The Black Sea is an inland sea of the Atlantic Ocean by location and structure, and is connected by the Bosphorus Strait to the Sea of Marmara, which is connected to the Aegean Sea. The Black Sea is washed by several states, each of which becomes a popular object of recreation. The coast presents a quality resort area with a variety of ways to relax.
Geographical position of the Black Sea
The Black Sea washes the coast of Russia, and its waters belong to six other states. In each country goes to the sea a considerable number of tourists wishing to sunbathe and swim in the warm sea water. It is best to relax here from late May to early October, when the water temperature exceeds 20 degrees and sunny weather contributes to tanning. The geographic location is not only good for recreation, it has important economic, transportation and military significance.
The Black Sea is shaped like an oval.
The greatest length from shore to shore along the axis is 1,150 km, the greatest depth is 2,210 m. This makes the sea in demand for deep diving enthusiasts. In the northern part of the Black Sea is the Crimean Peninsula. The sea separates the European and Asian parts of the continent. An interesting feature is the absence of islands.
The Black Sea on the World Map
Why is the Black Sea called “The Black Sea”?
The Black Sea had many names, it was called the Russian Sea, and there are more than 20 names in total. There are several versions of the emergence of the modern name, each culture has its own version. According to one version, the north on maps used to be marked in black, and the Black Sea is just to the north. Another dark version associates the name of the object with the history of its appearance – in its present form, the Black Sea was formed 7,500 years ago, with the formation of a connection with the Mediterranean Sea, the salty sea water got into it. This led to the extinction of many freshwater inhabitants.
Scientists attribute the name to the fact that the objects lifted from the bottom have a black color. The reason is hydrogen sulfide at a depth of 200 meters or more. Among the reasons are the black sludge thrown ashore and severe storms (even desperate sailors found themselves leaving ports in bad weather). Among the Turks there is a widespread version that the sea got its name because of the recalcitrance of the shores, when trying to conquer the local cities had to face fierce resistance.
Which countries are washed by the Black Sea?
The Black Sea washes the shores of Russia, as well as the Ukrainian, Abkhazian, Georgian, Turkish, Bulgarian and Romanian coasts. Sometimes it is stated that the sea is washed by 6 countries, because Abkhazia is not recognized by everyone as an independent state. On its coast mostly come to rest tourists from Russia, the reason is the quality of infrastructure of resorts and friendly attitude of the inhabitants of local cities.
Black Sea countries
The total length of the Black Sea coast is 3,400 km, so it is not surprising the variety of resort towns. Each country is trying to take advantage of its geographical location, to attract as many tourists to vacation by the sea. The construction of resort infrastructure is paid great attention. The sea is popular with people from different countries. Each of the states on the coast has a rich culture, so it is interesting not only vacation by the sea, but also the study of architecture, visiting museums and various events.
Which cities are on the coast?
Russia has four major ports in the Black Sea: Kerch, Sevastopol, Tuapse and Novorossiysk. The cities of Sochi and Yalta are very popular among tourists. Among the most famous resorts of Abkhazia are Pitsunda, Gagra, Sukhumi and Gudauta. In all these places tourists will find a clean and well-equipped coast of the Black Sea with golden sand. Rest at the sea should be planned in advance, so it did not coincide with bad weather or an infestation of jellyfish. Some people consider these inhabitants of the Black Sea to be beneficial to health, but scientists warn about the fallacy of this statement.
Black Sea Resorts
Among the famous cities in the Black Sea is Istanbul, located near the Bosphorus Strait. This city now belongs to Turkey, but was once called Constantinople and was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. There have often been wars over the straits in the Black Sea, so many cities have a rich military history. But there are interesting places in other parts of the sea as well. These include the cities of Varna in Bulgaria, Odessa in Ukraine, and Constanta in Romania.