Geographical and Strategic Importance of the Sea of Azov

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Why in News

The Sea of Azov is drawing global attention because of recent Ukrainian drone attacks on cargo ships in Taganrog Bay.

The Sea of Azov is a semi-enclosed water body that forms the northern extension of the Black Sea.
It stretches across 340 kilometers in length and 135 kilometers in width.
It covers a total surface area of 37,600 square kilometers.
It holds the global title of being the shallowest sea on Earth.

Ukraine and Russia share the coastlines of this water body.
It connects directly to the Black Sea through the narrow and important Kerch Strait.
The Kerch Strait acts as a divider between the Crimean Peninsula and the Taman Peninsula on the Russian mainland.

The sea reaches a maximum depth of only 14 meters or roughly 46 feet.
Large amounts of river silt lower the water depth in the northeastern Taganrog Gulf to 1 meter or even less.
The Don River and the Kuban River empty huge amounts of fresh water into the basin.
The Syvash is a shallow lagoon system on the western side separated by the 113 km long Arabat Spit.
Winter temperatures bring heavy frost, thick fogs, and ice sheets along the northern coasts from late December to early March.
Shallow water depths allow the sea to warm evenly and mix well from top to bottom.
Nutrient runoff from rivers supports a rich marine life with over 80 fish species like sturgeon, perch, bream, sardines, and anchovies.

Taganrog Bay forms the northeastern arm of the Sea of Azov.
It acts as a large flooded estuary where water from the Don River meets the sea.
This bay creates a natural water boundary between the northern Azov coastal region and the southern Kuban coastline in Russia.
The western mouth of the bay opens straight into the main basin of the Sea of Azov.

The bay stretches for about 140 kilometers and measures 31 kilometers wide at its mouth.
It has a very shallow profile with an average depth of around 5 meters.
Four major rivers pour fresh water into this gulf, led by the Don River alongside the Kalmius, Mius, and Yeya rivers.
Water entering from these rivers drives the current patterns across the entire Sea of Azov.