BY  S O L O

My warmest congratulations to all people live at the shores of the Black Sea – the best sea in the world! Last day of October is marked as an International Black Sea Day. In the year 1996 six countries from Black Sea region (Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine) had approved “The Strategic Plan on Rehabilitation and Protection of the Black Sea”. This Plan was created after the long process of researches and studies of the Black Sea’s biosphere.

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These researches showed that during last 30 years the situation with the sea life continued to deteriorate.

Now it became a tradition for the all countries in the Black Sea region to organize ecology actions, cleaning the shore and other campaigs. This year in Sevastopol ecologists together with youth city activists made a “big cleaning up” at the beach of the Kazachya Bay. It is very good and useful action! But sometimes I’m thinking it would be good to celebrate the International Black Sea Day more often than once a year. Or may be once a day our tourist and visitors of the wonderful Black Sea beaches would be so kind and not leave the garbage after their visits to the sea. We would never need this kind of ecology actions!

And some interesting facts about the Black Sea – may be you’ll know something new about this wonderful place.

-          The information about the Black Sea first time appeared in the ancient documents in the 5^th century B.C. Jason and Argonauts had crossed the Black Sea on their way to Kolkhis in the searches of the Golden Fleece;

-          8000 ago the Black Sea was a huge lake (type of the Caspian Sea). Then it was a strong earthquake which split the earth at the Turkish region. This earthquake creates the Bosporus and connects the Black Sea with the Mediterranean. Billons cubic meters of salt water had fell down to the basin. Scientists think, this event made the basis of the Bible legend about the Deluge;

-          The deepest point of the Black Sea is at the level of 2210 meters; average depth is 1240 meters;

-          The square of the Black Sea is still a point of discussion among the geographers. There are two different points of view: 422 thousands км² or 436.4 thousands км². From north to south Black Sea length is equal 580 km;

-          Because the connection of the Black Sea with the Atlantic Ocean is very weak, here we don’t have big tides;

-          Sometimes in winter the Black Sea could be fully covered with ice. Last time this happens in the 17^th century;

-          Mountains around the Black Sea are still growing and the Sea itself is also increasing its size. Every 100 years the Sea covers extra 20-25 cm of the land, and Crimean Mountains also add 5-10 cm.

-          The peculiarity of the Black Sea is an absence of any life at the depth of 150-200 meters and deeper. The reason of this phenomenon is a big concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the depth water.

         

            -          In the Black Sea there are 2500 different types of life forms. This is a very small quantity,                 for example, the Mediterranean Sea has more than 9000 types;

-          In the Black Sea there is a very special type of seaweed – noctiluca. It has the possibility to bioluminescent and is often called the Sea Sparkle. In summer period at night the sea is shining in the places, where are a lot of noctilucas in the water.

-          There are sharks in the Black Sea. They are rather small and called a spurdog or a mud shark. This kind of sharks is not dangerous because it is small and never come close to the coast. The only danger from this shark could be the spurdog’s fins with the poison thorns;

-          The most dangerous fish in the Black Sea is a greater weever (also called a sea dragon). It has very poison thorns at its back and gills. The scorpion-fish and the whiptale stingray (or catfish) are also dangerous.

-          The Black Sea has a huge amount of different names. In antiquity (according to the Strabo’s Geography) the Black Sea was often called just “the Sea”. Its first name came from the ancient Greeks: Pont Aksienos (the Inhospitable Sea). The sea was bad for navigation, with strong storms and winds, and seamen called it “inhospitable”. Later, when a lot of Greek settlements were created at the Black Sea coast, they re-named the sea into the Pont Euxeinos (the Hospitable Sea). In Russia in 10-16 centuries the sea was called “the Skithyan Sea”.

     In Arabian countries it was called the Russian Sea or the White Sea. Also among different nations it was called the Taurida Sea, Crimean, Greek, Georgian, Armenian, Slavic, Kimmerian… Its actual name “the Black Sea” appears in the documents of 13th century. One version of the appearance of this name is the big concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the water. All metal items became black after this water. When seamen saw completely black anchors of their ships, they called the sea “Black”. Another version says about the black silt on the beach after the storm and black water in the sea during the storm. Historians say the name of the sea came from Turkish “Cara-denis” (“black”). This came from the period of Turkish invasion to the Crimea and other coastal regions. Local tribes and settlers fight furiously against invaders and these coasts were really “black” for Turkish warriors.

- Physicians say that the Black Sea is a wonderful place for the treatment of many illnesses. The water in the Black Sea contains less salt (comparing to other seas), it is not irritates the skin and no need to wash it from the skin after swimming. It is good for renewing and regenerating the skin. Salts and microelements in the Black Sea water duplicate the microelements in the man’s blood; therefore the Sea provides a good treatment in the case of cardio diseases and stimulates the work of blood-vascular system.

If you were patient enough to read all this information, you certainly need to visit the shores of this wonderful sea. May be you’ll made here some new discoveries!