Azov, Sea

Azov, Sea of

Inland sea in Europe between Ukraine and Russia. It is connected to the Black Sea by Kerch Strait. About 210 mi (340 km) long and 85 mi (135 km) wide, it occupies an area of 14,500 sq mi (37,600 sq km). With a maximum depth of only about 46 ft (14 m), it is the world's shallowest sea. It is fed by the Don and Kuban rivers, and at their entrance in the Taganrog Gulf, its depth is 3 ft (1 m) or less. In the west lies the Arabat Spit, a 70-mi- (113–km-) long sandbar that separates the Sea of Azov from the Syvash, a system of marshy inlets dividing the Crimean Peninsula from the Ukrainian mainland.