Extreme points of the Azov Sea. Sea of Azov. How the Sea of Azov Appeared

Our ancestors who inhabited ancient Rus' knew the Sea of Azov back in the first century. But they called it differently - affectionately the Blue Sea. It may well be that our great poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, who visited Tmutarakan (former name) and wrote the “Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish”, still popular among both children and adults, had in mind the hut of an old man and an old woman with a broken trough exactly on its shore.

He also called him “blue”!? And “Near Lukomorye there is a green oak tree” from the poem “Ruslan and Lyudmila”? - this is also about the Blue Sea. The truth about the one that merged with the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait. And the place where our warm southern seas rush into each other's arms and it was called Lukomorye! This is not far from the resort on the shores of the Temryuk Bay of the Azov Sea, which is especially loved by Muscovites: there is much more sun here than in Sochi and Gelendzhik (it shines 280 days a year) plus magnificent sandy beaches, plus a lot of attractions and entertainment. But it is also surprising that, upon returning home, tourists quite often confuse which seas they swam in: it’s just a stone’s throw from the Sea of Azov, and the temptation to swim in both is strong! This is what vacationers do with great passion!

But only Russians lived on the shores of the Sea of Azov. As then, so to this day, their shores were and are inhabited by representatives of other large and small nations. Therefore, say, the Greeks still live in compact settlements with a pronounced Hellenic culture and Athenian architecture, called this shallowest body of water in the world - Lake Meotia. The Romans - the Maeotian swamp. Turks - Bahr - el Assak or Bahr-y Assak, which literally translates as the dark, blue sea.

It must be said that throughout its history, the Sea of Azov was renamed several times. Sometimes it was called Samakush, sometimes Salakar, sometimes Mayutis. And as the chronicles, in particular of Pimen, dating back to the seventeenth century, testify, the Sea of Azov became consonant with the city of Azov founded on its shore. At least in the eighteenth century, this name was firmly entrenched in it. Hence the villages derived from it - Azovskaya, Priazovskaya, the city of Novoazovsky or the village of Priazovsky.

Taking into account the fact that the Sea of Azov is still connected to the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait, it can rightfully be called a semi-enclosed sea. It splashes in eastern Europe. This is, let us emphasize once again, the shallowest sea in the world. Its average depth ranges from 6 to a little over seven meters, the maximum exceeds thirteen and a half meters.
Like the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov is connected by straits and seas to the great Atlantic Ocean. In this sequence: through the Kerch Strait - with the Black Sea, through the Bosphorus Strait with the Sea of Marmara, then through the Dardanelles Strait with the Aegean and Mediterranean seas and through the Strait of Gibraltar it merges with the Atlantic Ocean. Quite muddy rivers flow into the Sea of Azov, plus they are not so deep and have silt deposits at the bottom. Therefore, unlike the Black Sea, the Azov Sea is not so transparent - from 0.5 to 8 meters of visibility, depending on weather conditions.

Dimensions and features of the Sea of Azov

Its surface area is 37,800 square kilometers. To these you can add another 107.9 square kilometers, which fall on the islands and spits. Coastline exceeds 1470 kilometers. The largest length is 380, the largest width is 200 kilometers. The drainage area is 586,000 kilometers.
Salinity exceeds 14-15 percent. Unlike the Black Sea, the water contains less chlorine and calcium, but it is richer in carbonates and sulfates. The average annual water temperature is about 11 degrees, in the summer it warms up to 24-26, but in some places it even reaches 30-something. In winter it can cool down to one with a plus sign or to zero. At lower air temperatures, ice even forms, which enters the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait. Adding extra trouble to sailors, especially in the Novorossiysk region, when in winter it breaks through the surrounding mountains North wind bora, which binds the hulls of ships with an ice shell.

Marine life

Sea of Azov - real paradise for lovers fishing. There is no other body of water in the world richer in fish! There is six and a half times more of it here than, for example, in the Caspian Sea. Forty times more than in the Black Sea. And 160 times more than in the Mediterranean Sea. There are more than a hundred species and subspecies of fish. There are so-called migratory species that enter rivers to spawn - beluga, stellate sturgeon, herring, and fisherman. There are semi-anadromous species - which enter rivers to breed and even spend the winter in them - carp, bream, ram, pike perch, etc. In the desalinated waters of the sea, sterlet, bleak, pike, silver carp, and ide are found. Well, who among the fishing enthusiasts does not know such inhabitants of the Azov Sea as red mullet, mullet, horse mackerel, mackerel, pelengas from the mullet family or anchovy, which the same Muscovites take lightly salted or salted in large containers to their native lands and treat their relatives and friends. With boiled potatoes - the most relish!
There are also larger inhabitants in the sea. For example, the porpoise is the Azov dolphin. It is also called chushka, pyhtun. They live either in pairs or in flocks of up to ten or more individuals. Females are larger than males - 90, 150 centimeters. Weighing thirty or more kilograms. They live 25-30 years. In the floodplains of the estuaries adjacent to the sea there is a lot of waterfowl; among the reeds you can see wild boar and fox and muskrat, brought here from North America.

Holidays at sea

We have already said that the length of the coastline of the Azov Sea reaches almost one and a half thousand kilometers. Of course, most of them are located on magnificent sandy beaches. And the entire sea coast is an almost continuous recreation area with resort towns and villages, thousands of sanatoriums, boarding houses, recreation centers, children's health camps, tent cities, hotels, inns, a huge private sector. For example, the same world-famous Taman in 2001 received the status of a resort of federal significance due to the presence of a large amount of medicinal mud, both extracted from the bottom of salt lakes, estuaries, and extinct or active mud volcanoes.

Silt or mud applications will help you get rid of skin diseases, put your musculoskeletal system in order, help with rheumatism and radiculitis - the range of their beneficial effects for health is very wide, and the procedures can be alternated with swimming in the sea, in which beneficial salts are also dissolved and which is just a stone's throw away: the same salt lake

washes the coast Krasnodar region, Rostov, Zaporozhye and Donetsk regions, as well as the coast Crimean peninsula and belongs to the Atlantic Ocean basin. It is connected to the Black Sea via the Kerch Strait, through which a bridge is being built to Crimea and rivers such as the Kuban and Don flow into it.

Maximum depth of the Sea of Azov does not exceed 14 meters (about the same height of a five-story building), and the average depth is only 7.5 - 8 meters, and it is rightfully considered the shallowest sea in the world and the smallest in Russia - an area of 39,000 square kilometers. If we compare it in area with the smallest sea in the world - the Sea of Marmara, then the Sea of Azov is larger by 28,000 square kilometers (3.5 times). But the depth of the Sea of Marmara is 1350 meters.

The sea received its current name thanks to the city of Azov. And because of its shallow waters and predisposition to flowering, in ancient times the Greek tribes called the Sea of Azov the Meotian Lake (Mayotis Estuary), the Romans called the Meotian Swamp, and the ancient inhabitants gave it the name “Temerinda,” which means “Mother of the Seas.” IN Ancient Rus' it was called the Blue Sea, and after the formation of the Tmutarakan principality it received the name “Russian Sea”.

The bottom of the Sea of Azov is very simple, and the depth gradually increases with distance from land and forms a maximum in the center of the sea. The coastline is wide and mainly consists of small shell rock (beach in the village). On Taman Peninsula and in Crimea there are hills of volcanic origin, mud volcanoes(including near the central beach), turning into steep mountains. Currents very often change their directions due to constantly changing winds, and the main one is considered to be circular counterclockwise.

The transparency of the water of the Azov Sea is very low, and in different months it ranges from 50 centimeters to 9 meters. This is explained by the large supply of water from rivers, the silt bottom, which quickly becomes cloudy during waves, and a huge amount plankton. IN summer time transparency increases, but in some places, due to the rapid development of algae and living organisms, it almost completely decreases and the water acquires a greenish color. At this time the sea “blooms”.

As noted at the very beginning, the Sea of Azov is very shallow, so the water in it is completely mixed and contains a large amount of oxygen. However, in hot summer windless weather during the “blooming”, oxygen deficiency appears, and “freezing” or “pestilence” occurs (many die).

Winter on the Sea of Azov is very cold, but not long. Summers are very hot and dry. The average annual temperature is about ten degrees. The maximum temperature in July reaches plus 45 degrees, and in winter sometimes the thermometer can drop to minus 30.

By the beginning of June, the water temperature of the Azov Sea warms up to 23-24 degrees, which is several degrees warmer than the Black Sea. Local residents often open swimming season V May holidays, since at this time the weather is comfortable, and the water near the shore is very warm during the daytime. Tourists from all over Russia begin to travel en masse only from mid-June. On the hottest days of July and August, temperatures can rise above 30 degrees. In winter at the most
On cold days the Sea of Azov freezes.

The height of the waves in the Sea of Azov is relatively small, because the wind speed and duration are low, as well as small sizes and the depth of the reservoir do not allow giant waves to develop. The maximum wave height is three meters and the length is 25 meters. In the open ocean, they reach a height of 14 meters and a length of 450. However, there are exceptions. For example, in October 1969, a very strong southeast wind blew for some time (the locals call it “nizovka”), the sea near the coast from Primorsko-Akhtarsk to the Kerch Strait receded, and the water level in these places dropped by almost a hundred centimeters. And the opposite north-west wind blew sharply (the locals call it “maystra”) up to 45 meters per second, and millions of tons of water rushed towards the Kuban coast. A large number of people died, thousands were left homeless.

Salinity of the Azov Sea depends on the influx of river water and connection with the Black Sea. Near the Kerch Strait it is 17.5 ppm. The central part is very uniform and is 11-12 ppm. And closer to the mouth of the Don, salinity drops to 1.5 ppm.

Bays and estuaries connecting to the sea from Russia: Taganrog, Temryuk, Sivash, Kazantip, Arabat bays; Miussky, Yeisk, Yasensky, Beisugsky, Akhtarsky, Akhtanizovsky estuaries.Spit, capes of the Sea of Azov in Russia: Arabatskaya Strelka, Chushka, Beglitskaya, Petrushina, Glafirovskaya, Dolgaya, Kamyshevatskaya, Yasenskaya, Achuevskaya, Yeiskaya, Sazalnikskaya spits; ; Taganrog, Chumbursky, Achuevsky, Kamenny, Khroni, Zyuk, Chagany capes and Kazantip cape.Rivers flowing into the Sea of Azov: Mokry Elanchik, Mius, Sambek, Don, Kagalnik, Mokraya Chuburka, Eya, Protoka, .
Regions and areas washed by the Sea of Azov: Rostov region (Neklinovsky, Azov districts, Taganrog), Krasnodar region(Shcherbinovsky, Yeysky, Primorsko-Akhtarsky, Kanevsky, Slavyansky, Temryuk districts), Republic of Crimea (Kerch, Leninsky district).

Stanitsa Golubitskaya

A popular holiday destination on the Taman Peninsula. A small village (population just over four thousand) is surrounded by greenery and vineyards and is located 8 km from the city of Temryuk (the nearest railway station is also located here), 55 km from Anapa (the nearest airport is here) and 149 km from Krasnodar.

Sandy, mixed with small shell rock, enriched with healthy minerals, the beaches of the village of Golubitskaya are ideal for families with children. Warm and shallow sea, sandy and flat bottom.

There are many natural attractions on the territory of the village. For example, Golubitskoye Lake is a large but shallow lake with healing mud convenient for taking mud baths not only for adults, but also for children. Or amazing beauty estuaries overgrown with lotuses and presenting an unforgettable sight during the flowering period.

For entertainment, there is the largest water park on the Azov Sea, on the territory of which there is a guest house, which gives the right to free admission to all entertainment events on the territory of the water park and the water park itself, as well as the Dolphinarium, where funny performances are held twice a day.

In Taman you can also visit the ethnographic complex "Ataman" - a museum under open air, dedicated to the life and everyday life of the Cossacks, or go to an ostrich farm in Abinsk, visit the Tizdar mud volcano, take a horseback ride or a boat ride along the Kuban River.

There is also the opportunity to fly on a light aircraft of the Sky Aero Club and visit a sailing school, windsurfing club or paragliding center.

During the season, many residents rent out their homes to vacationers. Right on the seashore next to the beach you can rent, if desired, a guest house, a room in a boarding house or at a recreation center.

Stanitsa Dolzhanskaya (Dolzhanka)

The village of Dolzhanskaya is located on the Dolgaya spit, 40 km from the city of Yeisk (the nearest airport is also located here). The nearest railway station from the village is Starominskaya, and Dolzhanka itself has its own pier.

Calm quiet rest without much entertainment in this small seaside village, which is nature reserve With unique nature, also good for family vacation.

The sandy and shell-sloping beach is located on the Dolgaya spit, which extends 11 kilometers into the sea and separates the Sea of Azov and the Taganrog Bay.

Pine forest, steppe grasses and flowers enhance the healing effect of the local healing mud and shell beaches rich in minerals. And all this overall creates a healing and very beneficial environment for the human body.

For accommodation - several guest houses and boarding houses and a hospitable private sector.

For entertainment other than relaxing on the beach, the adventurous local residents offer horseback riding tours in the surrounding area and riding lessons. These places are also very popular among windsurfers.

Yes, yes, this is the one famous thanks to the popular comedy series resort village on the shore of the Azov Sea. Honestly, I didn't know he existed in reality . Kuchugury is located 80 kilometers from Anapa, 40 kilometers from the city of Temryuk, 25 kilometers from Kerch.

In Kuchugury - sand beach with fine golden sand and small shell rock and the always clean, shallow Azov Sea in this place. The water is warm and warms up well. Just right for small children.

The convenient location of the village allows you to reach the beach on foot from any point in no more than 15 minutes.

There is not much entertainment, but on the beach you can ride a banana boat or fly a parachute. Plus to this - quiet place, relaxing holidays, fresh fruits and freshly caught fish dishes - what else is needed for a relaxing holiday with children. Not far from the sea in the center of the village there is an amusement park for children “Emelya”.

Housing is mainly in the private sector. But there are mini-hotels, a small hotel, guest houses. From the names I remember the guest house “Svaty”. Prices, according to reviews, are quite affordable.

Peresyp village

A small village, pleasant for family holidays, is also located in the Temryuk area. Approximately 15 kilometers from the village of Kuchugury and 7 kilometers from the village of Golubitskaya. This is another great place to relax with children. Sandy and shell beaches on the Peresyp spit, shallow waters, warm and clear sea. Very close is the Lotus Valley, the healing lake “Blue Balka”.

Resort Primorsko-Akhtarsk

Another resort in the Krasnodar Territory on the shores of the Azov Sea. The city is located 150 kilometers from Krasnodar (there is an airport here, and there is also an airport in the city of Yeysk). In Primorsko-Akhtarsk itself there is a bus station, a railway station, and a pier.

Several days were spent choosing a vacation spot. And, although I really liked the resorts of the Temryuk region, I had to postpone these options for now, because they are located further away. And we don’t want the car trip to be very long and tiring. The closest resort of the Azov Sea to us was the city of Yeisk.

Yeysk is our choice

Yeysk is a southern port city in the northwestern part of the Krasnodar Territory with many parks, green alleys and shady squares and numerous beaches on the Yeisk Estuary and Taganrog Bay.

Yeisk also has plenty of children's entertainment:

Water park "Nemo" on the shore of Taganrog Bay on Primorskaya embankment
Dolphinarium (Schmidt St., 16/1)
Crocodile Canyon with amazing snakes, crocodiles, turtles (Schmidt St., 16/1)
Children's center "Bingo-Bongo" (Krasnaya St., 74/2), where you can have a very fun and organized time with children of different ages
Oceanarium "Shark Reef" (Schmidt St., 15/1).
Park named after Poddubny with more than 30 types of attractions. This oldest park Kuban, which is located on the shores of Taganrog Bay.

In addition, Yeysk is one of the best mud resorts on the Azov-Black Sea coast, a healthy climate, shallow, well-warmed sea and sandy, shell and pebble beaches.

The resort is located at the base Yeisk Spit on the peninsula and is washed on three sides by the Sea of Azov. Yeysk is located 180 kilometers from Rostov-on-Don and 250 kilometers from Krasnodar.

You can get to Yeysk in different ways: by car, by plane, or by water.

Peak rest was taken as the initial parameters. tourist season(second half of July), accommodation – in budget hotels(2-3 stars), location - close to the sea and beach area, food - set lunches in inexpensive cafes, cost of excursions popular in this place, and the cost of a ticket for public transport, as well as the cost from railway station or airport to your place of residence (but only for public transport). According to these parameters, the city of Yeysk entered the top five budget leaders beach holiday. Here you can relax for 2140 rubles.

All this in general and in general, as well as the formed opinion based on studying a large number of reviews of those who had already vacationed in these places with children, put the final point in the choice. All that remained was to find suitable housing. We were counting on a budget of 12-14 thousand for 7 days for four: two adults and two children.

Preference was given to mini-hotels, guest houses and turnkey houses. I want to say that good options These dates were already, for the most part, booked. People took care of what was coming in advance summer vacation. Therefore, they chose from what was left. Although, of course, sometimes the thought crept in: not to book anything, but to go “at random” and get your bearings on the spot. But we were traveling with children. Therefore, the surprise factor could play a bad joke on us in this case.

Choosing housing in Yeysk

Firstly, it was necessary to understand in which area it is better to choose. Because there is sea on all sides: from the east - the Yeisk Estuary, from the west - Taganrog Bay.

We focused on a calm, quiet holiday, so the following were important:

The sea is within walking distance
Sandy beach with good conditions for children
Small number of guests
Availability of any children's entertainment
Comfortable accommodation with all amenities.

I’ll say right away that on the first day I was simply confused by the abundance of offers and, after sitting for half a day, I still didn’t understand where and what to look for. There was a lot on offer different types housing - hotels and boarding houses, guest houses and recreation centers, mini-hotels, apartments and private houses.

In order to somehow streamline and narrow down the search area, I decided to understand for myself and try to figure out which area of the city has the most suitable conditions for us. And since the main condition is a good children's beach in the immediate vicinity, it was decided to start by exploring the beaches of Yeysk.

Beaches of Yeysk

As it turned out, there are several of them in the city and they are very diverse: sandy, pebble, shell, rocky and, most often, mixed (sand-shell and pebble-sand).

The main beaches are located on the Yeisk Spit: Central City Beach, Children's Beach, located opposite the Central Beach, Youth Beach, Kamenka Beach. There are also small individual beaches on the coast of the Yeisk estuary (the area of the second microdistrict).

To make it clearer, let’s look at each in more detail.

Central city beach

Stretched along the Taganrog Bay for approximately half a kilometer. It is considered (according to reviews) the most nice beach in the city. Clean, the bottom and shore are sandy, a gentle entrance, shallow depth at the entrance and a maximum depth of up to 1.5 meters. The water warms up well.

Lots of entertainment for adults and children. The beach is equipped with changing cabins, paid toilets, sun loungers and umbrellas are available for rent, and spreading trees provide natural shade. There is a place to eat.

The central city beach is divided into two parts: Central - from the side of the Taganrog Bay and Children's Beach from the side of the Yeisk Estuary. They are located across the street from each other.

Children's city beach

Its length is approximately 300 meters, not a very large coastal beach area. Sand and shell (mixed) shore. Shallow, the greatest depth is 1-1.5 meters. Lots of entertainment for children (trampolines, waterslides, “bananas”, jet skis, “tablets”).

Ideal and perfect for children safe place. Complete absence of waves. If there are no adults who like to swim in the depths, it’s quite appropriate place for relaxing with children.

The central city beach, both for adults and for children, is, according to many vacationers, the best. The only drawback is that there are a lot of people there, and you need to get there early.

At the very end of the Yeisk Spit there is also Youth Beach (here is the maximum depth), but we will not talk about it, since its name speaks for itself.

Beaches of Yeisk Estuary

They are located in the waters of the Yeisk Estuary on the right side of the city in the form of small sections along the coastline. According to reviews, the most popular sections of the beach are in the area of Nizhnesadovaya Street at the intersection with Pionerskaya, Plekhanova, Krasnaya, Barrikadnaya and Svobody streets.

The beaches that are located closer to the Central Beach are mostly small-pebble, while further along the coast they are sandy and shell-like. The entrance to the sea is gentle, level, the bottom is sand and silt, the maximum depth is up to 1 meter. These are quiet, calm beaches, but, according to reviews, not equipped (“wild beaches”).

Kamenka Beach

If we go down a little south of the Central Beach from the side of Taganrog Bay, we get to Kamenka Beach. It is a little south of the Yeisk port. The beach stretches for about a kilometer on the coast along the Taganrog Bay. The depth does not reach more than one and a half meters.

The coastal shore is heterogeneous: the sandy beach is mixed with areas covered with stones (apparently, this is why the beach got its name).

On the northern side of the beach, from the port to Rostovskaya Street, the shore is mostly sandy and comfortable. From Rostovskaya and further the beach becomes more and more rocky and gradually turns into pebbles.

Another children's beach - “Goat Beach”

This is the part of Kamenka beach that is located between the port and the water park. “Goat Beach” is ideal for families with small children (it is also called “children’s beach”), but it is located in the waters of Taganrog Bay south of the port. This is the smallest (in the very deep place the water barely reaches the knee) sandy beach in the city. Its length is about 300 meters. There is a lot of sand, the water warms up well. Young children really like this beach. In addition, it is located next to the water park.

As far as I understand, “Goat Beach” is also called “Melyaki” Beach (probably because it has the shallowest sea in the city). Initially, I thought that these were two different beaches, but after comparing their descriptions, I decided that we were talking about the same children’s beach.

On Kamenka beach there are also other children's entertainment: an oceanarium and a dolphinarium. There are other advantages of this beach: few people, silence, tranquility, warm sea, magnificent sunsets that open from the Primorskaya embankment, shallow water almost everywhere, sand islands, formed as a result of low tides - a real creative workshop for young architects and builders of castles and palaces.

What I noticed: the sea in Yeisk is shallow. For us, this is a plus, but those who expect greater depth may be disappointed. And the water in the sea (judging by the description and reviews) is not transparent, but cloudy, due to the suspended particles of sand and silt mud present in it (by the way, beneficial for the human body). And in Yeisk there are no large dangerous waves or storms.

After analyzing all this information and reading a lot of reviews, I came to the conclusion that it is best to swim with children on Kamenka or on Central Beach. But since I wanted it to be not very noisy and crowded beach, then preference was given to housing on the side of the Taganrog Bay in the Kamenka beach area.

Exactly in this area, or rather in the location children's beach“Melyaki” (or “Goat Beach”) and the main children's entertainment were concentrated on the search for housing (at the intersection of Shmidt, Morskaya, Kalinin, Oktyabrskaya streets from Nizhnesadovaya to Rostovskaya).

Yeysk hotels on the map:

There were all sorts of options to choose from: hotels and boarding houses, guest houses, apartments in high-rise buildings, turnkey houses and the private sector. But we wanted to stay in mini-hotels or guest houses.

After reviewing various options, a selection was made according to the following criteria: close to the sea (so that you can walk), so that the shore is sandy or sandy-shell, so that it is good for children to swim, so that there are entertainment centers, good conditions accommodation with amenities, not a very large number of guests. We were also looking for the first floor, since the children are small.

And, after much debate and discussion, the choice was made. We stayed at a mini-hotel. I contacted its owner, after which an advance payment was made. The booking agreement is based on your word of honor. Now we are preparing for the trip and are looking forward to two weeks flying by and we will go on a trip with the children to the sea by car.

The Crimean Peninsula is one of the favorite holiday destinations of Russians and a popular tourist destination for fans of architectural and natural attractions. When answering the question of what seas are in Crimea, many forget that in addition to the Black Peninsula, it is also washed by the Sea of Azov, and therefore it is possible to choose a resort according to your mood and needs.

Azov - sea or lake?

Small area and the shallow depth of the Azov Sea of Crimea can be puzzling: why not call it a lake? And yet, scientists believe that the term “sea” is the only correct one, although it is difficult to call the maximum depth of 13 meters completely marine.
The Sea of Azov belongs to the Atlantic basin and is connected with it by a complex system of natural reservoirs. It is connected to the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait, then its waters mix with the Sea of Marmara through the Bosphorus and with the Aegean through the Dardanelles. Once in the Mediterranean waters, the Azov waters enter the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar.
The Sea of Azov has a number interesting features:

It belongs to the flat seas and, due to its distance from the Atlantic, is considered the most continental on Earth.
The Sea of Azov often freezes, and in cold winters it freezes almost completely. The southern areas remain ice-free due to higher salinity compared to other regions.
The water temperature in the summer months reaches +25 degrees, and in winter, due to shallow water and low salt content, it can drop to freezing levels.

Which sea washes Crimea?

And yet, the main sea of Crimea is, without a doubt, the Black Sea. It is on its coast that the main resorts and health resorts, sanatoriums and holiday homes are located. The Black Sea washes most of the coastline of the Crimean Peninsula and forms the bays of Feodosia, Karkinitsky and Kalamitsky.
On the territory of Crimea there are three most important resort region, known as South coast with center in Yalta, West Coast with the resort of Evpatoria and the South-East with Sudak and Feodosia at the head.
The Black Sea is important for shaping the climate of the peninsula. On the southern part of the coast, the climate is characterized as subtropical, the water here warms up to +26 degrees in the summer months, and comfortable weather is even observed late autumn and in winter. The rest of the peninsula is characterized by a temperate continental climate, and the weather here is largely determined by the proximity of the Black Sea.

The Sea of Azov on the map is a semi-enclosed area of the Atlantic Ocean. The facility is located in the eastern part of Europe. Two countries have the Sea of Azov on their territory - Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

general information

The Sea of Azov is considered the shallowest in the world. Its maximum depth is no more than thirteen and a half meters, and the average (according to various estimates) is within 6.8-8 m. In the area where the Sea of Azov is located, there are other objects connecting the water area with the Atlantic Ocean. Among them, the Kerch and Gibraltar straits, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles should be noted. In addition, the connecting links are the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas.

Story

Previously, in ancient times, where the Sea of Azov is now, there was no water. The filling of the water area supposedly began in 5600 BC. e. At that time, it flowed directly into the Black Sea in the area of the current Kerch Strait. In the area where the Sea of Azov is located, there are different settlements. The names of many of them came from the name of the reservoir. For example, the villages of Priazovskaya and Azovskaya, the city of Azov, which is located in the lower reaches of the river. Don, Novoazovsk and others.

Name

In ancient times, different nationalities called the water area differently. It should be said that the sea was renamed quite a few times. To this day, the exact origin of the name has not been established. There are several hypotheses on the etymology of the original word “Azov”:

named after Prince Azum, killed in 1067;
by the name of the tribe “Assy”, which, in turn, presumably came from Avestan and means “fast”;
in Circassian “uzev”, which means “neck”;
according to the Turkic word "azan" - "lower".

Back in the distant 1st century. n. e. In his writings, Pliny, listing the Scythian tribes, speaks of the settlement of "Asoks". The name is similar to the word "Azov". It is believed that the modern name of the water area began to be used in Russian toponymy from the beginning of the 17th century, thanks to the chronicler Pimen. At the same time, it must be said that initially not the entire Sea of Azov received the name (on the map of Russia, not far from the part that received the name, the city of Taganrog is located today). And only by the 2nd half of the 18th century the name was assigned to the entire water area.

Research

The history of studying the region where the Sea of Azov is located is conventionally divided into several stages.

Geographical (ancient), lasting from the time of Herodotus until the early 19th century.
Geological-geographical. It lasted from the 19th century until the 40s of the 20th century.
Complex. This period began in the mid-20th century and continues to this day.

Claudius Ptolemy compiled the first map. Ukraine as such did not exist then, and the position of the reservoir itself relative to other objects was not entirely clear. Ptolemy established the first geographical coordinates for cities, bays and capes. Subsequently, Gleb Svyatoslavovich, who ruled in Tmutarakan in 1068, measured the distance from Kerch to Taman using ice. At that time it was approximately 20 kilometers. Already from the 12th-14th centuries, the Venetians and Genoese began to draw up maps and sailing directions of the Azov and Black Seas.

Geographical position

The area where the Sea of Azov is located lies between 45°12′30″ and 47°17′30″ N. w. and 33°38′ and 39°18′ E. d. The maximum length of the reservoir reaches 380 kilometers, and its width is 200 kilometers. The coastline has a length of 2686 km, the surface of the water area covers an area of 37,800 square meters. km (this figure does not include spits and islands, which are distributed over an area of 107.9 sq. km). In accordance with its morphological characteristics, the object is classified as a flat sea. The reservoir is considered shallow, with low bank slopes. The Sea of Azov (this is clearly visible on the map of Russia) is quite far from the ocean. In this regard, the object belongs to the group of continental reservoirs. In winter, the Sea of Azov can completely or partially freeze. The ice is carried along the Kerch Strait. Ice formation usually begins in January. In cold years, it can happen a month earlier.

Bathymetry

The place where the Sea of Azov is located has a relatively simple underwater terrain. As you move away from the shore, there is a smooth and slow increase in depth. In the central part of the water area they reach 13 meters. Here the depths are maximum. The location of the isobaths, close to symmetrical, is disrupted by their slight elongation towards the northeast towards the Taganrog Bay. Approximately two kilometers from the coast there is an isobath of 5 meters. It moves away from and near the mouth of the Don River. In this area, the depths increase towards the open part of the reservoir. At the border of the sea and the bay they reach eight to nine meters. The bottom topography is distinguished by the presence of systems of underwater hills. They are stretched along the western (Arabatskaya and Morskaya banks) and eastern (Zhelezinskaya bank) coasts. The depths above them decrease from 8-9 to three to five meters. The coastal underwater slope on the northern coast is characterized by fairly wide shallow waters. The depth here is 6-7 m. South coast features a steep underwater slope. The depths in this area are 11-13 meters. Seashores are usually sandy and flat. In the southern area, however, one can find hills that are of volcanic origin, and in some places they turn into advanced steep mountains.

The catchment area of the basin is about 586,000 square meters. km. The currents depend on the blowing strong winds from the northeast and southwestern directions. The main movement occurs along the banks. Its direction is reverse clockwise.

Temperature

Shallow bodies of water are characterized by high seasonal temperature variability. In winter, indicators reach a minimum. In January-February the values are close to freezing temperatures. In the southern part of the reservoir, not far from the Kerch Strait, the thermometer rises above zero. Temperature range per year is +27.5…+28.5 degrees. In summer, fairly uniform indicators are observed across the entire surface of the sea - from +24 to +26 degrees. In July, in some areas (for example, such as the sea, the sea warms up to a maximum of +28... +28.5 degrees. The highest temperature was recorded in Primorsko-Akhtarsk. It was +32.5 degrees. As for the long-term average annual temperature, then on the surface it is within 11 °C. Interannual fluctuations are of the order of one degree.

Salinity

The Sea of Azov has hydrochemical features. They are formed mainly under the influence of abundant river inflow (about 12% of the total water volume). In addition, there is somewhat difficult water exchange with the Black Sea. Before the Don was regulated, the salinity of the reservoir in question was lower than that of the ocean. three times. The indicators varied from 1 ppm at the mouth of the river to 10.5 in the central part and to 11.5 in the Kerch Strait area. began to increase after the construction of the Tsimlyansky hydroelectric complex. By 1977, averages had risen to 13.8 ppm, but the numbers were slightly lower - 11.2. During periods of relatively high humidity, a rapid decrease in salinity was observed. It was 10.9 ‰ at that time. However, by 2000, the figures increased again, stabilizing at 11 ‰. It should be said that in the northern part of the reservoir there is little salt, in contrast to the area to which Crimea adjoins. The Sea of Azov (a map showing the location of the site is presented below) in this area is rich in self-sedimented salt. It has been mined since ancient times. Until the end of the 19th century, salt from this site provided almost half of Russia's needs. The salinity of water reaches its greatest value in the solution - the Sivash brine and other lakes. This is due to intense evaporation from the surface of the water in the summer. All of these hypersaline areas represent large renewable mineral salt deposits for which the Sea of Azov is known. Russia, having these facilities, provides itself with a significant amount of this mineral. Due to the connection with the sea, the composition of their brine is similar to the structure of sea water. Mostly brine contains sulfates and chlorides of magnesium and sodium.

Water

The Sea of Azov is characterized by low transparency. It is different in each season and in different areas. Indicators range from 0.5 to 8 meters. Low transparency is mainly due to the influx of large amounts of turbid river water, the fairly rapid stirring up of bottom silts during waves of water, as well as the presence of planktonic masses in the reservoir. The lowest rates are observed in the Taganrog Bay. There, transparency is in the range of 0.5-0.9, in rare cases - 2 meters. The water in this area can vary in color from greenish-yellow to brownish-yellow. In the central part of the reservoir due to great depths and under the influence of Black Sea currents, transparency can range from one and a half to two and a half to eight meters. Here the water has a greenish-blue color. Almost everywhere in the summer there is an increase in transparency. And in some areas due to quite rapid development The smallest animal and plant organisms in the upper layers drop to zero. And the water becomes bright green. This phenomenon is called “sea bloom”.

It might be useful to read:

Extreme points of the Azov Sea. Sea of ​​Azov. How the Sea of ​​Azov Appeared

Dimensions and features of the Sea of ​​Azov