Black Sea Geography
Map courtesy of the            Black Sea Web Project.
The Black Sea lies between southeastern Europe and Asia Minor. Excluding            its northern arm, the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea occupies about 168,500            square miles (436,400 square kilometers). It is connected to the Aegean            Sea through the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles, and            has been of critical importance to regional commerce throughout the            ages.
This major inland sea is bordered by six countries — Romania            and Bulgaria to the west; Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia to the north            and east; and Turkey to the south. Additionally, it is impacted by another            10 nations through the five major rivers that empty into the Black Sea,            the largest of which is the Danube River.
The Bordering Countries
The following is a brief geographic overview of the nations that border          the Black Sea. Also see the History and          Culture section to learn more about them.
Bulgaria. This mostly mountainous            nation, slightly larger than Tennessee, occupies 42,823 square miles            (110,912 sq km) and is home to an estimated 7.6 million people. The            capital city is Sofia. About 85% of the people are ethnic Bulgarians,            and nearly 10% are Turkish.
The Golden                Sands Resort along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast.
The Balkan Mountains cross the northwestern corner of            Bulgaria to the Black Sea, sloping gradually to a plateau that ends            at the Danube, the country's chief river. The southern side of the mountain            range is bounded by narrow plains, such as the Thracian Plain, an important            agricultural region. Forests cover about a third of Bulgaria, and the            country has a wealth of minerals, mainly iron ore and coal. Bulgaria            has mild summers and cold, snowy winters.
In addition to agriculture (primary products: vegetables,            fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets),            Bulgaria has major industries for the production of electricity, gas            and water, food and beverages, machinery and equipment, base metals,            chemical products, refined petroleum, and nuclear fuel. A major emphasis            on the development of heavy industry occurred in the country after World            War II. Chief exports include clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery            and equipment, and fuels. Varna ,            the country's largest city, is Bulgaria's principal port on the Black            Sea.
Romania. With a total land area of about 91,700 square miles (237,500 sq km), Romania          is slightly larger than the state of Oregon. More than 89% of the country's          22.3 million people are ethnic Romanians. Hungarians are the largest minority          (about 8%), living chiefly in Transylvania. Romania's capital and largest          city is Bucharest.
A forest-lined lake fringes              the Black Sea coast at Neptun,              Romania.
Romania is shaped roughly like an oval. The central Transylvanian Basin          is separated from the lowlands of Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian          Mountains and from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian          Alps. Wild boar, wolves, bears, and deer may be found in the mountainous          regions. The lowlands serve as important agricultural areas. The country's          most important river, the Danube, flows through a delta in the Dobruja          region into the Black Sea.
More than 43% of Romania is cultivated. The chief agricultural products          include wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, potatoes, grapes, eggs,          and sheep. The country's major industries include textiles and footwear,          light machinery and auto assembly, mining, timber, construction materials,          metallurgy, chemicals, food processing, and petroleum refining. Constanta is one of Romania's principal Black Sea ports.
Monument to the scuttled              ships of the Black Sea Fleet, Sevastopol.
Ukraine. The second largest country in Europe,          Ukraine is mostly a broad, flat plain. At 233,090 square miles (603,700          sq km), Ukraine is slightly smaller than Texas and has an estimated population          of 48.3 million. Over 73% are ethnic Ukrainians, while Russians represent          the largest minority, at 22%. The capital and largest city is Kyiv (Kiev).
Mountains are found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the              Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south. Deer, beaver, marten, vultures,              and the steppe eagle are among the wildlife found in Ukraine.
In the fertile soil of the central and southern regions, agriculture              is a top industry, producing wheat, sugar beets, potatoes, beef, milk,              vegetables, and sunflower seeds. Other industry is based on the country's              rich mineral resources, including coal, iron ore, manganese, bauxite,              and salt.
Odessa and Sevastopol are Ukraine's largest ports on the Black Sea.
 
Russia. At nearly 6.6 million square miles (17 million sq km), Russia is the            largest country in the world in geographic size, occupying more than            one-ninth of the world's total land area. It is just slightly less than            1.8 times the size of the United States. Russia has a population of            nearly 145 million. The majority live in European Russia, but sizable            communities also live near mining and industrial centers. Russians are            the predominant nationality at over 80%, with Tatars, Ukrainians, and            Chuvash the largest minorities.
Russia's three major geographic regions include European            Russia, consisting of the territory west of the Ural Mountains; Siberia,            stretching east of the Urals nearly to the Pacific Ocean; and far eastern            Russia, including the extreme southeast and Pacific coast. Russia's            capital and largest city is Moscow.
European Russian is primarily a rocky, rolling plain with            broad marshes. Its southern border includes the Caucasus Mountains,            which extend between the Black and Caspian seas. While the winters may            be cool along the Black Sea coast, this part of Russia has a much more            temperate climate than Siberia, where temperatures average -59°F            in January and have reached as cold as 90 degrees below zero.
Novorossijsk is Russia's                only deep-water port on the Black Sea. It is a major oil port.
Forests cover over two-fifths of Russia, amounting to            nearly one-fourth of the world's forest area. The taiga, or boreal forest,            in the north contains the world's largest coniferous forest, representing            about half the Earth's softwood timber. Lowland areas have a natural            vegetation of grasslands with scattered groves of trees.
Russia's chief agricultural products include grain, sugar            beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables, fruits, beef, and milk. The country            has a complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal,            oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from            rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; shipbuilding;            road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural            machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating            and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, food stuffs, and handicrafts.
Novorossijsk is Russia's primary Black Sea port.
The port of Batumi                on Georgia's Black Sea Coast.
Georgia. The Caucasus Mountains dominate this country, which is            slightly smaller than South Carolina, with a total area of 26,900 square            miles (69,700 sq km). The main ridge of the Caucasus Mountains forms            most of the northern boundary of Georgia, while the Lesser Caucasus            Mountains occupy the southern regions.
The Kolkhida Lowland opens to the Black Sea in the west.            The uplands are dry, while the coastal climate along the Black Sea is            very Mediterranean-like — warm and pleasant. The coastal climate            and soils are conducive to growing tea, citrus fruit, hazelnuts, and            grapes, which are important agricultural products.
Other industries include the mining of manganese and copper,            the production of steel, aircraft, appliances, machine tools, chemicals,            alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, wood products, and wine.
Nearly 5 million people live in Georgia. Georgians form            about 70% of the population, followed by numbers of Armenians, Russians,            and Azeris. The capital and largest city is T'blisi. Batumi, Poti, and            Sokhumi are the country's primary Black Sea ports.
Turkey. The main area of Turkey, known as Anatolia, is in Asia while Turkish              Thrace, representing about 3% of the nation's total area, is in Europe.              At nearly 301,000 square miles (780,000 sq km), Turkey is a little              larger than Texas. Its capital is Ankara, and Istanbul is the largest              city.
Istanbul, Turkey,                  links Europe and Asia. Copyright R. A. Taylor, Images                  of the World.
Turkey is mostly mountainous, with a narrow coastal              plain and high central plateau (Anatolia). The country is located              in several active seismic zones and is subject to frequent earthquakes.Thrace              and the lands bordering the Sea of Marmara is a region of gently rolling              hills rising in the east to Mount Ulu (Olympus) at 8,343 feet (2,543              meters). The Aegean and Mediterranean coastlands are narrow and hilly              with little arable land, except for a plain in the east where cotton              is grown. The steep slopes of the Black Sea coastline rise directly              to the Pontic Mountains. The most mountainous area is the eastern              highlands. This is where Mount Ararat is located, noted in the Bible              as the place where Noah's ark came to rest.
Over 67 million people live in Turkey. About 69% live in urban areas compared to only 21 % in 1950. Turks form about 80%              of the population, while Kurds constitute most of the remaining 20%.
Turkey is one of the few countries of the world that              is self-sufficient in providing basic foods. Nearly half the work              force is engaged in farming. The chief crops include wheat, sugar              beets, barley, tobacco, olives, cotton, citrus, tomatoes, melons,              grapes, maize, livestock, and apples. Fishing also is important, with              most of the catch coming from the Mediterranean and Black seas.
In addition to rich agricultural resources, Turkey has              significant deposits of lignite, coal, iron ore, and chromium. Its              most important industry and largest export is textiles and clothing.              Other major industries include food processing, automobiles, mining,              steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, and paper.
Turkey's principal port on the Black Sea is Istanbul .