The archives contain documents confirming that the first information about the Black Sea dates back to the 5th century. BC. It was along it that the fearless Argonauts, led by Jason, went to Colchis in search of the Golden Fleece, overcoming numerous obstacles. As soon as it has not changed the name since! The Black Sea in this indicator ranks first in the world. Since the first mention in the documents, the name has changed about 20 times.
Where did the modern name come from?
Various versions of its origin are known. The ancient Greeks called this sea - Pont Aksinsky, which means "inhospitable". This name appeared due to navigation problems among ancient sailors, despite the small size of the Black Sea in comparison with others. As soon as the colonists mastered the coast, it changed to Pontus Euxinus, which translates as "Hospitable". In the 10-16 centuries, Rusich called it the "Russian Sea", or "Scythian". Today's name of this reservoir is Black.
Where does this name come from? The first sources of this name date back to the 13th century, although it is possible that it appeared much earlier. One hypothesis suggests that the name arose from the revolt of indigenous peoples against their conquerors. "Kara Denise" - "black, inhospitable." According to another version, this is what his migrants from southern countries called him, who observed during the storm a dark sky, merged with sea water. The reservoir actually in black thunderstorm looks black.
Another theory of the modern name arose because of the specific property of the reservoir to "blacken" other objects at the depth of the anchor. This is due to the influence of hydrogen sulfide. According to other theories, the sea acquired its name because of black silt, which is periodically thrown ashore during a storm.
Sizes of the Black Sea: width, length
Herodotus also tried to calculate the size of Pontus, measuring it by the stages, which were calculated by the orgies (distance) passed by the ship during the day. According to Herodotus, its length was 11,100 stages, and the width in the most spacious place was 3300 stages. Modern scientists have the ability to calculate the size of the Black Sea to the nearest kilometer. Its largest length from east to west is a distance of over 1150 km, from the coast of Bulgaria to the coast of Georgia.
From the Ukrainian village of Koblevo to the coast of Turkey, the Black Sea has dimensions (km) –616, from north to south. The smallest length is about 265 km. Geography scientists still cannot decide on the area, despite the known size of the Black Sea. According to some estimates, it occupies 422,000 km², and according to others - 436,400 km². The total length of the coastal line is about 4100 km. The enclosed volume of water is about 555,000 cubic kilometers.
What is the size of the Black Sea in depth? These indicators are as follows: the maximum depth is in the range of 2212-2245 m, the average level is 1250 m. The northwestern part of the reservoir is distinguished by the fact that there is a long shallow water zone reaching in breadth up to 200 km and in depth - not more than 160 meters.
The origin of the seabed
In this space, about 30-40 million years ago, the huge ocean of Tethys was located. Geological macro processes throughout the entire time formed the relief of mountains such as the Carpathians, the Alps and the Caucasus, which divided the vast Tethys Ocean into smaller reservoirs. One of them was the Sarmatian Sea. It was located on the site of today's Aral, Azov, Caspian and Black Seas.
Geological specificity
The size of the Black Sea captures the pit, which is separated from the Atlantic Ocean. Its macrorelief is heterogeneous and includes three bright areas: the continental slope, shelf and deep basin. The shelf zone is marked by shallow depths, the mainland slope is very uneven, it is characterized by the presence of underwater canyons and valleys. The basin reaches the greatest depth in the center of the Black Sea. Also, the main area of ​​the bottom topography is located within the Alpine geosynclinal zone. The reservoir is saturated with the rivers of Eurasia: the Dnieper, Dniester, Southern Bug, Danube, Psou, Bzyb, Kodor, Yesil-Irmak, Inguri, Rioni and others.
This is the most significant hydrogen sulfide basin of our planet. Its characteristic distinctive feature is the absolute, in addition to the exceptional types of anaerobic microorganisms, unsuitability for life at depths below 150-200 m. These layers are absorbed by hydrogen sulfide, the accumulation of which is directly related to the population of sulfate-reducing microbes. The average salinity of the upper water layers in the central part of the reservoir is medium (16–18 ‰). At depths below 150–200 m, it rises to 21–22 ‰.
What are the sizes of the Black Sea?
A marine body of water is geographically divided into three critical zones. Their indicators are:
| Zone name | Area | Volume | Average depth |
| Northwest | 49 333 km² | 854 km³ | 17.3 m |
| Western | 157,022 km² | 197075 km³ | 1255 m |
| East | 216,643 km² | 340194 km³ | 1570 m |
Geographic location
The southern coast of the Black Sea, from Georgia to the mouth of the river. Rezovsk, refers to the territory of Turkey. The western coast of the reservoir belongs to Bulgaria, and then to the north to the border with Ukraine - Romania. The waters of the Black Sea are washed by the coasts of Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Turkey, Abkhazia and Georgia. A symbolic border between Asia and Europe runs along its surface .
Since the dimensions of the Black Sea (width, length, depth) are relatively small, insignificant tides are formed in comparison with other open water bodies. This is due to the small exchange of water with the Atlantic Ocean. The sea is occupied by a huge tectonic pit, the maximum depth of which is about 2245 m. In the west and north-west there are low coasts, but there are also steep areas. In Crimea, they are mostly low-lying, not counting the southern mountain coasts. From the east and south side, close to the sea, the Caucasus and Pontic mountains approach.
At the confluence of rivers shallow bays are formed - estuaries: Dniester, Hadzhibey, Kuyalnitsky, Tiligulsky, and Dnieper. The largest peninsula of the Black Sea is the Crimean, connected with the mainland thanks to the Perekop Isthmus. There are few islands in the Black Sea. The largest among them are Berezan and Zmeiny, each with an area of ​​less than 1 km². The Kerch Strait, from 4 to 18 meters deep, connects the Black Sea with the Sea of ​​Azov. The Bosporus and the Dardanelles through the Sea of ​​Marmara and the Aegean connect it with the Mediterranean.
Interesting Facts
Among scholars, theories that the Black Sea arose about 6000-8000 years ago when the level of the world ocean due to the melting of glaciers have been considered more than once. With rising levels, the water in the Mediterranean overcame a natural dam, in the role of which was the current Bosphorus. After the breakthrough, a giant stream of water, equal to the power of 200 Niagara Falls, filled the current sea pit. This natural element is like the widespread version of the Flood, which is depicted in the Old Testament. It is also important that the time of this largest natural disaster completely coincides with scientific and religious sources.