
The Black Sea is the world's largest body of water with a meromictic basin. The deep waters do not mix with the upper layers of water that receive oxygen from the atmosphere. As a result, over 90% of the deeper Black Sea volume is anoxic water. The Black Sea's circulation patterns are primarily controlled by basin topography and fluvial inputs, which result in a strongly stratified vertical struct…
Hydrochemistry
Because of the anoxic water at depth, organic matter, including anthropogenic artifacts such as boat hulls, are well preserved. During periods of high surface productivity, short-lived algal blooms form organic rich layers known as sapropels. Scientists have reported an annual phytoplankton bloom that can be seen in many NASA images of the region. As a result of these characteristics the Black Sea has gained interest from the field of marine archaeology, as ancient shipwrecks in …
Ecology
The Black Sea supports an active and dynamic marine ecosystem, dominated by species suited to the brackish, nutrient-rich, conditions. As with all marine food webs, the Black Sea features a range of trophic groups, with autotrophic algae, including diatoms and dinoflagellates, acting as primary producers. The fluvial systems draining Eurasia and central Europe introduce large volumes o…
History
The Black Sea is connected to the World Ocean by a chain of two shallow straits, the Dardanelles and the Bosporus. The Dardanelles is 55 m (180 ft) deep, and the Bosporus is as shallow as 36 m (118 ft). By comparison, at the height of the last ice age, sea levels were more than 100 m (330 ft) lower than they are now.
There is evidence that water levels in the Black Sea were considerably lower a…
Where Is The Black Sea?
Origin of The Name
- In almost all the countries bordering the sea, the name given to the inland water body is an equivalent of the Black Sea. However, in Greece, the sea has historically been referred to as the “Euxine Sea.” But, the name “Black Sea” is the sea’s official name even in a country where alternative names are used. So, why is the sea called “Black?” In antiquity, the Black Sea was sim…
The Climate of The Black Sea
- The Black Sea region experiences climatic variation due to the North Atlantic Oscillation phenomena over the North Atlantic Ocean. This weather phenomena result from the interaction between the mid-latitude air mass and the North Atlantic Ocean. The relative strength of the North Atlantic oscillation reduces the amount of cold air reaching the northern portion during winter. T…
Islands in The Black Sea
- There are numerous islands of varying sizes in the Black Sea. The islands are administered by the various countries bordering the sea, including Russia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Romania, and Ukraine. Ukraine has the highest number of Islands in the Black Sea, including the sea’s largest island. The largest island in the Black Sea is Dzharylhach Island in Ukraine. It covers an area of approximate…
Marine Life and Protected Areas
- The Black Sea has a rich natural heritage as reflected by the active marine ecosystem. Most marine species in the Black Sea are adapted to nutrient-rich, brackish conditions. The sea features several phytoplankton groups, including diatoms, coccolithophores, and dinoflagellates. These phytoplanktons are important food sources for various marine species. The sea and nearby regi…
Brief History
- During the post-glacial period, Black Sea water levels were much lower than they are today. The water levels rose after the last glacial period, with the Black Sea filling ahead of the Aegean Sea, whose levels also arose during this period. Other sources indicate that the rise in water level resulted from the Black Sea deluge, which took place around 5600 BC. However, the deluge is ju…
Human Settlements Along The Black Sea
- Table: The 10 most populous settlements along the Black Sea coast. The Black Sea coasts are inhabited by the population from the six bordering countries. The coastal areas host some of the most important cities and towns in the region, including Samsun, Odessa, Istanbul, Sochi, Trabzon, and Burgas. Istanbul is the largest and most populous city along the Black Sea, with a …
Economy
- The Black Sea is a strategic trade corridor that facilitates the movement of goods. It links Eastern Europe to the rest of the world, facilitating trade and commerce. The economic activities directly connected to the Black Sea are shipping, tourism, fisheries, oil, and gas. The sea has up to 30 operating seaports, including 12 in Ukraine. The seaports and bays serve up to 2,500 commercia…