Do you know what is the smallest sea in the world? It is very difficult for scientists to come to a consensus. They still continue to argue about which water bodies are considered seas, which lakes, and which bays. Only one thing is known for sure: out of a huge number of water basins, only 59 are recognized by the seas. Of these, the smallest sea is the Marmara Sea.
A bit of geography
Sea of Marmara - a link between the Black Sea and the Aegean. The strait connecting the large Black Sea with the small Marmara is called the Bosphorus. It is connected to the Aegean Sea by the Dardanelles. Another sea can be considered a kind of feature that separates Asia and Europe. The area of the water basin is less than 11 thousand square meters. km
Such a definition as the smallest sea in the world does not mean that it is at the same time the smallest. The fact is that the sea arose as a result of breaking the earth's crust, which, in fact, divided the single continent into Asia, Europe and Africa. This explains the fact that the depth in some places is very solid - up to 14 km. And because of the ongoing tectonic processes in the Sea of Marmara, there are often earthquakes and, as a result, tsunamis.
A bit of history
The name for the sea was given by a rich deposit of marble discovered on the island of Marmara. It is from here that this stone was transported around the world. And since marble as a building and finishing material was very in demand, the name of the place from where it was delivered was on everyone’s lips. When translating from Greek into English and Russian, the word was modified from sea of marmara to the Sea of Marmara.
The Sea of Marmara was the intersection of the busy trade arteries between Europe and Asia. The largest civilizations developed and disappeared on its shores. And power over the connecting straits promised unlimited possibilities.
Temperature and other features
The smallest sea in the world has enough salt water. The salt content here is much higher than in the waters of the Black Sea. However, a denser mass of salt water is located at a depth and does not mix with surface, less saline waters.
The Sea of Marmara on the map has very indented shores. There are a large number of bays and bays. The northern coast has many underwater reefs, which makes shipping difficult, but attracts a stream of tourists.
In winter, the temperature of sea water is not more than 10º C, and in summer it can exceed 29º C. These data refer to surface waters with a depth of about 20 m. Deep waters have a much lower temperature.
Who lives here
The fauna of the Sea of Marmara is not too diverse. Its composition is close to the Mediterranean. Here, commercial fish species are caught, such as:
- horse mackerel;
- mackerel;
- bonito;
- loban;
- sole;
- anchovy.
Many species of commercial fish migrate with the onset of cooling in the warmer waters of the Black Sea.
