Soschi, Russia..........................before this year's winter Olympics...........in South Korea.........the one before that was in Soschi, Russia..

Black Sea

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This article is about the body of water. For other uses, see Black Sea (disambiguation).

Black Sea
Coordinates	44°N 35°E / 44°N 35°E / 44; 35Coordinates: 44°N 35°E / 44°N 35°E / 44; 35
Type	Sea
Primary inflows	Danube, Dnieper, Southern Bug, Dniester, Don, Kuban, Rioni, Kızılırmak
Primary outflows	Bosphorus
Basin countries	Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine
Max. length	1,175 km (730 mi)
Surface area	436,402 km2 (168,500 sq mi)
Average depth	1,253 m (4,111 ft)
Max. depth	2,212 m (7,257 ft)
Water volume	547,000 km3 (131,200 cu mi)
Islands	10+

Black Sea coast of western Georgia, with the skyline of Batumi on the horizon

Swallow's Nest in Crimea

A health resort in Sochi, Russia

The Black Sea is a body of water and marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean between Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Western Asia.^[1] It is supplied by a number of major rivers, such as the Danube, Dnieper, Southern Bug, Dniester, Don, and the Rioni. About a third of Europe drains into the Black Sea,^[2] including the countries of Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine.
The Black Sea has an area of 436,400 km² (168,500 sq mi) (not including the Sea of Azov),^[3] a maximum depth of 2,212 m (7,257 ft),^[4] and a volume of 547,000 km³ (131,000 cu mi).^[5] It is constrained by the Pontic Mountains to the south, Caucasus Mountains to the east, Crimean Mountains to the north, Strandzha to the southwest, Dobrogea Plateau to the northwest, and features a wide shelf to the northwest. The longest east-west extent is about 1,175 km (730 mi).
Important cities along the coast include Batumi, Burgas, Constanța, Giresun, Istanbul, Kerch, Novorossiysk, Odessa, Ordu, Poti, Rize, Samsun, Sevastopol, Sochi, Sukhumi, Trabzon, Varna, Yalta, and Zonguldak.
The Black Sea has a positive water balance; that is, a net outflow of water 300 km³ (72 cu mi) per year through the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles into the Aegean Sea. Mediterranean water flows into the Black Sea as part of a two-way hydrological exchange. The Black Sea outflow is cooler and less saline, and floats over the warm, more saline Mediterranean inflow – as a result of differences in density caused by differences in salinity – leading to a significant anoxic layer well below the surface waters. The Black Sea drains into the Mediterranean Sea, via the Aegean Sea and various straits, and is navigable to the Atlantic Ocean. The Bosphorus Strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the Strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean Sea region of the Mediterranean. These waters separate Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Western Asia. The Black Sea is also connected to the Sea of Azov by the Strait of Kerch.
The water level has varied significantly. Due to these variations in the water level in the basin, the surrounding shelf and associated aprons have sometimes been land. At certain critical water levels it is possible for connections with surrounding water bodies to become established. It is through the most active of these connective routes, the Turkish Straits, that the Black Sea joins the world ocean. When this hydrological link is not present, the Black Sea is an endorheic basin, operating independently of the global ocean system, like the Caspian Sea for example. Currently the Black Sea water level is relatively high, thus water is being exchanged with the Mediterranean. The Turkish Straits connect the Black Sea with the Aegean Sea, and comprise the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles.

Contents

 [hide] 

• 1 Extent
• 2 Population
• 3 Name
  • 3.1 Modern names
  • 3.2 Historical names and etymology
• 4 Geology and bathymetry
• 5 Hydrology
• 6 Hydrochemistry
• 7 Ecology
  • 7.1 Marine
    • 7.1.1 Phytoplankton
    • 7.1.2 Animal species
    • 7.1.3 Ecological effects of pollution
  • 7.2 Terrestrial
• 8 Climate
• 9 Islands
• 10 History
  • 10.1 Mediterranean connection during the Holocene
    • 10.1.1 Deluge hypothesis
  • 10.2 Recorded history
  • 10.3 Archaeology
• 11 Modern use
  • 11.1 Commercial and civic use
    • 11.1.1 Navigation
      • 11.1.1.1 Ports and ferry terminals
      • 11.1.1.2 Merchant fleet and traffic
    • 11.1.2 Fishing
    • 11.1.3 Hydrocarbons exploration
    • 11.1.4 Holiday resorts and spas
  • 11.2 Modern military use
    • 11.2.1 International and military use of the Straits
• 12 Trans-sea cooperation
• 13 See also
• 14 References
• 15 External links

Extent[edit]

The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Black Sea as follows:^[6]

On the Southwest. The Northeastern limit of the Sea of Marmara [A line joining Cape Rumili with Cape Anatoli (41°13'N)].

In the Kertch Strait. A line joining Cape Takil and Cape Panaghia (45°02'N).