Azov Sea

About Azov Sea

• Location: The Sea of Azov is an inland sea in Eastern Europe and is often regarded as a northern extension of the Black Sea.
• It is situated off the southern shores of Ukraine and Russia in Eastern Europe.
• Boundary: The sea is bounded by Ukraine in the north and west and by Russia in the east.
• Depth: It is the shallowest sea in the world, with depth varying between 0.9 and 14 m and a maximum depth of about 14 m.
• Connectivity: It is connected to the Black Sea through the narrow Strait of Kerch, which is about 4 km wide at its narrowest point.
• River Inflows: The Don and Kuban rivers are the major rivers flowing into the sea and contribute more than 90% of the water inflow.
• Climate: The sea has a continental climate with cold winters, warm summers, frequent fogs, and seasonal ice formation.
• Salinity: The sea has low salinity (10–12 Practical Salinity Scale (PSS)) and is almost fresh in some areas because of large river inflows.
• Coastal Features: The coastline has low shores, lagoons, shallow gulfs, sandbanks, and long sand spits such as the Arabat Spit.
• Shipping Routes: The sea serves as an important access route linking Central Asia through the Volga–Don Canal and supports freight and passenger traffic.
• Key Ports: Important ports include Taganrog, Mariupol, Yeysk, and Berdyansk.
• Conflict Zone: The sea is shared by Russia and Ukraine and has witnessed modern geopolitical developments.
• Biodiversity: It contains more than 300 species of invertebrates and about 80 species of fish, including sturgeon, perch, bream, herring, sea-roach, gray mullet, minnow, shemaja, and bullheads.
• High Biological Productivity: The sea has rich marine biodiversity because of its shallow waters, effective mixing and warming of water, and the large supply of nutrients brought by rivers and the abundance of plankton and algae that support marine life.