Route Page
82. From Constantinople to Constantza 561
83. From Constantinople to Odessa 563
84. From Odessa to Batum 568
Yalta, 569.
85. From Batum to Constantinople 571
The =Black Sea= (Turk. _Kara Denis_; Russ. _Chornoye More_; p. xxxiv),
the _Pontus Euxinus_ of the ancients, sometimes deserves its name for
the dark-blue hue of its waters, which is markedly different from the
blue of the Mediterranean. Its area, nearly equal to that of the Baltic,
amounts to 163,689 sq. M., without including the 14,519 sq. M. of the
_Sea of Azov_ (p. xxxiv) which is united with the Black Sea by the
narrow Straits of Kertch (p. 570) and separated from the shallow Gulf of
Odessa (p. 564) by the Crimean Peninsula. The basin proper of the Black
Sea is a huge depression, falling away rapidly from its margin to its
centre, where it reaches a depth of ca. 7365 ft. Its flow and ebb are
not perceptible. Owing to the great rivers it receives its surface-water
is but slightly salt (1.8 per cent), but the deep water is more saline
(2.2 to 2.3 per cent). The bottom is coated with black mud impregnated
with sulphuretted hydrogen and is therefore entirely destitute of animal
life. On warm summer nights the phosphorescence of the water is very
observable. As in the Mediterranean, the vessels are often followed by
dolphins.
During almost the whole of summer gentle N. and N.E. winds, with a clear
sky, prevail in the S.W. part of the Black Sea. At other seasons the
wind is very variable. The N.W. and W. winds often bring fog, which
makes the entrance of the Bosporus difficult. In winter and about the
time of the equinox dangerous storms from the S. and S.E. are by no
means rare.