Russia is a sea power, its shores are washed by 12 seas. In the southwest, these are the warm Black, Caspian and Azov seas, in the east - the Japan, Okhotsk and Beringovo, in the north - the harsh Laptev Sea, the Barents Sea, and the Kara Sea. Each sea has its own average depth, but there are 2 record holders - the deepest and the shallowest.
The deepest sea in Russia
The deepest sea in Russia is the Bering Sea, named after the Danish-born Russian naval officer Vitus Bering, who explored this uncomfortable, deep northern sea in the mid-18th century. Before the adoption of its official name, the Bering Sea was called Kamchatka or Bobrov. Its average depth is about 1600 meters. In the deepest places, a depth of 4151 meters was recorded. About half of the area is occupied by spaces with a depth of more than 500 meters, while its entire area is more than 2,315 thousand square kilometers.
The Bering Sea is not only the deepest, but also the most northern body of water in Russia. The sea is covered with ice in September, and is released only by June, while the ice can cover up to half of the area of this reservoir. In the coastal zone and bays, ice forms impassable fields, but the open sea is never completely covered with ice. Ice in the open part of the Bering Sea is in constant motion under the influence of winds and currents, ice hummocks are often formed, up to 20 meters high.
Despite its depth, the Bering Sea is not even one of the ten deepest seas in the world ranking. It belongs to the Pacific Ocean, separated from it by the Aleutian and Commander Islands, a section of the water border between Russia and the United States passes along it. The Bering Strait connects the Bering Sea with the Chukchi Sea and the Arctic Ocean.
The shallowest sea in Russia
The shallowest sea in Russia is the Azov Sea. Its average depth is only about 7 meters, the maximum does not exceed 13, 5. The Sea of Azov is the shallowest sea not only in Russia, but also in the world.
The Azov Sea belongs to the Atlantic Ocean basin, is an inland sea in the east of Europe, connects the Kerch Strait with the Black Sea, is located between Russia and Ukraine. The Azov Sea is not only the shallowest, but also one of the smallest seas in the world. Its maximum length is 380 km, the maximum width is 200 km, the coastline is 2686 km, the surface area is 37800 sq. km.
The influx of river waters into the Sea of Azov is abundant and accounts for up to 12% of the total water volume. The main tributary is in its northern part, so the water there contains very little salt and freezes easily in winter. In winter, up to half of the sea area is covered with ice, while ice can be carried into the Black Sea through the Kerch Strait.
In summer, due to its shallow depth, the Sea of Azov quickly and evenly warms up to an average temperature of 24 - 26 degrees, which makes it an excellent place for recreation and fishing.
