Black Sea
The Black Sea is an inland sea between southeastern Europe and the Anatolian peninsula (Turkey) and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas and various straits. The Bosporus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, then the long island-bound strait of the Dardenelles to the Aegean Sea region of the Mediterranean. These waters separate eastern Europe and western Asia. The Black sea is also connected to the Sea of Azov by the Strait of Kerch.
The Black Sea has an area of 436,400 km² (168,495 sq mi),[1] and a maximum depth of 2200 m. (7,218 ft.)[2] Like the Mediterranean Sea, there is a net inflow of seawater through the Bosporus into the oceanic region[clarify] of some 200 cubic kilometers (48 cu mi) per year, that is lost to evaporation or into geologic faults and so gradually raises the salinity. Freshwater flows in from the surrounding areas, especially central and middle-eastern Europe, 320 km3 (76.8 cu mi) per year. The most important river entering the Black Sea is the Danube.
Countries bordering the Black Sea are Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia. The Crimean peninsula is a Ukrainian autonomous republic.
