The Black Sea is one of the main reservoirs for recreation and the famous inland sea of the world. This marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between Eastern Europe and Western Asia, has long become legendary. It was popular not only because of its name, which indicates a rather inhospitable character, but also due to a number of unexpectedly unusual features.
For a long time it was called an unfriendly sea, and the lack of hospitality of this reservoir was explained by difficulties in navigation. The ancient sailors considered the Black Sea a difficult place for swimming, since its shores were inhabited by wild tribes.
In addition, the oxygen-free nature of the Black Sea water, due to which the decomposition process is slow in the lower layers, also led to several scary rumors, making the sea notorious.
However, over time, the image of the Black Sea as one of the most difficult to navigate water bodies has changed. Being home to a rich and beautiful collection of flora and fauna and over ten small islands, it has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.
We bring to your attention a list of 10 interesting facts about the Black Sea - the most popular holiday destination for Russian and foreign tourists.
10. Maritime history: the landing site of Noah’s ark?
Historians claim that Noah's Ark stopped on the slopes of Mount Ararat in Turkey after the flood ended. From time to time, marine archaeologists have supported and opposed these allegations. However, due to the lack of reliable scientific evidence, this particular history of the Black Sea is still a matter of debate.
9. The most important transport route
According to customs statistics, maritime transport leads in exports: “Over 90% of all grain exports go to destinations outside of Russia by sea“,” Said Dmitry Chernenok, an expert at the Analytical Center, at the 15th YugTrans-2019 International Transport Forum
According to the expert, ports in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea are an important channel through which agricultural products are exported from Russia: they account for about 94% of all grain transported for export.
8. Had many names given by different nations
One of the little-known facts about the Black Sea is the origin of its name, which remains unclear. There are various theories about how this sea should be called. Theories suggest that before being called the Black Sea, the pond was called "inhospitable sea", Mainly due to the presence of wild tribes on its shores. As soon as the Greeks captured its coastline, the name was changed to "Hospitable."
There are also references to the fact that for a long time the sea was simply called the “sea”. Nevertheless, over the centuries, different people have given him many names, but the current name has turned out to be the most famous, which is believed to have been given by the Turks in medieval times.
Historical documents suggest that during the Ottoman period, the Black Sea was called by such names as Bahr Siya or Karadeniz, which means "Black Sea" in Ottoman Turkey.
7. Poor fauna compared to other seas
An intriguing fact about the Black Sea is its oxygen-free water. The Black Sea is the largest body of water with a meromic basin, which means that the movement of water between the lower and upper layers of the sea is a rare occurrence. This creates a significant temperature difference between these layers, and also makes the lower layers completely free of oxygen and, therefore, inactive.
At the same time, the Black Sea receives fresh water from its rivers and precipitation. However, this only indicates the transfer of water to the Mediterranean Sea. Since the transfer occurs in the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, the influx of dense water from the Mediterranean Sea occurs at the bottom of the basin, and the outflow of surface waters of the Black Sea occurs near the surface of the basin.
Since the mixing between the two layers of water in the Black Sea is very low, marine life cannot survive in the oxygen-free zone of the Black Sea. Only the oxygen-rich surface waters of the Black Sea support marine life.
6. Totally 10 islands.
The Black Sea is home to many small islands. There are about ten of these islands.and they are an amazing repository of fauna and flora that make this sea even more unique.
These islands, mainly owned by countries such as Bulgaria, Ukraine, Turkey and Romania, also include the island of Snake, which is located near the Danube Delta. The island of St. Thomas in Bulgaria is also known for having gray water snakes eating fish in the waters surrounding the island.
Other notable islands in the Black Sea include St. Anastasia (Bulgaria), Berezan and Giresun (Turkey), St. Tsirik (Bulgaria), Dzharylgach (Ukraine), etc. Most importantly, these islands in the Black Sea have become major tourist attractions.
5. In ancient times, on the site of the sea was a freshwater lake
According to a number of marine geologists, The Black Sea was a freshwater lake about 7000 years agobefore the rise of water in the Mediterranean caused salt water to enter the lake.
According to this theory, many argue that the so-called flood is a catastrophic rise in water, mentioned in the Bible's account of Noah's Ark.
4. “Knipovich Points” - a pair of non-dangerous circuits in the sea
In the coastal regions of the Black Sea, anticyclonic cycles are observed - vortex flows directed against the main stream. They are most noticeable off the coast of the Caucasus and Anatolia. In these sections of the Black Sea, the direction of coastal currents is usually determined by the direction of the prevailing wind and can change several times a day.
3. Terrible rumors: are the dead lying under water?
An intriguing and almost frightening fact is that the dead are believed to stay in the waters of the Black Sea for a long time. The remains of ships and people, as well as other degradable materials such as ropes, wood, etc. can still be found on the seabed hundreds of years after they fall into the waters of the Black Sea.
No matter how strange this fact may sound, the scientific explanation is that due to the oxygen-free nature of the lower water layers of this sea, the decomposition process is very slow.
2. Sea dragon - one of the most dangerous inhabitants of the sea
There are two types of sea dragons: leafy sea dragon and weak sea dragon. Although both species of sea dragons have a similar shape and body size, they are very different in appearance.
The deciduous sea dragon is a master of camouflage, and the ability to hide so easily among plants means that the leafy sea dragon is rarely eaten, despite the presence of numerous potential predators in the surrounding water.
A weak sea dragon does not look so intricate, it has only a few feather fins along the back. The weak sea dragon has adapted to life on the seabed, as these cirrus (weed-like) fins help the sea dragon disguise itself as debris on the seabed.
Despite their small size, sea dragons are predatory animals and therefore eat exclusively meat.
1. The most popular among Russian tourists
The Black Sea coast is the most popular resort region of the Russian Federation. This is one of the few places on the sea coast, suitable for summer holidays in Russia. A huge number of tourists from many regions of Russia come to the resorts of the Krasnodar Territory and Crimea every year.
Many people prefer to spend their summer holidays on the Black Sea coast of Russia, despite the popularity of resorts in countries such as Turkey, Greece, Spain or Thailand.