Major spits of Azov Sea: 1. Arabat 2. Fedotov 3. Obytichna 4. Berdiansk 5. Bilosaraysk 6. Kriv 7. Beglitsk 8. Yeysk (left) and Glafirovsk (right) 9. Dolgaya 10. Kamyshevatsk 11. Yasensk 12. Achuevsk 13. Chushka

The Spits of the Sea of Azov are spits (narrow strips of land) in the Sea of Azov which can be as long as 112 km (Arabat Spit, the world's longest spit), 45 km (Fedotov Spit), 31 km (Achuevsk Spit), 30 km (Obytichna Spit) and 23 km (Berdiansk Spit). Their total length exceeds 300 km which is larger than the width of the sea (about 180 km).[1]

Most of the spits were formed as a result of deposition of sand, silt and shells by the river flows into the Azov Sea bays. Therefore, many spits stretch to the south into the sea and are continuations of the (right) river banks (see table and map). The Chushka and Tuzla spits are located inside the Strait of Kerch; the former spit is formed by the outflow of water from the Azov Sea to the Black Sea and therefore also faces south, whereas the latter is facing north. A major oil spill occurred near those spits on 11 November 2007.[2][3]

Most spits have a triangular base and numerous lagoons on their west side. The ends of some spits are widened and bent westwards. Their shape rapidly varies with time. For example, the Arabat Spit (the largest and most stable spit on the Azov Sea) was formed only around 1100–1200 AD,[4] and some spits were partly or entirely washed away by water currents.[5] Many spits are used as resting ground by migrating birds (mostly ducks, geese, swans, sandpipers, great cormorants and seagulls, see e.g. this and this pictures) and therefore some are declared national nature reserves. Examples are the Beglitsk,[6] Bilosaraysk,[7] Kriv[7] and Berdiansk spits. In addition to bird colonies, the Bilosaraysk and Berdiansk spits also host more than 200 vegetation species each.[8][9][10] The Berdiansk Spit is remarkable for having one of the oldest lighthouses on the Azov Sea (160 years old).[11] The Petrushino Spit is historical in that in 1697, Peter I built a major fortress at its base.[12] In July 1711, a Turkish landing operation was defeated there.[13]

Major spits

Major spits of Azov Sea[5][9]
Name Coordinates Country Length
km		 Width
km		 Area
km2		 Notes Photo
Arabat Spit 45°42′N 35°0′E / 45.700°N 35.000°E / 45.700; 35.000 (Arabat Spit)  Ukraine 112[14] 0.27–8[15] 395[16] The spit separates the Syvash lagoons from the Azov Sea; in the north, it is separated from the mainland (Henichesk city) by a narrow Henichesk Strait.
Achuevsk Spit 46°01′33″N 38°01′09″E / 46.0257°N 38.0192°E / 46.0257; 38.0192 (Achuevsk Spit)  Russia 31 Sandy spit on the eastern shore near Primorsko-Akhtarsk; it forms a shore of Akhtarsk Liman.
Beglitsk Spit 47°06′59″N 38°34′20″E / 47.11634°N 38.57223°E / 47.11634; 38.57223 (Beglitsk Spit)  Russia 3[17] The spit is located in the Taganrog Bay, about 25 km west of Taganrog, and 30 km east of the Kriv Spit. It forms a small bay of circular shape and contains about 140 species of vegetation.
Bilosaraysk Spit 46°52′46.40″N 37°19′18.64″E / 46.8795556°N 37.3218444°E / 46.8795556; 37.3218444 (Bilosaraysk Spit)  Ukraine 14[17] <10 6.16[8] The spit is located in Manhush Raion of Donetsk Oblast and separates the Taganrog Bay on the north, and the Bilosaraysk Bay on the south-east. It is formed by the river Kalmius and is 20 km south-west from Mariupol city. More than 200 plants species grow on this spit.[8]
Berdiansk Spit 46°39′N 36°47′E / 46.650°N 36.783°E / 46.650; 36.783 (Berdiansk Spit)  Ukraine 23[17] 0.04–2 7 Located in the north of the sea, it borders the Berdiansk Bay. The spit is within the limits of Berdiansk city. It is formed by the Berda River and is a nature reserve containing more than 300 species of vegetation.[10]
Chushka Spit 45°20′23″N 36°40′31″E / 45.33972°N 36.67528°E / 45.33972; 36.67528 (Dolgaya Spit)  Russia 18 The spit is located in the Kerch Strait, extending from Cape Achilleion to the south-west. In 1944, it was joined to the Kerch Peninsula by the Kerch railway bridge, which was destroyed by the sea in the same year and replaced in 1955 by the Kerch Strait ferry line.
Dolgaya Spit 46°39′35″N 37°46′00″E / 46.65972°N 37.76667°E / 46.65972; 37.76667 (Dolgaya Spit)  Russia 9.5 Located on the east coast of the sea, it is a part of Yeysk Peninsula, Taganrog Bay and of the Yeysk District, Krasnodar Krai. Village Dolzhanskaya is at the base of the spit. The spit used to be twice as long in the early 20th century but was partly washed away.
Fedotov Spit 46°12′33″N 35°13′49″E / 46.2093°N 35.2304°E / 46.2093; 35.2304 (Fedotov Spit)  Ukraine 45[17] Located in the north, the spit separates the Utlyuksky Lyman from the sea. It is formed by the Molochna River and has a village, Stepok, and several sanatoriums near its base.
Glafirovsk Spit 46°44′17″N 38°23′49″E / 46.7380°N 38.3970°E / 46.7380; 38.3970 (Glafirovsk Spit)  Russia 6.6 0.05–1 Located in the northern part of Yeysk Liman, separating it from the sea. The village of Glafirovka is at the base of the spit.
Kamyshevatsk Spit 46°22′00″N 38°00′00″E / 46.36667°N 38.00000°E / 46.36667; 38.00000 (Kamyshevatsk Spit)  Russia 6 <4 Located on the east coast of the Yeysk Peninsula, the spit is sickle shaped. It belongs to the Yeysk District of Krasnodar Krai and is 5 km south-east of Kamyshevatsk village.
Kriv Spit 47°02′52″N 38°07′40″E / 47.04779°N 38.12779°E / 47.04779; 38.12779 (Kriv Spit)  Ukraine 10[17] Located on the Ukrainian side of the Russia–Ukraine border, near the mouth of the Mius River, the spit is a continuation of its right bank. An old resort and the settlement Siedovo (c. 1750) is located at the spit's base.
Obytichna Spit 46°31′57″N 36°12′18″E / 46.5324°N 36.2051°E / 46.5324; 36.2051 (Obytichna Spit)  Ukraine 30[17] Located on the north coast of the sea, between the Obytichna and Berdiansk bays, the spit is formed by the Obytichna River and limits the Obytichna Bay on the east.
Pavlo-Ochakovskaya Spit 47°02′30″N 39°06′22″E / 47.04167°N 39.10611°E / 47.04167; 39.10611 (Pavlo-Ochakovskaya Spit)  Russia A sand and shell rock spit located on the Russian coast of the Sea of Azov, in the Taganrog Bay, about 35 km southwest of the city of Azov.
Petrushino Spit 47°10′26″N 38°51′55″E / 47.173903°N 38.86531°E / 47.173903; 38.86531 (Petrushino Spit)  Russia This spit is located on the northern Russian coast, in the Taganrog Bay, near Taganrog, about 25 km east of the Beglitskaya Spit.
Sazalniksk Spit 46°52′28″N 38°30′08″E / 46.87444°N 38.50222°E / 46.87444; 38.50222 (Sazalniksk Spit)  Russia 3 <7 Located on the eastern Russian coast, in the Taganrog Bay, 25 km north-east of Yeysk. Like most of the other spits, it was originally covered with grass and bushes, but a 36-hectare groove of Populus and pine was planted on it in 1977.
Tuzla Spit 45°16′6″N 36°33′0″E / 45.26833°N 36.55000°E / 45.26833; 36.55000 (Tuzla Spit)  Ukraine  Russia 4 This used to be a single body, which was split by the waterflow into the alluvial Tuzla Island and Tuzla Spit in 1925, both located in the middle of the Kerch Strait. The Tuzla Island is about 6 km long, but is being washed away by the flow. Geographically, the island belongs to the city of Kerch, Ukraine, and the spit to Krasnodar Krai, Russia; however, the legal status is yet undefined. A heavy Russo-German battle occurred on the island on 6–9 October 1943.[18]

Yasensk Spit 46°14′11″N 38°15′56″E / 46.23638°N 38.26555°E / 46.23638; 38.26555 (Yasensk Spit)  Russia 14 <3 Located on the east coast, between Yasensk Bay and Beysugsk Liman.
Yeysk Spit 46°44′10″N 38°17′15″E / 46.73611°N 38.28750°E / 46.73611; 38.28750 (Yeysk Spit)  Russia 3 The spit is the central resort area of the Yeysk city and a part of Yeysk Peninsula. Its length used to be about 9 km, but was reduced by a storm on 13 March 1914.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Andrey G. Kostianoy, Aleksey N. Kosarev (2007). The Black Sea Environment. Springer. p. 65. ISBN 3-540-74291-3. Archived from the original on 2023-04-10. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  2. ↑ EU experts to assess ecological situation in Kerch Strait Archived 2011-05-11 at the Wayback Machine, 18 March 2008, kmu.gov.ua
  3. ↑ Oil Spill Near Black Sea Causes 'Ecological Catastrophe' Archived 2008-09-07 at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press, 13 November 2007
  4. ↑ Shutov, Yu. "Арабатская стрелка" (in Russian) Tavria, 1983 Part 4 Archived 2013-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
  5. 1 2 Complex characteristics of present condition of Azov Sea shore within the Krasnodar Krai Archived 2012-01-14 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
  6. ↑ Основные положения о территориальном планировании, содержащиеся в "Схеме территориального планирования рекреационного комплекса прибрежных территорий Азовского моря и Нижнего Дона" (in Russian)
  7. 1 2 List of nature reserves (in Russian)
  8. 1 2 3 Basics of ecology (in Russian). Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. 2005. Archived from the original on 2010-04-26.
  9. 1 2 Lotysh, I.P. (2006). Geography of Kuban. Collegiate Dictionary. Maikop.
  10. 1 2 Berdiansk Spit Archived 2010-06-14 at the Wayback Machine, web site of Berdiansk (in Russian)
  11. ↑ "Spits of Azov resorts" (in Russian). PRAVO. 23 October 2009.
  12. ↑ Ya. Ivanyuk and Yu. Pogoda After Poltava Archived 2011-10-16 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
  13. ↑ A. P. Chekhov Taganrog Archived 2010-03-01 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
  14. ↑ Petrov, V.P. (1964). Geography of the Soviet Union: Physical features. V.P. Kamkin, sole distributors. p. 112. Archived from the original on 2023-04-10. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  15. ↑ Сиваш (Syvash) in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969–1978 (in Russian)
  16. ↑ Semenov, Petr Petrovich (1862). Geografichesko-statisticheskìĭ slovar' Rossìĭskoĭ imperìi (Geographical-statistical disctionary of Russian Empire) (in Russian). Oxford University. p. 111. Archived from the original on 2023-04-10. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Azov Sea Archived 2010-06-16 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
  18. ↑ Andrey G. Kostianoy, Aleksey N. Kosarev (2007). The Black Sea Environment. Springer. p. 51. ISBN 3-540-74291-3. Archived from the original on 2023-04-10. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
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