Black Sea

• 04 Nov 2022

Key Points

• Physical Geography:
  • Bordering Countries: Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania.
  • Also known as the Euxine Sea.
  • Surrounded by the Pontic (south), Caucasus (east), and Crimean Mountains (north).
  • The Turkish straits system - the Dardanelles, Bosporus and Marmara Sea - forms a transitional zone between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
  • Sea of Azov forms a northern extension of the Black Sea linked by the Strait of Kerch.
  • Has anoxic water; significant absence of oxygen in the water.
• Russia – Ukraine Conflict:
  • Area of Russian Military Control in Ukraine:
    • Donbass region, comprising Donetsk and Luhansk (2022)
    • Crimea: Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
  • Mariupol and Odessa: Russia has its focus on:
    • Mariupol, the Sea of Azov port in Donetsk.
    • Odessa, to the west of Crimea.
  • Bosporus and Dardanelles Straits: The Montreux convention gives Turkey certain control over the passage of warships from the Dardanelles and Bosphorus Straits that connect the Aegean, Marmara, and Black Sea.
  • Naval Exercise ‘Sea Breeze’: Involving NATO states and their allies.
• Environmental Concern:
  • Turkey’s Sea of Marmara: The largest outbreak of ‘sea snot’.