The Influence of the Coastal Relief on the Navigation and Seaborne Trade in the Black Sea

Abstract

The Black Sea, considered a Mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean, represents a deep water basin, oriented from west to east, between Europe and Asia Minor, not having very big dimensions (length of around 610–620 nautical miles, and width of 330 nautical miles, with a value of approximately 140 nautical miles in the lowest, narrow part). Although the Black Sea is considered a semi-closed sea, it has performed the connection to the north direction via the Azov Sea through the Kerch Strait, and to the south via the Mediterranean Sea through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, and from there with the World Ocean, as well. The coasts of the Black Sea are characterized by a significant diversity, from high costs, as a result of the mountainous chains’ presence near the sea (in the eastern and southern parts), to low coasts, as a result of the presence of some mildly sinuous plains or sand accumulations (in the western and north-western parts), respectively.