Black Sea Facts

Interesting Facts about the Black Sea for Kids

Here are the 20 most important and interesting Black Sea Facts which were chosen and researched especially for kids.

1. The Black Sea is situated between southeastern Europe and western Asia. The waterbody is bordered by six countries. The countries bordering the Black Sea are Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia and Turkiye.

Bulgaria	Georgia	Romania
Russia	Turkiye	Ukraine

2. The Black Sea is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean which means it is an extension of the Ocean and bordered by land.

3. The Black Sea is connected to the Mediterranean Sea via the Bosporus Strait, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles Strait.

4. The water in the Black Sea has a much lower salt content compared to other seas due to the large volume of freshwater streaming in from some major rivers.

5. The rivers Danube, Dnieper, Dniester, Don and many others flow into the Black Sea. Thus the water in the Back Sea contains less salt than other seas.

Danube Delta - Black Sea in Romania

6. The Black Sea is one of the larger and deeper seas in the world. The Black Sea covers approximately 436,000 square kilometers/ 168,000 square miles which is about the same size as the land area of Germany or the U.S. of California!

7. The deepest point of the Black Sea is about 2,212 m/ 7,257 ft below the water surface. This point is just south of Yalta on the Crimean peninsula.

8. The name "Black Sea" is said to come from the dark color of its waters, which can appear dark, murky and black in certain weather conditions due to high levels of organic matter in the water. But when summer arrives the phytoplankton in the water often blooms, giving the sea a brilliant blue sparkling waters which is seen from space.

black sea seen from space - image by NASA

Black Sea as seen from space - image by NASA

9. Only the upper levels of the water in the Black Sea is rich with oxygen, there is hardly any oxygen in the lower layers of the Black Sea.

10. The region around the Black Sea is very important for trade and transportation, such as grains and agricultural products from Ukraine and Russia. It also serves as a major route for cargo between Europe and Asia. The Black Sea plays an important strategic role in the Russia-Ukraine War.

11. Important ports on the Black Sea include Istanbul (Turkey), Odesa (Ukraine), Constanța (Romania), Varna (Bulgaria), and Sochi (Russia).

Black Sea Port - grain deal 2023 - image by Glebzter/shutterstock.com

12. The most important economic products of the Black Sea region are grains (wheat, sunflower, corn), tea, hazelnuts and tobacco.

Black Sea Facts | People and Landmarks

13. Amongst the most famous landmarks of the Black Sea coastline are:

Ancient Roman Baths in Varna/ Bulgaria

Alphabet tower in Batumi/ Georgia

Monastery in Trabzon/ Turkey

Enisala Fortress/ Romania

Opera House in Odesa/ Ukraine

Sochi Harbour/ Russia

14. The Black Sea region has a rich cultural heritage. People from many different ethnic groups live in the region and for many centuries the region was on the crossroads of civilisations such as the Romans, Greeks and Ottomans.

As such the local Black Sea cuisine is varied and popular foods include kuymak or mămăligă, a cornmeal porridge eaten for breakfast, köfte, fried meatballs and banitsa or börek, a flakey cheese pastry.

Kuymak - typical Black Sea dish

15. The Black Sea coast is a popular tourist destination with many pretty resort towns and sandy beaches particularly in Bulgaria and Turkey. Varna and Albena in Bulgaria a busy beachside resorts in summer.

Albena is a popular beach resort in Bulgaria

Black Sea Facts | Animals

16. The Black Sea is home to various species of fish such as the golden grey mullet, the common carp, the freshwater bream, the European catfish or the common stingray.

17. Due to pollution, overfishing, and the impact of climate change, the Black Sea faces environmental serious challenges.

Sturgeon

18. Several sturgeon species live in the Black Sea. The Beluga sturgeon is the largest of all sturgeon species in the Black Sea and can grow up to 4 m in length. Sadly the Beluga sturgeon is one of the critically endangered species and the import of caviar from the Black Sea is considered illegal by many countries.

The Beluga sturgeon is famous for its fish roe, also lives here. This fish roe is called caviar and is considered by some as delicatessen and as the fish species is rare and endangered, the price of 1 kg caviar costs up to 22,000 US dollars or 7,000 British pounds!

Black caviar

19. Pelicans and cormorants are common birds in the Black Sea region. The Great White Pelican as well as the Dalmatian Pelican can be found in the northern Black Sea.

Great White Pelicans in the Danube Delta of the Black Sea

20. The climate around the Black Sea varies from temperate in the north to subtropical in the south. It generally experiences mild winters and warm summers.

Summer at the Romanian Black Sea cost in Agigea Beach

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Black Sea Facts for Kids
Resources

Find more Black Sea Facts for further research here:

Atlas Media. "Top Ten Black Sea Foods". TasteAtlas. Last updated 16 August 2024. Accessed 22 August 2024
FAO OpenKnowledge. "Sturgeons in the Black Sea. FAO. Accessed 22 August 2024

We hope you enjoyed reading our Black Sea Facts for Kids.

Picture credits on this page: Images from shutterstock

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