Black Sea coastline: description and features. The water of the Black Sea should always be blue and transparent. How many islands are there in the Black Sea?

Snake Island is the only real island in the Black Sea, about which legends were made in Ancient Greece and for Natural resources which Romania is in conflict with Ukraine. There is everything you can dream of here - the sea and fresh water, land and vegetation, gold and oil...

Photo itogi.ru

You can get to the island, located 35 kilometers from the coast, either by private helicopter or by boat from the village of Vilkovo, Odessa region - first along the Danube bed and then by sea. The island is indeed so close to Romania that the mobile phone periodically picks up the Romanian connection and roaming is automatically activated. So you should call carefully, checking the operator's name on the screen.

The giant pier, built during the Soviet Union, is capable of accommodating a fairly large ship. The strategic position of the island is advantageous from the point of view of a patrol facility and the placement, for example, of an air defense system. Apparently, the Soviet government thought so too, placing an air defense radar company on the island in 1956, as well as a radio engineering platoon of the USSR Navy coastal surveillance system. However, they never had to fight (at least, no data about this has been preserved) until Zmeiny’s transition to independent Ukraine. It was then that a legal war began over the delimitation of territorial waters: the reason was the desire to grab a shelf rich in oil and gas, and the reason was Romania’s historical right to the island, recognized Russian Empire after defeat in the Crimean War. In 2009, the UN court put an end to the dispute by dividing the maritime border. The Hague left a small territory around the island of 12 miles for Ukraine, but gave most of the shelf to Romania - almost 80% of the disputed territories. According to experts, this is 12 million tons of oil and 70 billion cubic meters of gas.

But the island itself still not only belongs to Ukraine, but also has the status of a populated area. Moreover, recently Zmeiny Island began to actively develop as a center of tourism and recreation. After all, in addition to black gold, there is also metal...

On Zmeiny there are entire cemeteries of military and construction equipment, as well as the remains of pillboxes and concrete platforms with pieces of rusted reinforcement (although this can also be called a kind of exotic). However, the island does not make an impression similar to the abandoned lunodrome in Shkolny and the underwater bunker "Alsu" in Sevastopol - it attracts with its unique landscapes and rich history.

Now, on an area of ​​20.5 hectares, several one-story houses have been preserved, which have been renovated to the latest “Euro” standards, decorated with gazebos, tiled alleys, benches and flower beds, and a lighthouse built in the 19th century has also been preserved, and next to it is a historical museum.

It is known that the lighthouse was built from the ruins of the Temple of Achilles (in Greek - Achilles), erected around the 4th century BC in honor of the legendary hero of the Trojan War. According to ancient Greek myth, in fact, the island itself was raised from the bottom of the sea by Achilles’ mother, the goddess Thetis, so that her son would find his final refuge here. Then this island was called Levke (White). The Greeks believed that it was here that the world of Hades, or the kingdom of the dead, was located, which indirectly confirms the riverbed found at the bottom, which once circled the island by analogy with the River Styx, along which Charon transported the souls of the dead to the next world.

Achilles and others to the fallen heroes, whose souls allegedly also went here after death, sailors passing by brought gifts - gold coins, jewelry and various dishes. Off the coast and even right on the beaches of Zmeinoye, archaeologists discovered a huge number of ancient and medieval amphorae and even called these places amphora fields. And on the so-called Golden Beach, one of the expeditions of the last century found a large treasure of gold coins. However, most of the treasures, according to scientists, are still hidden in caves and grottoes of the island. Access to them has not yet been discovered.

The found amphorae, remains of anchors and other finds made in the coastal waters are housed in a museum created on the island as a branch of the Odessa Historical and Archaeological Museum. Here you can also see the remains of tiles and columns of the Temple of Achilles, as well as its artistic reconstruction.

Recently, an antique ship, approximately 4th century BC, was discovered in the northern bay of the island. This is the oldest ship that has ever been found in the Black Sea, and, moreover, the only surviving ship from ancient times. Only the skeleton is visible at the bottom, and the ship itself is in the ground. About a thousand empty antique amphorae were also found 80 meters from it.

Carlo Bossoli. Snake Island (1856)

The archaeologists who discovered the ship are reluctant to tell the details of the find - they say that this will attract the attention of black divers and the ship will be robbed. Although experts understand: without knowing the exact coordinates, you can swim next to an object and not notice it.

Sergey Grabovetsky, head of the scientific expedition:

We have been working on the island since 1988 and only now came across this unique find.

Since the dating of the ship corresponds to the time of the existence of the temple of Achilles, and the ship, apparently, was anchored in the bay, it can be assumed that the sailors landed on shore to leave their gifts at the sanctuary. Although, according to the official version of the Odessa Regional Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites, this is a merchant ship that transported wine and olive oil.

Future Reminder

Gradually, Zmeiny turns from a military town into a peaceful settlement called Beloye. There is even a real street running along the northern part of the island - Kozatskaya. True, so far the only one.

Vladimir Yasnyuk, director of the Odessa regional municipal enterprise “Ostrovnoye”:

In theory, the island’s issues could be dealt with by the deputies of Vilkovo, but Zmeiny is an object of state significance and therefore must report directly to the region and have its own separate budget. After all, there is no such precedent anywhere else; we have the only island like this not only in Ukraine, but in the entire Black Sea. And Tuzla, Berezan, Limba are all sand spits that may disappear.

Tourists coming to the island settle in houses, above the entrance to which there are curious signs: “Village Council”, “Power Point”, “Bank”, “Weather Station”, etc. But they do not remind of the past, like this usually happens, but, on the contrary, it is a reminder of the future.

Vladimir Yasnyuk:

Everything here needs to be brought to mind. The village council must work. We are preparing an appeal to the Verkhovna Rada to legally implement our plans for the development of the island.

In addition, according to the general development plan for the island developed in 2003, there should be 64 objects on it - now there are only about twenty. This includes a wind power plant (for now, locals make do with solar collectors and diesel fuel), a store, a library, an outpatient clinic, a hotel, a basketball court, a room for playing table tennis and even a cinema. And most importantly, the village leadership is going to get permission from the authorities for registration. Then the island will turn into a real residential area.

All the islands of the Black Sea on the map

What is a geographic map

A geographic map is an image of the Earth's surface with a coordinate grid and symbols, the proportions of which directly depend on the scale. A geography map is a landmark by which you can identify the location of an array, object, or place of residence of a person. These are indispensable assistants for geologists, tourists, pilots and military personnel, whose professions are directly related to travel and trips over long distances.

Types of cards

Conditionally divide geographic Maps There are 4 types:

• in terms of territory coverage and these are maps of continents and countries;
• by purpose and these are tourism, educational, road, navigation, scientific and reference, technical, tourist maps;
• content - thematic, general geographical, general political maps;
• by scale – small-scale, medium-scale and large-scale maps.

Each of the maps is dedicated to a particular topic, thematically reflecting islands, seas, vegetation, settlements, weather, soils, taking into account the coverage of the territory. A map can only represent countries, continents or individual states plotted on a certain scale. Taking into account how much a particular territory has been reduced, the scale of the map is 1x1000.1500, which means a decrease in distance by 20,000 times. Of course, it’s easy to guess that the larger the scale, the more detailed the map is drawn. And yet, individual parts of the earth's surface on the map are distorted, unlike a globe, which is capable of conveying the appearance of the surface without changes. The Earth is spherical and distortions occur, such as: area, angles, length of objects.

Despite all possible distortions, the advantages of a map, unlike a globe, are obvious - the visibility on a sheet of paper of all hemispheres on Earth and a large number of geographical objects at once. The globe, for example, is inconvenient for travelers to use because it needs to be constantly turned.

The area of ​​the Black Sea is 422,000 km² (according to other sources - 436,400 km²). The outline of the Black Sea resembles an oval with the longest axis about 1150 km. The greatest length of the sea from north to south is 580 km. The greatest depth is 2210 m, the average is 1240 m.

The sea washes the shores of Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Georgia. On the northeastern coast of the Black Sea there is an unrecognized public education Abkhazia.

A characteristic feature of the Black Sea is the complete (with the exception of a number of anaerobic bacteria) absence of life at depths above 150-200 m due to the saturation of the deep layers of water with hydrogen sulfide. The Black Sea is an important transport area, as well as one of the largest resort regions in Eurasia.

In addition, the Black Sea retains important strategic and military significance. The main military bases of the Russian Black Sea Fleet are located in Sevastopol and Novorossiysk.

The ancient Greek name of the sea is Pont Aksinsky (Greek Πόντος Ἄξενος, “Inhospitable Sea”). In Strabo's "Geography" it is assumed that the sea received this name due to difficulties with navigation, as well as the wild hostile tribes inhabiting its shores. Later, after the successful development of the shores by Greek colonists, the sea began to be called Pontus Euxine (Greek Πόντος Εὔξενος, “Hospitable Sea”). However, Strabo (1.2.10) contains references to the fact that in antiquity the Black Sea was also called simply “sea” (pontos).

IN Ancient Rus' X-XVI centuries in chronicles the name “Russian Sea” was found; in some sources the sea is called “Scythian”. The modern name “Black Sea” has found its corresponding reflection in most languages: Greek. Μαύρη θάλασσα, Bulgarian. Black Sea, cargo. შავი ზღვა, rum. Marea Neagră, English. Black Sea, tour. Karadeniz, Ukrainian Chorne more, etc. The earliest sources mentioning this name date back to the 13th century, but there are certain signs that it was used earlier. There are a number of hypotheses regarding the reasons for this name:

The Turks and other conquerors who tried to conquer the population of the sea coast met fierce resistance from the Circassians, Circassians and other tribes, for which they called the sea Karadengiz - Black, inhospitable.

Another reason, according to some researchers, may be the fact that during storms the water in the sea becomes very dark. However, storms in the Black Sea are not too frequent, and the water darkens during storms in all the seas of the earth. Another hypothesis about the origin of the name is based on the fact that metal objects (for example, anchors) lowered into sea water deeper than 150 m at long time, became covered with a black coating due to the action of hydrogen sulfide.

Another hypothesis is related to the “color” designation of the cardinal directions adopted in a number of Asian countries, where “black” denoted the north, respectively, the Black Sea - the northern sea.

One of the most common hypotheses is the assumption that the name is associated with memories of the Bosphorus breakthrough 7500-5000 years ago, which resulted in a catastrophic rise in sea level by almost 100 meters, which in turn led to the flooding of a vast shelf zone and the formation of the Sea of ​​Azov .

There is a Turkish legend according to which a heroic sword rests in the waters of the Black Sea, which was thrown there at the request of the dying wizard Ali. Because of this, the sea is agitated, trying to throw out deadly weapons from its depths, and turns black.

The shores of the Black Sea are slightly indented and mainly in its northern part. The only large peninsula is Crimean. The largest bays are: Yagorlytsky, Tendrovsky, Dzharylgachsky, Karkinitsky, Kalamitsky and Feodosiysky in Ukraine, Varna and Burgassky in Bulgaria, Sinopsky and Samsunsky - on the southern shores of the sea, in Turkey. In the north and northwest, estuaries flood at the confluence of rivers. The total length of the coastline is 3400 km.

A number of sections of the sea coast have their own names: the southern coast of Crimea in Ukraine, the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus in Russia, the Rumelian coast and the Anatolian coast in Turkey. In the west and north-west the banks are low-lying, steep in places; in Crimea - mostly lowland, with the exception of the southern mountainous shores. On the eastern and southern shores, the spurs of the Caucasus and Pontic mountains come close to the sea.

There are few islands in the Black Sea. The largest are Berezan and Zmeiny (both with an area of ​​less than 1 km²).

The following flow into the Black Sea: largest rivers: Danube, Dnieper, Dniester, as well as smaller Mzymta, Bzyb, Rioni, Kodor (Kodori), Inguri (in the east of the sea), Chorokh, Kyzyl-Irmak, Ashley-Irmak, Sakarya (in the south), Southern Bug (in the north ). The Black Sea fills an isolated depression located between Southeast Europe and the Asia Minor peninsula. This depression was formed in the Miocene era, during the process of active mountain building, which divided the ancient Tethys Ocean into several separate bodies of water (from which, in addition to the Black Sea, the Azov, Aral and Caspian seas were subsequently formed).

One of the hypotheses for the origin of the Black Sea (in particular, the conclusions of the participants in the international oceanographic expedition on the scientific vessel “Aquanaut” in 1993) states that 7,500 years ago it was the deepest freshwater lake on earth, the level was more than a hundred meters lower than the modern one . At the end of the Ice Age, the level of the World Ocean rose and the Bosphorus Isthmus was broken. A total of 100 thousand km² (the most fertile lands already cultivated by people) were flooded. The flooding of these vast lands may have become the prototype of the myth of the Great Flood. The emergence of the Black Sea, according to this hypothesis, was presumably accompanied by mass death of the entire freshwater living world of the lake, the decomposition product of which - hydrogen sulfide - reaches high concentrations at the bottom of the sea.

The Black Sea depression consists of two parts - western and eastern, separated by a rise, which is a natural continuation of the Crimean peninsula. North West Side The sea is characterized by a relatively wide shelf strip (up to 190 km). The southern coast (belonging to Turkey) and the eastern (Georgia) are steeper, the shelf strip does not exceed 20 km and is cut by a number of canyons and depressions. Depths off the coast of Crimea and the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus are increasing extremely quickly, reaching levels of over 500 m already a few kilometers from the coastline. The sea reaches its maximum depth (2210 m) in the central part, south of Yalta.

The composition of the rocks that make up the seabed in the coastal zone is dominated by coarse sediments: pebbles, gravel, sand. As they move away from the coast, they are replaced by fine-grained sands and silts. Shell rocks are widespread in the northwestern part of the Black Sea; Pelitic silts are common on the slope and bed of the sea basin.

Among the main mineral deposits of which are found at the bottom of the sea: oil and natural gas on the northwestern shelf; coastal placers of titanomagnetite sands (Taman Peninsula, Caucasus coast). The Black Sea is the world's largest meromictic (with unmixed water levels) body of water. The upper layer of water (mixolimnion), lying down to a depth of 150 m, is cooler, less dense and less saline, saturated with oxygen, separated from the lower, warmer, saltier and dense layer saturated with hydrogen sulfide (monimolimnion) by a chemocline (the boundary layer between aerobic and anaerobic waters). zones). There is no single generally accepted explanation for the origin of hydrogen sulfide in the Black Sea. There is an opinion that hydrogen sulfide in the Black Sea is formed mainly as a result of the activity of sulfate-reducing bacteria, pronounced stratification of water and weak vertical exchange. There is also a theory that hydrogen sulfide was formed as a result of the decomposition of freshwater animals that died during the penetration of salty Mediterranean waters during the formation of the Bosphorus and Dardanelles.

Some studies in recent years suggest that the Black Sea is a gigantic reservoir of not only hydrogen sulfide, but also methane, most likely also released during the activity of microorganisms, as well as from the bottom of the sea.

The water balance of the Black Sea consists of the following components:

• atmospheric precipitation (230 km³ per year);
• continental runoff (310 km³ per year);
• water supply from the Sea of ​​Azov (30 km³ per year);
• evaporation of water from the sea surface (-360 km³ per year);
• removal of water through the Bosphorus Strait (-210 km³ per year).

The amount of precipitation, inflow from the Sea of ​​Azov and river runoff exceeds the amount of evaporation from the surface, as a result of which the level of the Black Sea exceeds the level of the Marmara Sea. Thanks to this, an upper current is formed, directed from the Black Sea through the Bosphorus Strait. The lower current observed in lower layers of water is less pronounced and is directed through the Bosphorus in the opposite direction. The interaction of these currents additionally supports the vertical stratification of the sea, and is also used by fish for migration between seas.

It should be noted that due to the difficult exchange of water with the Atlantic Ocean, there are practically no ebbs and flows in the Black Sea. The circulation of water in the sea covers only the surface layer of water. This layer of water has a salinity of about 18 ppm (in the Mediterranean - 37 ppm) and is saturated with oxygen and other elements necessary for the activity of living organisms. These layers in the Black Sea are subject to circular circulation in an anticyclonic direction along the entire perimeter of the reservoir. At the same time, in Western and eastern parts seas there are water circulations in a cyclonic direction. The temperature of the surface layers of water, depending on the time of year, ranges from 8 to 30 °C.

The lower layer, due to its saturation with hydrogen sulfide, does not contain living organisms, with the exception of a number of anaerobic sulfur bacteria (the waste product of which is hydrogen sulfide). Salinity here increases to 22-22.5 ppm, the average temperature is ~8.5°C.

The climate of the Black Sea, due to its mid-continental position, is mainly continental. Only the southern coast of Crimea and the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus are protected by mountains from cold northern winds and, as a result, have a mild Mediterranean climate.

The weather over the Black Sea is significantly influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, over which most of the cyclones originate, bringing bad weather and storms to the sea. On the north-eastern coast of the sea, especially in the Novorossiysk region, low mountains are not a barrier to cold northern air masses, which, passing through them, cause a strong cold wind (bora), local residents call it Nord-Ost. Southwestern winds usually bring warm and fairly humid Mediterranean air masses to the Black Sea region. As a result, most of the sea area is characterized by warm, wet winters and hot, dry summers.

average temperature January in the northern part of the Black Sea is −3 °C, but can drop to −30 °C. In the territories adjacent to the southern coast of Crimea and the Caucasus coast, winter is much milder: temperatures rarely drop below 0 °C. Snow, however, periodically falls in all areas of the sea. The average July temperature in the north of the sea is 22-23°C. Maximum temperatures not so high due to the softening effect of the water reservoir and usually do not exceed 35 °C.

The greatest amount of precipitation in the Black Sea region falls on the coast of the Caucasus (up to 1500 mm per year), the least in the northwestern part of the sea (about 300 mm per year). Cloud cover for the year averages 60% with a maximum in winter and a minimum in summer.

The waters of the Black Sea, as a rule, are not subject to freezing, with the exception of the coastal part in the north of the reservoir. Coastal waters in these places freeze for up to a month or more; estuaries and river branches - up to 2-3 months.

The flora of the sea includes 270 species of multicellular green, brown, and red bottom algae (Cystoseira, Phyllophora, Zostera, Cladophora, Ulva, Enteromorpha, etc.). The phytoplankton of the Black Sea contains at least six hundred species. Among them are dinoflagellates - armored flagellates (prorocentrum micans, ceratium furca, small Scrippsiella trochoidea, etc.), dinoflagellates (dinophysis, protoperidinium, alexandrium), various diatoms, etc. The fauna of the Black Sea is noticeably poorer than the Mediterranean. The Black Sea is home to 2.5 thousand species of animals (of which 500 species are unicellular, 160 species of vertebrates - fish and mammals, 500 species of crustaceans, 200 species of mollusks, the rest are invertebrates different types), for comparison, in the Mediterranean there are about 9 thousand species. Among the main reasons for the relative poverty of sea fauna: a wide range of water salinities, moderate cold water, the presence of hydrogen sulfide at great depths.

In this regard, the Black Sea is suitable for the habitat of fairly unpretentious species, at all stages of development of which great depths are not required.

At the bottom of the Black Sea live mussels, oysters, pecten, as well as the predator mollusk rapana, brought with ships from Far East. Numerous crabs live in the crevices of coastal rocks and among stones, there are shrimps, and different kinds jellyfish (the most common are cornet and aurelia), sea anemones, sponges.

Among the fish found in the Black Sea: various types of gobies (bighead goby, whip goby, round goby, martovy goby, rotan goby), Azov anchovy, Black Sea anchovy, dogfish shark, glossa flounder, mullet of five species, bluefish, hake (hake), sea ruff, red mullet (common Black Sea mullet), haddock, mackerel, horse mackerel, Black Sea-Azov herring, Black Sea-Azov sprat, etc. There are sturgeon (beluga, stellate sturgeon, Black Sea-Azov ( Russian) and Atlantic sturgeon).

Among dangerous fish Black Sea - sea dragon (the most dangerous - the spines of the dorsal fin and gill covers are poisonous), the Black Sea and noticeable scorpionfish, stingray (sea cat) with poisonous spines on the tail.

The most common birds are gulls, petrels, diving ducks, cormorants and a number of other species. Mammals are represented in the Black Sea by two species of dolphins (the common dolphin and the bottlenose dolphin), the Azov-Black Sea harbor porpoise (often called the Azov dolphin), and the white-bellied seal.

Some species of animals that do not live in the Black Sea are often brought into it through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits by currents or swim on their own.

The history of the study of the Black Sea began in ancient times, along with the voyages of the Greeks, who founded their settlements on the seashore. Already in the 4th century BC, peripluses were compiled - ancient sailing directions of the sea. Subsequently, there is fragmentary information about the voyages of merchants from Novgorod and Kyiv to Constantinople.

Another milestone on the path to exploring the Black Sea was the voyage of the ship “Fortress” from Azov to Constantinople in 1696. Peter I, equipping the ship for voyage, gave the order to carry out cartographic work along the route of its movement. As a result, a “direct drawing of the Black Sea from Kerch to Tsar Grad” was drawn up, and depth measurements were taken.

More serious studies of the Black Sea date back to the end of the 18th-19th centuries. In particular, at the turn of these centuries, Russian scientists, academicians Peter Pallas and Middendorf, studied the properties of the waters and fauna of the Black Sea. In 1816, a description of the Black Sea coast appeared, made by F. F. Bellingshausen, in 1817 the first map of the Black Sea was published, in 1842 - the first atlas, in 1851 - the Black Sea navigational guide.

Beginning systematically scientific research The Black Sea was initiated by two events at the end of the 19th century - the study of the Bosphorus currents (1881-1882) and the conduct of two oceanographic depth-finding expeditions (1890-1891).

Since 1871, a biological station has been operating in Sevastopol (now the Institute of Biology south seas), engaged in systematic research of the living world of the Black Sea. At the end of the 19th century, an expedition led by I. B. Spindler discovered the saturation of the deep layers of the sea with hydrogen sulfide; Later, a member of the expedition, the famous Russian chemist N.D. Zelinsky, gave an explanation for this phenomenon.

The study of the Black Sea continued after October revolution 1917. In 1919, an ichthyological station was organized in Kerch (later transformed into the Azov-Black Sea Institute fisheries and oceanography, now the Southern Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceanography (YugNIRO)). In 1929, a marine hydrophysical station was opened in the Crimea, in Katsiveli (now a branch of the Sevastopol Marine Hydrophysical Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine).

In Russia, the main research organization conducting the study of the Black Sea is the Southern Branch of the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Gelendzhik, Blue Bay) and a number of others.

The Black Sea is of great transport importance for the economies of the states washed by this body of water. A significant volume of maritime traffic consists of tanker flights that ensure the export of oil and petroleum products from the ports of Russia (primarily from Novorossiysk and Tuapse) and the ports of Georgia (Batumi). However, the volumes of hydrocarbon exports are significantly limited by the limited throughput capacity of the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. The largest oil terminal for receiving oil as part of the Odessa-Brody oil pipeline was created in Ilyichevsk. There is also a project for the construction of the Burgas - Alexandroupolis oil pipeline bypassing the Black Sea straits. Novorossiysk oil terminals are capable of receiving supertankers. In addition to oil and its products, metals, mineral fertilizers, machinery and equipment, timber, lumber, grain, etc. are exported from the Russian and Ukrainian ports of the Black Sea. The main volumes of imports into the Black Sea ports of Russia and Ukraine fall on consumer goods, food products, a number of raw materials, etc. Container transportation is widely developed in the Black Sea basin, and there are large container terminals. Transportation using lighters is developing; There are railway ferry crossings Ilyichevsk (Ukraine) - Varna (Bulgaria) and Ilyichevsk (Ukraine) - Batumi (Georgia). Marine passenger transportation is also developed in the Black Sea (however, after the collapse of the USSR, its volume decreased significantly). The international transport corridor TRACECA (Transport Corridor Europe - Caucasus - Asia, Europe - Caucasus - Asia) passes through the Black Sea. The Black Sea ports are the end points of a number of Pan-European transport corridors. The largest port cities on the Black Sea: Novorossiysk, Sochi, Tuapse (Russia); Burgas, Varna (Bulgaria); Batumi, Sukhumi, Poti (Georgia); Constanta (Romania); Samsun, Trabzon (Türkiye); Odessa, Ilyichevsk, Yuzhny, Kerch, Sevastopol, Yalta (Ukraine). Along the Don River, which flows into the Sea of ​​Azov, there is a river waterway connecting the Black Sea with the Caspian Sea (via the Volga-Don Shipping Canal and the Volga), with the Baltic Sea and the White Sea (via the Volga-Baltic Waterway and the White Sea-Baltic Canal) . The Danube River is connected through a system of canals to North Sea. A unique deep-sea gas pipeline, the Blue Stream, connects Russia and Turkey, is laid along the bottom of the Black Sea. The length of the underwater part of the gas pipeline running between the village of Arkhipo-Osipovka to Black Sea coast Caucasus and the coast of Turkey 60 km from the city of Samsun, - 396 km. There are plans to expand the capacity of the gas pipeline by laying an additional branch of the pipe.

The following fish species are of commercial importance in the Black Sea: mullet, anchovy (anchovy), mackerel, horse mackerel, pike perch, bream, sturgeon, herring. Main fishing ports: Odessa, Kerch, Novorossiysk, etc.

IN last years XX- beginning of XXI century, fishing has declined significantly due to overfishing and deterioration of the ecological state of the sea. Prohibited bottom trawling and poaching are also a significant problem, especially for sturgeon. Thus, in the second half of 2005 alone, specialists from the Black Sea State Basin Department for the Protection of Aquatic Living Resources of Ukraine (“Chernomorrybvod”) uncovered 1,909 violations of fishery protection legislation in the Crimea and seized 33 tons of fish caught with illegal fishing gear or in prohibited places.

Favorable climatic conditions in the Black Sea region determine its development as an important resort region. The largest resort areas on the Black Sea include: the southern coast of Crimea (Yalta, Alushta, Sudak, Koktebel, Feodosia) in Ukraine, the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus (Anapa, Gelendzhik, Sochi) in Russia, Pitsunda, Gagra and Batumi in Georgia, Golden Sands and Sunny Beach in Bulgaria, Mamaia, Eforie in Romania.

The Black Sea coast of the Caucasus is the main resort region Russian Federation. In 2005, about 9 million tourists visited it; in 2006, according to the forecasts of officials of the Krasnodar Territory, at least 11-11.5 million vacationers should have visited this region. There are over 1,000 boarding houses, sanatoriums and hotels on the Russian Black Sea coast, and their number is constantly growing. A natural continuation of the Russian Black Sea coast is the coast of Abkhazia, the most important resorts of which Gagra and Pitsunda were popular back in Soviet time. The development of the resort industry on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus is constrained by a relatively short period (for example, compared to Mediterranean Sea) season, environmental, transport problems, and in Abkhazia - also the uncertainty of its status and the threat of a new outbreak of military conflict with Georgia.

The Black Sea coast and the river basins flowing into it are areas with high anthropogenic impact, densely populated by people since ancient times. The ecological state of the Black Sea is generally unfavorable.

Among the main factors that disturb the balance in the ecological system of the sea, the following should be highlighted:

Severe pollution of rivers flowing into the sea, especially with runoff from fields containing mineral fertilizers, especially nitrates and phosphates. This entails overfertilization (eutrophication) of sea waters, and, as a consequence, rapid growth of phytoplankton (“blooming” of the sea - intensive development of blue-green algae), a decrease in water transparency, and the death of multicellular algae.

Water pollution with oil and oil products (the most polluted areas are the western part of the sea, which accounts for largest volume tanker transportation, as well as port waters). As a consequence, this leads to the death of marine animals caught in oil spills, as well as atmospheric pollution due to the evaporation of oil and petroleum products from the surface of the water.

Pollution of sea waters with human waste - discharge of untreated or insufficiently treated wastewater, etc.

Massive fishing.

Prohibited but widely used bottom trawling, which destroys bottom biocenoses.

Change in composition, reduction in the number of individuals and mutation water world under the influence of anthropogenic factors (including replacement of indigenous species natural world exotic, resulting from human influence). For example, according to experts from the Odessa branch of YugNIRO, in just one decade (from 1976 to 1987) the number of Black Sea bottlenose dolphins decreased from 56 thousand to seven thousand individuals.

According to a number of experts ecological state The Black Sea has worsened over the past decade despite a decline in economic activity in a number of Black Sea countries.

The President of the Crimean Academy of Sciences, Viktor Tarasenko, expressed the opinion that the Black Sea is the dirtiest sea in the world.

For security environment in the Black Sea region in 1998, the ACCOBAMS agreement (Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area) was adopted, where one of the main issues is the protection of dolphins and whales. The main international document regulating the protection of the Black Sea is the Convention for the Protection of the Black Sea from Pollution, signed by six Black Sea countries - Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine in 1992 in Bucharest (Bucharest Convention). Also in June 1994, representatives of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and European Union The Convention on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Danube River was signed in Sofia. As a result of these agreements, the Black Sea Commission (Istanbul) and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (Vienna) were created. These bodies perform the function of coordinating environmental programs implemented within the framework of the conventions. Every year on October 31, all countries of the Black Sea region celebrate International Black Sea Day.

In the north it is connected to the Sea of ​​Azov through the Kerch Strait. A large piece of land, the Crimean Peninsula, cuts deep into the sea surface. Along the shores of the reservoir there are countries such as Russia, Georgia, Abkhazia (a partially recognized state), Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine.

Geographical data

According to the US geographic directory, the area of ​​the Black Sea is 436.4 thousand square meters. km (168.5 thousand sq. miles). The maximum depth is 2,212 meters (7,257 ft). The average depth corresponds to 1240 meters (4067 feet). The total volume of salt water is 547 thousand cubic meters. km. The greatest length from west to east is 1175 km. The maximum length from north to south is 580 km. The reservoir is notable for the fact that at a depth of more than 150 meters there is no life due to the saturation of deep waters with hydrogen sulfide.

The coastline is slightly indented. Its total length is 3.4 thousand km. There are large bays, such as Sinopsky, Samsunsky, Feodosia, Varna, Tendrovsky, Burgassky, Kalamitsky, Yagorlytsky. In the northern and northwestern regions, estuaries flood at the confluence of rivers. There are many marshy and brackish areas. The western and northwestern coasts are low, with cliffs in places.

In the south and east, spurs of the Pontic and Caucasus Mountains. In Crimea, the coast is low, only the southern part of the peninsula is notable for its mountainous shores. A similar relief is observed on the Tarkhankut Peninsula in the western part of Crimea.

Islands

There are few islands. The largest island is Dzharylgach with an area of ​​62 square meters. km. It is part of the Skadovsky district of the Kherson region. It is washed by two bays - Dzharylgachsky and Karkinitsky. Since 2009, the island has been home to a national natural park.

Of the other islands, one can name Snake Island. It is part of the Odessa region, has a cruciform shape, and its area is 20.5 hectares. On this piece of land is the village of Beloye.

Another large island is called Berezan. It is located in the sea at a distance of 8 km from the city of Ochakov. Belongs to the Nikolaev region. It stretches 1 km in length and 500 meters in width. The island is uninhabited and has the status of a historical and archaeological reserve under the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Black Sea on the map

Rivers

Such large European rivers as the Danube, Dnieper and Dniester flow into the huge salty reservoir. In addition to them, the Inguri, Mzymta, Rioni, and Kodor flow into the sea from the east. They originate on the Greater Caucasus Range. The Sakarya, Choroh, and Yeshilirmak flow into the southern part of the reservoir. The Chorokh River flows into Georgia, and the other two flow into Turkey.

The Southern Bug carries its waters to the northern part of the reservoir. This river flows entirely through the territory of Ukraine. It has a length of 806 km. In the west, the sea is fed by the Bulgarian rivers Veleka and Kamchia.

The annual flow is approximately 310 cubic meters. km. Moreover, 80% of all water comes from the Dnieper and Danube. It should be noted that the reservoir has a positive water balance. The net outflow of water is 300 cubic meters. km per year. The water flows through the Bosphorus into the Sea of ​​Marmara and further into the Aegean and Mediterranean. At the same time, there is a two-way hydrological exchange. Saltier and warmer water flows from the Mediterranean into the Black Sea.

Cities

There are many large cities located on the sea coast. The largest of them is Istanbul (Turkey) with a population of 13.6 million people. In second place is Odessa (Ukraine) with a population of 1 million people. Third place is occupied by the Turkish city of Samsun with a population of 535.4 thousand people.

Next comes Bulgarian Varna. It is home to 474 thousand inhabitants. Fifth place belongs to the hero city of Sevastopol with a population of 379 thousand people. Then come Sochi (Russia) - 343.3 thousand people, Trabzon (Turkey) - 305 thousand people, Constanta (Romania) - 284 thousand people, Novorossiysk (Russia) - 242 thousand people, Burgas (Bulgaria) - 224 thousand inhabitants.

On the Black Sea beach

Climate

The climate prevailing over the reservoir largely depends on the Atlantic Ocean. It is above it that those cyclones originate, which then bring rain and storms to the sea. Cold air masses are coming from the north. They blow from the southwest warm winds. All this diversity creates hot and dry summer weather. As for winter, it is warm and humid.

Winter temperatures range from minus 1 to plus 5 degrees Celsius. Very rarely it drops to minus 10 degrees Celsius. Snow falls only in the northern regions. The average summer temperature is 24-25 degrees Celsius. At maximum it rises to 37 degrees Celsius. The warmest part of the coast is the Caucasus, where the average annual temperature is 17 degrees Celsius.

In the southern part of the Black Sea the climate is milder than in the northern part. It is also less humid. Precipitation falls more evenly. They are possible not only in winter period, but also in the summer. Black sea ​​water does not freeze in winter. Only once every few decades in the northern regions can water become covered with ice in too much cold winter. The average water temperature is 7-8 degrees Celsius.

Ecology

In general, the ecological situation in the reservoir is unfavorable. Many polluted rivers flow into the sea, and runoff from fields, saturated with nitrates and phosphates, also flows. This provokes the growth of phytoplankton. Water transparency decreases, multicellular algae die. Waters are polluted by oil products, wastewater, construction waste. Recently, the number of dolphins, tunas, and mackerels has noticeably decreased. But a lot of jellyfish appeared. Currently, they are the main living organisms of the Black Sea waters.

Some experts believe that over the past 10 years the ecological situation of the reservoir has worsened. There is even an opinion that Black Sea waters are among the dirtiest in the world.

In accordance with this, an international convention on the environmental protection of the Black Sea was adopted. It was signed by six countries whose territories are in contact with the reservoir. An environmental program has been developed that should give positive results in the near future.

Connected to the Aegean Sea. The Black Sea washes several states at once, in each of which it becomes a popular recreational object. The coast appears to be a high-quality resort area with a variety of recreational options.

Geographical location of the Black Sea

The Black Sea washes the coast of Russia, and its waters also belong to six other states. In each country, a considerable number of tourists go to the sea, wanting to sunbathe and swim in warm sea water. The best time to relax here is from the end of May to the beginning of October, when the water temperature exceeds 20 degrees and sunny weather promotes tanning. Geographical position It is good not only from a recreational point of view, it has important economic, transport and military significance.

The shape of the Black Sea resembles an oval.

The greatest length from coast to coast along the axis is 1,150 km, the greatest depth is 2,210 m. This makes the sea in demand for deep-sea diving enthusiasts. The Crimean Peninsula is located in the northern part of the Black Sea. The sea separates the European and Asian parts of the continent. Interesting feature there is a lack of islands.

The Black Sea had many names, it was called Russian, in total more than 20 names are known. There are several versions of the appearance modern name, each culture has its own version. According to one version, the north on maps was previously marked as black, and the Black Sea is located just in the north. Another gloomy version connects the name of the object with the history of its appearance - in modern form The Black Sea was formed 7,500 years ago, with the formation of a connection with the Mediterranean Sea, salty sea water entered it. This led to the extinction of many freshwater inhabitants.

Scientists associate the name with the fact that objects raised from the bottom are black. The reason is hydrogen sulfide at a depth of 200 meters. Among the reasons are black silt washed ashore and strong storms (even desperate sailors found themselves leaving ports in bad weather). There is a widespread version among the Turks that the sea received its name because of the rebelliousness of the shores; when trying to conquer local cities, they had to face fierce resistance.