“Sea, sea… Bottomless world!” - these words from the once popular song excite our imagination with romantic pictures of seascapes with blue distances, blue skies and turquoise waves.

Which sea is the bluest?(Answer at the very end of the post).

Somewhere in the soul, our distant warm sea begins to rustle, echoing the rustling waves in summer marine fantasies ...

How many oceans and seas are there on our planet?

According to the International Geographical Bureau, there are 4 oceans and 54 seas on Earth, which together form the World Ocean, which makes up two-thirds of the surface of the entire globe.

What color is the ocean?

The color of sea water in the World Ocean is far from uniform, and in different areas It is its own land, that is, each sea has a unique color shade, inherent only to it.

What determines the color of the sea?

The color of the water changes periodically, and this depends on many factors, primarily on the illumination, depth, transparency, color of the seabed, the presence of gases and the quantitative density of microorganisms inhabiting the sea, as well as on such phenomena as the glow and bloom of the sea. In the distance, the sea in its color shade is close to the color of the sky. In cloudy weather it is gray, in clear weather it is blue. When the sun sets, the bright blue sea takes on a golden hue. During a wave, the sea appears whitish.

Scientists studying sea ​​depths, claim that many seas got their name from the color of the water. They believe that in warm seas tropical zone the color of the water is dark blue, and even blue, in the shelf seas it is greenish, and in the muddy coastal seas it has a yellowish tint.

Why is the White Sea called white, the Black Sea black, the Red Sea red, and the Yellow Sea yellow?

The White Sea is the sacred sea of ​​the North, it is fraught with many unsolved mysteries.

The White Sea got its name, perhaps, from the color white snow and the ice covering it in winter time. But there is another assumption, which is that the name "White" Sea received from the religious meaning of the sphere, that is, heavenly.

Indeed, in semantics, white is a heavenly, divine color. There is a hypothesis that the White Sea and its coast are located on the territory of a once flourishing mystical civilization - Hyperborea.

The Black Sea got its name because in cloudy weather the surface of the sea darkens under black clouds. The Turkic nomads, who noticed this, gave him a name - "Kara-Deniz".

There is another plausible assumption about the origin of the name of the Black Sea. Since ancient times, it has been known that all objects that have been in its mysterious depths turn black. And this happens because at a depth of more than 200 meters, sea water is saturated with hydrogen sulfide, which easily forms black salts.

The Red Sea has a red color due to brown microscopic algae, which periodically develop in it. But there is another version regarding the name of the Red Sea. It is said that in ancient times, sailors gave the sea the name "Red" because of the color of the rocks that surround it.

Exists ancient legend, related to biblical events, which tells about the difficult transition of the Jews from Egypt to Israel through the Red Sea.

Moses, who was leading the Jewish people, ordered the sea to part in the name of God. And before their eyes opened deep bottom seas with rocks and mountain ranges, with gorges and depressions, during the passage through which a lot of people died, which was the reason for the name of the red sea.

The Red Sea is one of the most transparent and saltiest seas. Its crystal clearness is explained by the fact that not a single river flows into it, which could bring silt and sand with it and, thereby, cloud the sea waters. And although the sea has the name Red, its waters have a beautiful azure color.

The Yellow Sea is so named because it periodically acquires a yellowish hue of clay, which is abundant on the coast.

Can you tell the color of the sea?

For the first time, a device for determining the color of reservoirs was invented back in late XIX century by the Swiss geographer Forel, who studied the lakes. The device was somewhat inconvenient to work with sea water.

The famous German oceanographer Ole developed a water color scale consisting of a set of twenty-two sealed glass test tubes with samples of solutions of different shades, from light aquamarine to brownish green. Ole finalized the device, improved it, and in given time With this device, you can determine the color of sea water.

Of course, if sea ​​water type in the palm of your hand, it will be transparent, completely without any color. And only in the sea or ocean does it acquire its unique shade.

Which seas have the most green color water?

There is amazing on earth beautiful seas with eye-catching fabulous shades. These marine "beauties" include the Sargasso Sea.

The Sargasso Sea has a bright greenish hue due to the accumulation of green algae on its surface, which form entire islands, roads, and even fields. And the sailors, who first found themselves in this region of the ocean, mistakenly took it for land.

One of the brightest tropical seas is the Caribbean Sea. Its water shines from deep turquoise to bright emerald hues.

The Sea of ​​Azov also has a greenish tint, especially during the season of plankton development. And in the season of storms, the sea takes on a color from yellow-green to yellow-brown due to a change in the transparency of the water. The sea begins to become cloudy, because periodically there is a resuspension of bottom silt and an increase in the river runoff of muddy waters.

And what color shades are noticed in sea waters by people for whom the sea is a place of everyday work?

Those who have connected their lives with the sea see and notice the most unusual subtle shades in the surrounding sea and ocean waters. After all, the sea changes with the time of day, its color depends on the seasons and weather factors. When the nature of the sea changes, its color also changes. And these changes cannot be overlooked.

To one of the most vivid impressions can be attributed to memories of holidays at sea. How do we remember this beautiful sea ​​element? Gentle rays of the southern sun? Delicate velvet coastal sand? The rustling whisper of the waves or the warm breath of the salty wind?..

Perhaps, against the background of all these memorable moments intoxicating the soul, the color of the sea is the strongest. This fantastic blue, delighting our admiring eyes, remains in the memory of an aquamarine delight, a turquoise fairy tale or an azure legend. And all the picturesque shades of the sea merge into one wonderful sea color, with which any memory of the sea is associated.

If you try to answer the question which sea is the bluest, it will hardly be possible to come up with one single true answer. After all, each sea has its own unique color from the blue range with unique shades of turquoise, aquamarine or emerald.

The bluest sea is the sea that lives in our joyful memories or sweet dreams of beauty.
And dreams do come true...

The sacred and beautiful, cold and calm White Sea, which stands out with its characteristic outlines on the map of Russia, has given rise to more than one legend.

Not only stories about monsters and miracles, taken from Scandinavian mythology and Orthodox chronicles of the northern lands, are interesting. The origin of the name itself is mysterious: scientists still have doubts about why the White Sea is called that.

The White Sea is located in the basin of the Arctic Ocean. It is deeply "integrated" into the mainland, and therefore lies almost entirely to the south. arctic circle.

This is partly why the White Sea is considered the warmest of the entire Arctic basin. Relatively small in size, in terms of area it can only compete with Azov (on the territory of Russia).

Origin of the name of the White Sea

The most popular version blames the name of the sea on ice, which completely hides the water under itself for most of the year.

Under the thick white crust and snow-covered hills, it is difficult to recognize the raging elements. From an airplane, the sea looks like a winding ribbon from a neat apron of a first grader.

There are two more elegant versions of the origin of the White Sea toponym:

1. The Northern White Sea was considered sacred, so it was assigned a color that has a light, divine meaning. Initially, the meaning of its name was closely associated with the Heavenly Sphere.

2. The sea was called white for its fantastic ability to keep this shade of water at any time of the year.

Even in summer, the grayish sky is reflected in it, not allowing the expanses to take on a characteristic blue tone.

The rest of the days there is a thick fog over the surface. And even a rain drizzle, smoothly turning into snow, does not change the majestic picture.

It would be possible to dwell on these beautiful and cold theories, if not for a few ancient legends and scientific facts.

What was the name of the White Sea?

The ice-covered reservoir changed its name several times - from Severny and Studeny to Solovetsky (islands with that name are still in its water area).

Some peoples called it Calm, others called it not even the sea, but the White Bay.

But the most interesting names gave him norse mythology: Bay of snakes and Bay of monsters ("Gand-vik", or "Kanda").

Presumably, their fantasy was influenced by the harsh nature of the Arctic Ocean and the serpentine shape of the sea: from a height, it resembles a winding ribbon or a curved reptile.

Other "white" seas

White color is a popular solution not only in interior design, but also when choosing a variety of geographical names.

On the map, you can find not only “white” spots, but also rivers, seas, and peaks of the same shade.

Interestingly, Lithuanians and Latvians call the Baltic Sea white in their languages. Since ancient times, the word Balt meant snow color.

Therefore, every self-respecting Baltic citizen has no doubt that Baltijas is White.

There is another sea that has taken on an innocent shade - the Aegean. Only the Greeks call it Aegean.

But the Bulgarians (and the rest of the Slavs with southern shores) still, like centuries ago, are not inferior to them, assuring that the true name of the sea is White. And from here another theory takes its trail, why the Russian White Sea is so called.

Toponymy from the Mediterranean

There is a version that during the Middle Ages, pilgrims from Russia often visited the monasteries of Serbia and Bulgaria. There they could get acquainted with the true White Sea and bring the historical name to their northern latitudes.

Confirmation of this is often found in chronicles, so the version has the right to life. True, historians cannot reliably name the starting point of the toponym, because in some sources the Aegean Sea is called White, and in others - the Mediterranean.

Why, you ask, was it necessary to borrow other people's names for their native places?

Scientists have an answer: in the Middle Ages, most of the Russian north had pagan names. The sea kept its Scandinavian roots and was called the Gulf of Kanda.

During the period of active pilgrimage, the monks from the Solovetsky Islands undertook to “change the picture” towards the Orthodox, truly Slavic side.

But where do you get ideas from? Of course, from the source of wisdom - from the Christian lands on the Mediterranean.

So on Solovki appeared (you won’t believe it!) Its own Mount Golgotha, as well as Mount Sinai and Mount Eleon not far from the Pomeranian villages.

And then on the map dated 1592, the toponym White Sea was for the first time indicated.

In search of an answer to the question of why the sea is so called, one can stumble upon a lot of assumptions and hypotheses. Let's look at the most compelling of them. We will also try to answer the question of why the sea is called the sea and nothing else.

Why is the accumulation of salt water in a vast depression in land relief called a sea? Some sources claim that the word "sea" comes from the Proto-Slavic form *morje. The word itself originates from Israeli mythology and biblical stories, where it denoted not only part of the world's oceans, but also various other bodies of water. It is noteworthy that this word had another interpretation. The ancient Jews sometimes referred to them as all the world's evil.

And now let's try to figure out why some seas have such unusual names and whether they are directly related to the color palette.

Why is the Black Sea called black?

There are several answers to this question. According to one theory, this sea got its name from the Turks, who for a long time were unable to cross it in order to conquer the peoples who inhabited the coastal strip. It was then that they gave him the nickname "Kara-den-giz", which means "inhospitable", "unkind". Well, the black color, obviously, they associated with bad hospitality.

Sailors who sail on it say that it appears black at the time of the storm. But in fairness it should be said that this sea storms with a force of more than 6 points from the strength of only 20 days a year, and the rest of the time it seems more azure than black.

There is a version that it got its name due to the silt thrown ashore, but it is also more gray than black.

A more plausible version seems that the Black Sea got its name due to the fact that any object lowered to its bottom and removed from there after some time will be black, which it will acquire due to the accumulation of hydrogen sulfide at great depths. And who called the Black Sea black for the first time, history is silent.

Why is the Red Sea called red?

There are two main answers to this question. According to one, it appears red at the time of flowering of a special kind of algae. According to another version, for the first time it was named so by travelers who saw how coastal rocks reflected in its waters, painted red by sunset or sunrise.

It is noteworthy that this sea is not called red in the language of the peoples living on its shores. In this area, it is more called reed or reed because of the rapid growth of these plants in the vicinity of the Suez Canal.

Why is the Dead Sea called dead?

Death from swimming in the waters Dead Sea you are definitely not threatened, rather, on the contrary. High concentration useful salts in this sea renders on human body pronounced healing and even rejuvenating effect.

But many other organisms cannot live in these waters, for which such a concentration of salts, which does not even allow the human body to sink to the bottom of this sea, is simply fatal. The density of the water of this sea at times more density fresh water. It has also been observed that the oxygen content in the air in the Dead Sea region is more than 15%, and people sunbathing on its shores do not experience the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

Why is the White Sea called white?

But the answer to the question of who first called the White Sea white, we know quite reliably. This name is found on the map of Peter Plaicius, which was compiled at the end of the 16th century. The more common and most confirmed version of why the White Sea is called white is the version that the water in it really has a whitish tint that does not change depending on weather conditions. It is believed that the sea acquires this shade due to the reflection of the white northern sky in it.

There are many seas in the world. Most of their names are associated with colors: White, Red, Black ... Why is the sea called the sea? Let's try to figure this out together.

Why is the Black Sea so named?

There are several assumptions about this. If you believe the Turkish version, then this name came from the Turks. The fact is that they met very serious resistance when they tried to conquer the coastal territory of the Black Sea. That is why the sea was nicknamed "Karaden-Giz", that is, inhospitable.

The sailors present their version. They argue that the reason for giving the sea such a name was regular storms. They colored the water dark shade. True, such an opinion is rather doubtful and few researchers adhere to it. After all, strong storms are relatively rare here. This often happens only a few times a year. In addition, almost all seas are distinguished by periodic darkening of the water, so this moment is unlikely to have influenced the name.

According to one opinion, the name is due to black silt. He almost always stays on the shore after a storm. But this opinion also raises some doubts, because the silt in its color is more gray than black. At the same time, this version cannot be denied.

Hydrologists have their own idea. They claim that the sea is called Black because metal objects who have been in it rise strongly blackened.

Why is the Red Sea called Red?

Scientists say that the sea is so named because of the regular reddening of the water, which leads to the reproduction of algae. Historians have their own version of the name of the sea. They are sure that this name was given by ancient travelers who were surprised by the beautiful reflection of the red mountains in the sea.

It is worth noting that the "Red" Sea is called only in Europe, in other countries they found other names for it. For example, in Hebrew it has a completely different name.

Why was the White Sea called white

There are several versions, each of which has its own right to life. One of the popular versions says that the sea is covered with ice for a long period of the year. If you look at this time from space, the sea looks absolutely snow-white. Also, many researchers believe that the whole thing is in a whitish tint. If you look closely, you can understand that the sea remains white throughout almost the entire year.

For the first time, the mention of the "White Sea" can be seen on the map of Peter Plaicius, which dates back to 1592. Prior to this, the bay, which coincides in location with the White Sea, was called the "Calm" Sea. The first map of the sea, which is almost completely true, was created by the Russians in the seventeenth century. Even then, the sea was called White, and since then no one has changed the name.

Why is the Yellow Sea called yellow

The Yellow Sea is rightly called the Yellow Sea. Finding an explanation is easy enough. It is calm, compact in size and not at all deep. The river that flows into the sea brings a lot of silt. Since the sea is closed, the silt instantly turns the sea water yellow.

It is worth noting that swimming in this sea is not always safe. In addition, swimming here is a dubious pleasure. The reason lies all in the same silt, as well as muddy elm. In addition, the tides carry water miles away from the coast.

Why is the Dead Sea called dead?


Least of all different assumptions can be found about the names of the dead seas. Here everything is extremely simple and clear. Its main feature is great amount salt crystals that can be seen on its shore. White objects almost completely cover the coast.

That is why the coast of the Dead Sea is almost impossible to confuse with the coast of another sea. The salt here is very concentrated. It's not simple salt, which we are used to seeing in the kitchen, and mineral salt, unique in its properties.

For many living organisms, even a short swim in the sea can be fatal to life.

Swimming in the Dead Sea, a person feels like a float. To explain such buoyancy is quite simple. The weight of the matter is that the density of salt water is much higher than that of fresh water. Despite the fact that for many living organisms, swimming in the Dead Sea is detrimental, it has a very positive effect on the human body. Since ultraviolet radiation is completely safe here, and the oxygen content is an order of magnitude higher.

Why is the Laptev Sea so named

Consider also the features of the name of the Laptev Sea. It is located on the outskirts of the Arctic Ocean. Main Feature of this sea is precisely its location. The fact is that earthquakes regularly occur in this zone, often quite strong. On all sides the sea is surrounded by islands.

The sea was not always called the Laptev. There is evidence that it was previously called Siberian. But this historical name was not the only one.

In 1878-79, the sea began to bear the name of Nordenskiöld. Nils Nordenskiöld was very famous person. He became famous as a geographer, geologist, cartographer, historian, explorer, navigator. The main achievement of this Swede is the first ever voyage from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean. Before Niels, no one dared to perform such a feat.

After some time, the sea was renamed again. Own modern name the reservoir received thanks to cousins ​​from Russia. Khariton and Dmitry Laptev were famous polar explorers who made many useful discoveries. They were the first in the world to carefully describe the coastline of the sea.