II.

Geography

The Black Sea has a length of about 1,200 km (750 mi) from east to west, a maximum width of 610 km (380 mi), and an area (excluding its northern arm, the Sea of Azov) of about 436,400 sq km (168,500 sq mi). The Crimea projects into the Black Sea from the north, forming the shallow Sea of Azov on the east and the Karkinitskiy Gulf on the west. The former is almost entirely cut off from the Black Sea. The sea receives the drainage of a large part of central and eastern Europe through the Dnepr, Dnestr, Southern Bug, and Danube rivers. It also receives waters from a considerable section of eastern European Russia, through the River Don (which flows into the Sea of Azov) and from the western Caucasus region through the Kuban (which also flows into the Sea of Azov), as well as a number of smaller rivers. The Black Sea drains northern Asia Minor through the Çoruh (Chorokhi), Yeşil, Kızıl, and Sakarya rivers. The floor of its single central basin lies about 1,830 m (6,000 ft) below the surface, and the greatest depth exceeds 2,135 m (7,000 ft). Severe storms occur frequently on the sea, particularly during the winter season. The prevailing winter winds are from the north.