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Which rivers flow into the Black Sea?

Tens of millions of years ago, the current borders of the Black Sea began to gradually form as an inland sea of the Atlantic. That’s when the Dardanelles, the Kerch Strait, the Sea of Azov, etc. appeared. All thanks to the rivers flowing into the Black Sea.

Main rivers flowing into the Black Sea

The area of the Black Sea is more than 400 square kilometers, its volume is almost 550 cubic kilometers. The deepest points of this sea are about 2,200 meters, and the average depth is about 1,200 meters. And at a depth of more than 100 meters there are no living organisms in the sea.

The Black Sea water catchment is carried out on an area of more than 2 million. sq. km. And for the most part it is the fresh water of the large and small rivers of Europe that flow into it. Thanks to these rivers, the Black Sea was considered a freshwater lake for millions of years.

The salinity of the Black Sea waters is quite small – about 18%. It is present, due to the fact that the sea has periodically been part of the world’s oceans. It is interesting that the Mediterranean Sea is much saltier than our Black Sea.

Rivers flowing into the Black Sea on the map

Large rivers flowing into the Black Sea on the map

Rivers flowing into the Black Sea

The biggest donors to this sea are:

  • Danube,
  • Dniester,
  • Southern Bug,
  • Dnieper,
  • Don,
  • Kuban.

There are also many smaller rivers that feed the Black Sea with fresh water: the Agoi, Bzyp, Veleka, Gumista, Yesilirmak, Inguri, Kodor, Sochi, Choroki, Psou, etc. Many of them flow from the Caucasus and enrich the sea with clean water. There are about three hundred of them in all.

They have a decisive influence on the quality and transparency of water in the Black Sea, on the flora and fauna growing or inhabiting here, especially near the mouths of large rivers.

Currents in the Black Sea

Every year, approximately the same amount of fresh and salt water flows into and out of the sea from the rivers, so its salinity remains unchanged. Thanks to the established circulation, the Black Sea cleans itself.

Current speed in the Black Sea is about 1 knot, during storms it can increase to 3 knots. This current originates at the mouths of rivers flowing into the Black Sea, as well as in the Kerch Strait.

Underwater river in the Black Sea

It is a bottom current of very salty water coming from the Sea of Marmara through the Bosphorus Strait. The length of this river on the bottom of the Black Sea is about 60 km. It has a strong current and is one of the most full-flowing rivers in the world.

The underwater river flowing into the Black Sea through the Bosporus was discovered by scientists at the beginning of our century, and today it is the only one of its kind. Unfortunately, the study of river channels on the seabed is extremely difficult for new discoveries.

Major rivers of the Black Sea basin

Danube is the most full-flowing river flowing into the Black Sea. The river has its source in Germany, communicates with the Rhine, washes several European capitals, and flows into the sea in Romania.

Black Sea - rivers flowing into the Black Sea

The second largest
Dnieper
with its many tributaries also flows into the Black Sea. It originates in Russia, on the Valdai, flows through our country, Belarus and Ukraine, and its mouth is in the Kherson region and is more than 2,200 square kilometers.

The Dniester, which originates in the Carpathian Mountains and carries its waters into the Black Sea, is very interesting. Along the way, Dniester flows through Moldova and Ukraine. One of the famous tributaries of the Dniester, the Byk River, flows through Chisinau.

Major rivers flowing into the Black Sea

The Russian River Don originates in the Tula region. From north to south, the Don flows about 2,000 km and flows into the Sea of Azov and later into the Black Sea. The rest of Russia’s rivers flowing into this sea are of mountain origin and are no more than 100 km long.

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