This sea is perhaps closest to us. Once it was called "Russian" - these are echoes of the Soviet era, when the Black Sea was the most "popular". Today, the sea washes the shores of seven countries: Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Georgia and Abkhazia.

Hospitable or inhospitable?

The Black Sea had a huge number of names. The very first, which has come down to our days, was given to him by the ancient Greeks. By the way, it was along the Black Sea that Jason and the Argonauts set sail for the Golden Fleece.

The Greeks called it Pont Aksinsky, which means "inhospitable sea." And all because it was not so easy to approach it: the shores of the Black Sea in those days were inhabited by warring tribes, zealously guarding the territory. Yes, and navigation on the reservoir was quite difficult. Later, after the conquest and development of its coast, the sea became "hospitable" or Pontus Eusinsky. In addition, his other names are also known: Temarun, Akhshaena, Cimmerian, Blue, Ocean, Tauride, Holy, Surozh. Well, in Russia, the Black Sea was called the "Scythian" or "Russian" from the 10th to the 16th century.

why black

In fact, there is no exact explanation why the reservoir was nicknamed "black". There are at least two versions of origin.

In the old days, parts of the world were designated by colors: black meant the North, and white meant the south. According to this theory, the reservoir located in the north was called the "Black Sea". By the way, the Mediterranean Sea in Turkish is known as the "White Sea", that is, the sea that is located in the south.


Well, the second version says that the reservoir got its name because of the abundance of hydrogen sulfide in its depths, which has an unusual property. The fact is that any metal object (for example, an anchor) when lowered into deep waters (more than 150 meters) is covered with a black coating for a long time.

Currents have an unusual shape

The flow pattern of the Black Sea is unusual: these are two ringed whirlpools resembling glasses. True, they are gigantic: the length of their waves reaches about 300-400 kilometers. By the way, they are called so - Knipovich glasses - in honor of the oceanologist who first described them.

About the sea depths of the Black Sea

The maximum depth of the Black Sea is 2210 meters. The average depth is 1240 meters. The deepest places (and not only the deepest in fact) have their own peculiarity: there is no life here. For this feature, the reservoir even received a different name, ominous - "the sea of ​​\u200b\u200bdead depths."

And the thing is that once on the site of the Black Sea there was a freshwater lake. True, a very long time ago: about 7500 years ago. It was inhabited by freshwater inhabitants. And it was the deepest freshwater lake on Earth.


But then cataclysms occurred: perhaps, due to the ice age, the level of the world's oceans rose significantly, flooding the lake and turning it into a sea (the reservoir increased by about one and a half times!), Or an earthquake contributed to the breakthrough of water. Or maybe both natural disasters happened at once. Because of this, many freshwater inhabitants died, infecting the waters with hydrogen sulfide. And hydrogen sulfide is nothing more than a product of the vital activity of bacteria, or rather, a product of the decomposition of the remains of animal organisms.

Well, we see the result today: at a depth of more than 150-200 meters in the Black Sea, there is practically no life. There are only bacteria here.

By the way, perhaps this tragedy served as the basis for the Flood. After all, it was distributed locally, especially among the peoples of the Middle East.

Sharks that can cure cancer

Despite the contamination with hydrogen sulfide, the Black Sea has its own inhabitants, and very interesting ones.

So, harmless katrans sharks are found here. They are small, do not exceed a meter in length, and do not pose a danger to vacationers: they practically do not approach the shore and live mainly in cold waters, and they are afraid of people.


However, they can pose some threat to fishermen. The fact is that on their dorsal fin there are large spikes that can hurt.

And sharks-katrans are used in pharmacology. Their fat has healing properties, and a substance found in their liver can cure some forms of cancer. Therefore, on its basis, a drug was developed to combat tumors "Katrex".

Other inhabitants of the Black Sea

In addition to small sharks, about 2,500 other species of animals live in the Black Sea. But this is very small: for example, in the Mediterranean there are about 9 thousand species of animals.

The most dangerous of the Black Sea inhabitants is a large sea dragon or sea dragon. It has poisonous spines on its dorsal fin. And this is the most poisonous fish that lives off the coast of Europe. The dragon's bite is very painful, and several deaths have even been reported. But besides him, there are two more dangerous inhabitants: the Black Sea scorpionfish and the stingray.

Of the mammals in the Black Sea, two species of dolphins live, the white-bellied seal and the porpoise. Some animals enter the reservoir through the Bosphorus.


Well, among the algae there is a very unusual species - a sea candle. This algae is capable of bioluminescence: their accumulation at the surface of the water causes an interesting phenomenon - the glow of the sea. It can be seen in August.

Black Sea is the inland sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean basin.

The history of the appearance of the Black Sea

The appearance of the Black Sea began with ocean tatis, named after the goddess of the sea, Tetis, - about 300 million years ago it was on the site of the current Mediterranean, Marmara, Azov, Caspian and Aral Seas.

8-10 million years ago, freshwater formed Pontic Sea as a result of movements of the earth's crust, then it united the current Black and Caspian Seas. We can say that the Pontic Sea is an outdated name for the Black Sea.

Later, the Black Sea more than once merged with the more salty Mediterranean. The last such merger occurred 7-8 thousand years ago, which can be considered the age of the modern Black Sea. It became approximately the same as we see it on modern maps.

Then the salty waters of the Mediterranean poured into the sea, which caused the death of many species of fauna. Decaying in the sea depth deprived of oxygen, the biomass began to release a huge amount of hydrogen sulfide, which determined the modern features of the Black Sea bottom.

Black Sea bottom

The Black Sea bowl is deep-water, with relatively steep slopes. However, great depth (100 meters or more) does not begin immediately near the coast, but after 10 - 15 kilometers. And only in some places great depths begin after 200 meters (north-western part) and 1 km (Crimea).

The maximum known depth of the Black Sea is 2211 meters.

Hydrogen sulfide layer

Hydrogen sulfide in the Black Sea has a biochemical origin: bacteria living in large numbers in the depths of the sea, living in an oxygen-free environment, decompose the corpses of animals and plants and emit hydrogen sulfide. And since water does not mix well in the Black Sea, hydrogen sulfide accumulates at the bottom. The hydrogen sulfide layer of the Black Sea begins at a depth of 150-200 meters, only bacteria live in this layer and there is no other life. Over millions of years, more than a billion tons of hydrogen sulfide have been accumulated in the sea.

hydrogen sulfide- poisonous explosive gas.

Black Sea climate

The formation of the climate of the Black Sea is provided by air masses coming from the north and south, the features of the relief, as well as sea currents.

The main Caucasian ridge closes the northern coast of the Black Time from the northern winds and forms high humidity. Where the Caucasian mountains are small - there is the driest climate, but also the coolest (Anapa). But where the Caucasus is already high (Abkhazia) - there is the warmest and most humid weather.

The climate of the southern coast of the Black Sea is shaped by winds blowing from the Mediterranean.

Tornadoes, atmospheric whirlwinds or tornadoes in the Black Sea are a fairly common occurrence, but they happen mainly only in summer and autumn: in August and September, at the very height of the holiday season.

Freezing of the Black Sea

The sea never freezes, however, as an exception, one can name a short-term establishment of an ice cover in the northern parts of the sea, which happens once every several decades.

Ebb and flow in the Black Sea

Ebb and flow in the Black Sea is not very pronounced and the magnitude of water level fluctuations is only 3-10 cm, because for the normal development of tides they do not have enough water area, and the small width and shallow depth of the Dardanelles, the Bosporus and the Strait of Gibraltar "do not let » large volumes of water into the Black Sea.

Flora and fauna of the Black Sea

The Black Sea is one of the most sparsely populated seas on earth. There are only 37 kilograms of biomass per cubic kilometer of water. Life in the Black Sea is concentrated only in a narrow coastal strip in the area of ​​shallow depths, and below two hundred meters there is no life due to the hydrogen sulfide layer.

Vegetable world

There are more than 250 species of algae in the Black Sea. There are algae that live near the coast - coraline, cystoseira, sea lettuce, laurencia, there are those that need depth - phyllophora, or sea grapes, and there are those that simply float in the water, such as peridenea.

Animal world

In the sea there are jellyfish with the names Aurelia and Cornerot. Cornerot - the largest Black Sea jellyfish, can cause a burn, and Aurelia is harmless.

The most common shellfish in the Black Sea are mussels, rapana, oysters and scallops.

There are crabs in the Black Sea - there are 18 species of them. The largest is red-skinned, but it rarely reaches a size of more than 20 cm in diameter.

About 180 species of fish live in the Black Sea.

Beluga, sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, herring, anchovy (Black Sea anchovy), sprat, tyulka, mullet, red mullet, horse mackerel, mackerel, flounder, bonito, tuna. It is extremely rare that swordfish swim in the Black Sea. Meet in the sea and eels - river and sea. Among fish that are not of great commercial importance, one can note a goby, a sea ruff, a sea needle, a seahorse, a stickleback, a sea dragon, a greenfinch - a small bright fish that can gnaw through the shells of mollusks with its teeth, sea rooster (triglu), monkfish.

In addition, there are 3 types of mullet, stargazer or sea cow, sea needle, sea horse.

There are two types of sharks in the Black Sea:

  • Katran (prickly shark, sea dog), can grow up to 2 meters.
  • Small spotted scillium shark (cat shark).

Three species of dolphins live permanently in the Black Sea:

  • harbor porpoise (azovka)
  • bottlenose dolphin
  • common flank

Over the past 80 years, whales have been sighted twice in the Black Sea.

Dangerous inhabitants of the Black Sea

There are no inhabitants dangerous to human life in the Black Sea, however, there are animals and fish that can cause serious injury, such as cuts, burns or poisoning.

The dangerous inhabitants of the Black Sea should include:

  • sharks: katran and spotted (feline). Black Sea sharks are not dangerous, and do not swim close to the shore, but nevertheless, you should beware of them in the water, as it is still a predator.
  • Jellyfish: aurelia and cornerot. Aurelia is safe, but a larger cornerot can cause burns.
  • sea ​​ruff or black sea scorpionfish: located at the bottom in the stones, it can be caught with a bait. The fish itself is not dangerous, the danger is the needles on the crest of the fish. When cut by these needles, swelling and fever can occur, and children may need medical attention.
  • sea ​​dragon- this is the most dangerous Black Sea fish. When poison enters the wound, severe pain, swelling, tachycardia, pulmonary spasm form, you should immediately consult a doctor.
  • Stingray grows up to one and a half meters and likes to swim close to the shore in September-October to bask in the sun. He himself never attacks first and avoids crowded places, but he can be accidentally stepped on in the water.

Fortunately, a collision with dangerous fish and animals in the Black Sea for vacationers and swimmers is almost impossible, but nevertheless, be careful when entering the water.

Remember that poisoning with animal venom can cause allergic reactions up to anaphylactic shock, so in any case, you should consult a doctor.

  • The mountains around the Black Sea are constantly growing, and the sea itself is increasing in size at a rate of 20-25 cm per 100 years.
  • The glow of the Black Sea at night in August is caused by the armored flagellate Noctiluca.
  • The waves in the Black Sea have their own direction: from the countries of Eastern Europe and Turkey - from the north and northeast; near the Crimea and the Caucasus - from the west and south.
  • In addition to dolphins, other mammals are also found in the sea: porpoise and white-bellied seal.
  • The most dangerous fish in the Black Sea is the sea dragon.
  • The katran shark is found in the Black Sea, but it is not dangerous to humans.
  • The Black Sea is home to 2,500 species of animals, which is almost 4 times less than in the Mediterranean Sea.
  • Over the past 80 years, whales have entered the sea twice.
  • Seemingly traditional clam rapana appeared in the sea relatively recently and was brought by ships from the Far East.
  • In the Black Sea there are two closed currents-circles called Knilovich's Points, in honor of the oceanologist who described them.

The archives contain documents confirming that the first information about the Black Sea dates back to the 5th century. BC. It was on it that the fearless Argonauts, led by Jason, went to Colchis in search of the golden fleece, overcoming numerous obstacles. As soon as it has not changed its name since then! The Black Sea in this indicator ranks first in the world. Since the first mention in documents, the name has changed about 20 times.

Where did the modern name come from?

Various versions about its origin are known. The ancient Greeks called this sea - Pont Aksinsky, which means "Inhospitable" in translation. This name appeared due to problems with navigation among the ancient navigators, despite the small size of the Black Sea in comparison with others. As soon as the colonists mastered the coast, it changed to Pont Euxinus, which translates as "Hospitable". In the 10-16 centuries, the Russians called it the "Russian Sea", or "Scythian". The current name of this reservoir is Black.

Where does this name come from? The first sources of this name date back to the 13th century, although it is possible that it appeared much earlier. One hypothesis suggests that the name originated from the uprising of indigenous peoples against their conquerors. "Kara Deniz" - "black, inhospitable". According to another version, it was named so by migrants from southern countries, who observed during a storm a dark sky that merged with sea water. The reservoir actually looks black in a thunderstorm.

Another theory of the modern name arose due to the specific property of the reservoir to "blacken" anchors and other objects at a depth. This is due to the influence of hydrogen sulfide. According to other theories, the sea got its name because of the black silt, which is periodically thrown ashore during a storm.

width Length

Herodotus tried to calculate the size of Pontus, measuring it in stages, which were calculated by the orgies (distance) passed by the ship during the day. Its length, according to Herodotus, was 11,100 stadia, and its width at its widest point was 3,300 stadia. Modern scientists have the ability to calculate the size of the Black Sea with an accuracy of up to a kilometer. Its largest length from east to west is over 1150 km, from the coast of Bulgaria to the coast of Georgia.

From the Ukrainian village of Koblevo to the coast of Turkey, the Black Sea has dimensions (km) -616, from north to south. The smallest length is about 265 km. Scientists-geographers still cannot decide on the area, despite the known size of the Black Sea. According to some calculations, it occupies 422,000 km², and according to others - 436,400 km². The total length of the coastline is about 4100 km. The holding volume of water is about 555,000 cubic kilometers.

Since the dimensions of the Black Sea (width, length, depth) are relatively small, insignificant ebbs and flows are formed compared to other open water bodies. This is due to the small water exchange with the Atlantic Ocean. The sea occupies a huge tectonic pit, the maximum depth of which is about 2245 m. In the west and northwest there are low coasts, but there are also steep areas. In Crimea - mostly low-lying, not counting the southern mountain coasts. From the eastern and southern sides, the Caucasian and Pontic mountains approach the sea.

At the confluence of the rivers, shallow bays are formed - estuaries: Dniester, Khadzhibey, Kuyalnitsky, Tiligulsky, and Dnieper. The largest peninsula of the Black Sea is the Crimean, connected to the mainland thanks to the Perekop isthmus. There are few islands in the Black Sea. The largest among them are Berezan and Serpentine, each with an area of ​​​​less than 1 km². The Kerch Strait, with a depth of 4 to 18 meters, connects the Black Sea with the Sea of ​​Azov. The Bosphorus and the Dardanelles through the Sea of ​​Marmara and the Aegean connect it with the Mediterranean.

Among scientists, theories have been repeatedly considered that the Black Sea arose approximately 6000-8000 years ago, when the level of the world ocean rose due to the melting of glaciers. With the rise in the Mediterranean, it overcame a natural dam, in the role of which was today's Bosphorus. After the breakthrough, a giant flow of water, equal to the power of 200 Niagara Falls, filled the current sea pit. This natural element is similar to the widespread version of the Flood, which is depicted in the Old Testament. It is important that the time of this major natural cataclysm completely coincides with scientific and religious sources.

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The Black Sea is an inland sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean, washing the shores of Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey.

The area is 422 thousand km2, the length between the western and eastern points is about 1167 km, between the northern and southern points is 624 km. The largest peninsula is Crimean, the largest bays (off the coast of Ukraine) are Karkinitsky, Kalamitsky, Feodosia, Dzharylgachsky. Off the coast of Ukraine, the largest island is Snake. The average depth is 1271 m, the maximum is 2245 m. The shores of the Black Sea are little dissected, most often mountainous, steep, but within the continental part of Ukraine they are gentle.
Within Ukraine, large rivers flow into the Black Sea: the Danube, the Dniester, the Southern Bug, the Dnieper. Many resorts: Sochi, Gelendzhik, resorts of the Crimea, Abkhazia, Bulgaria.
Most of the sea is located in the subtropical zone. Winters are warm and humid. The air temperature in January over the Black Sea is -1 ... + 8 ° С, the temperature of surface waters is + 8 ° ... 9 ° С, except for the northwestern and northeastern parts, where the sea freezes in severe winters. Summer is hot and dry. Air temperature +22 ... 25 ° C, surface water H24 ... 26 ° C. The average amount of precipitation increases from west to east from 200-600 to 2000 mm or more. The average salinity is 21.8%.
The waters of the Black Sea at depths of more than 50-100 m are saturated with hydrogen sulfide, which negatively affects its organic life.

In the Black Sea, there are more than 300 species of algae and over 180 species of fish, living mainly in the upper layer (above the hydrogen sulfide zone). Anchovy, horse mackerel, mullet, flounder, mackerel, algae and invertebrates (mussels, shrimps, oysters) are of industrial importance. Every year the sea provides up to 300 thousand tons of biological resources. Industrial reserves of natural gas and oil have been explored. The muds of the Black Sea estuaries have medicinal value. The Black Sea has a number of bays, convenient for parking ships.

The Black Sea stretches from west to east for 1160 km., Its maximum width is 580 km. The total area of ​​the water area exceeds 420 thousand km2. The sea fills a large tectonic depression. Its maximum depth is 2245 m. The largest bays are Dzharylgachsky, Karkinitsky, Kalamitsky, Feodosia, Sivash, Obitichna, Berdyansk. The Danube, Dnieper, Dniester, Southern Bug rivers flow into the Black Sea. In the areas between the rivers of the coast, water bodies that communicate with the sea are cut through - estuaries. Of these, the Dniester, Khadzhibey, Kuyalnitsky, Tiligulsky, Dneprovsky estuaries are located on the Black Sea coast, and Utlyutsky and Molochny are located on the Azov coast. The most peninsula of the Black Sea is the Crimean, which is connected to the mainland land by the Perekop Isthmus. In the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov, attention is drawn to elongated land areas - spits. The largest among them is the Arabatskaya Strelka spit. Dzharylgach is the largest island in the Black Sea.

The Kerch Strait connects the Black Sea with the Sea of ​​Azov. Strait depth - up to 4 m.

The climatic conditions of the Black Sea are characterized by subtropical features. Summer is dry and hot, winter is wet and warm. In winter, Mediterranean and Atlantic cyclones move over it, with which rain and foggy weather are associated. In summer, the Black Sea is under the influence of the Azores High, due to which cloudless weather prevails here, thunderstorms and tornadoes are a rare occurrence.

Fluctuations in sea level associated with tides are insignificant, their amplitude is only 10 cm. Fluctuations under the influence of wind activity reach 1.5 m. The water temperature in summer is +24, + 26 ° С, and in winter it drops to +6, +7 ° C. From a depth of 150 m. The temperature became (8 ° C). In years with severe winters, the northwestern part of the Black Sea freezes over.

The salinity of the upper water layer in the Black Sea is 17-18%. With depth, salinity increases to 22.5%. Compare these figures with the following: the average salinity of the World Ocean is 35% o, the Mediterranean Sea - up to 38, and the Red Sea - 40% o. Find out why the salinity of the Black Sea waters is much lower.

A characteristic feature of the natural conditions of the Black Sea is the existence in it of a permanent layer of hydrogen sulfide at depths below 100-120 m. This layer is inhabited by bacteria that use hydrogen sulfide. It is important that the hydrogen sulfide layer makes up 87% of the volume of the entire Black Sea. And only 13% of the Black Sea water contains oxygen, it is in this small layer that animals live. Researchers note that hydrogen sulfide rises to the surface.

Every year, up to 300 thousand tons of biological resources are selected from the Black Sea. Building sand, gravel, combustible gas are also mined here; the search for oil fields on the shelf continues.


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