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Introduction

The western part of the Sea of Azov is in Ukraine and the eastern part in Russia. This account will deal with the Sea of Azov as a whole, then describe and illustrate the Ukrainian and Russian coastlines.

The Sea of Azov has an area of 38,000 sq. km and is shallow, with a maximum depth of only 15 m. It occupies a basin that originally formed in Miocene times, and was periodically submerged by the sea during Plio-Pleistocene times, attaining its present form as the result of Late Quaternary marine submergence of an undulating lowland. It is bordered by hilly country and tributary valleys of inflowing rivers, notably the Kuban and the Don, as well as the Protoka, Yeya, Mius, Molochnya, and some smaller streams. On the southern side, the Kerch Peninsula on the eastern part of the Crimea and the Taman Peninsula are separated by Kerch Strait, a narrow connection with the Black Sea. There are many spits and barriers of shelly sand, backed by lagoons and marshes (Fig. ...

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References

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© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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(2010). Sea of Azov. In: Bird, E.C.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of the World's Coastal Landforms. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8639-7_133

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