The sea of Azov is a bordering sea of the Black Sea, connected to this one with the Northern by the Détroit of Kertch. Not very deep sea, it extends on a surface from 37  600 km ² and are bordered in the West and North by the Ukraine, in the East by the Russia and in the south by the peninsula of the Crimea (Ukraine) and the Péninsule of Taman (Russia), both separated by the strait from Kertch.

The sea of Azov constitutes actually the common Estuaire several rivers whose main thing is the Don. Water of this sea is salted very little and its funds far from major (10 meters on average).

At the time of the ancient Greece, the sea of Azov was called besides Palus Meotis (“Lake Méotide”). If not very deep that a channel was dug all along the south-western littoral (Canal of Pivinichno), until the Dniepr, to which it is very close. If this basin took such a proportion, that is due to the fact that the Gift ridges in its end, with Rostov, on the first buttresses of the chain of the the Caucasus.

Certain rivers which are thrown to it come from the Caucasus: Eja, Bjsug, Kuban; other rivers come from the plains of Ukraine: Mius, Kalmius, Molochna. The majority of them form an estuary (liman) or a individual Delta which emerges then in this common basin.

One can pass from the sea of Azov to the Caspian Sea by a channel which upstream respectively connects the Gift to the the Volga of Rostov on the Gift and Astrakhan. Consequently the Détroit of Kerch eminently strategic, is kept by the ancient port of Théodosie. Strait very low depth, it can be crossed only by the Channel of Kerch, in the port area of the homonymous port.

Formerly Inland sea of the USSR, the sea of Azov is regarded now an international sea (by the Ukraine) but as a " inland sea of CEI" by Russia. Following the incident of the island of Touzla in October 2003, an agreement was reached between Russia and the Ukraine on the sea of Azov and the strait of Kerch.

See too

• List of the seas and oceans