People wonder why our sea is called "black". On sunny days, the seawater is blue-green and when the sky is heavy clouded, it is silver-grey or azure. Ancient Greeks first called it Pontus Axeinus meaning an “inhospitable sea”. In comparison to the Mediterranean , they found it cold and stormy, and even dangerous because of the wild tribes inhabiting its shores. It took a few centuries for the Ancient Greeks to get to know the Black Sea and its human inhabitants, before they changed their mind and started calling it Pontus Euxinus (“Hospitable Sea”), often referring to it in a friendly way, simply as the Pontus. Its treasures were reflected in the myth of the Golden Fleece, and Herodotus describes it as the most remarkable of all seas. There are several hypotheses for the origin of its present name. Historians say that it is an old name given by the Persians. Hydrologists explain it by the Black sea 's ability to tint metal objects black, due to high content of dissolved hydrogen sulphide. Biologists tend to explain it with the fact that there is no oxygen and virtually no life in its depths. Whatever the origin of it present name, the Black Sea is unlike any other sea in the world, and it is greatly important for all people living around it, for it sustains them and supports their economy by attracting millions of tourists.

The Black Sea is one of the most landlocked seas in the world. Its isolation from the world ocean is due to the restricted link with other seas. It communicates to the Southwest with the Sea of Marmara through the Bosphorus Strait and with the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean through the Dardanelles , and further with the Pacific through the Gibraltar . In the Northeast the Black Sea connects with the shallow Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait .

Part of the Black Sea uniqueness depends on the fact that its surface area is about five times less than its drainage area, which covers entirely or partly the territory of 20 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and 2 in Asia . These include the six states surrounding it and also Germany , Switzerland , Italy , Austria , Poland , the Czech Republic , Slovakia , Hungary , Slovenia , Albania , Macedonia , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia , Serbia and Montenegro , Belarus and Moldova .

The second and the third biggest rivers of Europe feed the sea with fresh water and influence the salinity of marine waters. The inflow of the Danube , the Dnistro, the Dnipro and the Don play even greater role in the Black Sea water balance than evaporation and the exchange of saline waters with the Mediterranean (which forms only 0.1% of the sea volume annually). The first three rivers together with the South Bug , entering the sea in the northwestern part, contribute more than 70 % of all fresh water flowing into it. The rivers on the eastern, southern and western coasts have much smaller drainage areas and provide about 20 % of fresh water inflow.

Table 3. Geographical Facts about the Black Sea   Surface area / km 2 / 423,000 (462,000 with the Sea of Azov )   Depth /m/ 1271 (average) 2212 (maximum) Drainage area / km 2 / 2,500,000 Volume /km 3 / 547,000 Tides /cm/ 3-10 Length of coastline / km/ 4090 Number of islands / km 2 / About 10 (with area more than 0.5)

The kidney-shaped sea depression is surrounded to the West and North by the relatively low lands in the Balkan Peninsula and Eastern Europe, where the Balkans (mount Botev, 2373 m), the Danube Plain with the Danube Delta, the Russian Plain and the Crimean Mountains (mount Roman Kosh, 1545 m) border the sea. The East and Southern coasts rise in the skirts of the Caucasus (mount Elbrus, 5642 m) and the Pontic Mountains ( mount Kachkar , 3937 m) in Asia Minor . It is only the Kolkhida lowland that breaks the mountainous relief to the East.

The coastline is generally mildly curved. The only large peninsula is to the North - the Crimea with the Tarkhankut and the Kerch Peninsula linked to it. The few large bays lay in the northern and northeastern parts - the Odessa Gulf , Yagorlikskiy, Tendrovskiy, Karkinitskiy, Kalamitskiy Bays and the Novorossiysk Bay in the East. The biggest of only few islands (Zmeiniy, Tendrovskiy, Berezan) are also in the northwestern part. The coast is low and flat, and sandy spits often bar the river mouths. Brackish and salty lagoons form large wetlands with great ecological importance. The eastern coastline of Georgia has weak indentation with no sheltered closed bays. Only few smaller peninsulas and bays are located in the South in Turkey – the Capes Ince, Chum, Baba and the Sinop and Samsun Bays . The western coastline is also slightly ragged by the Burgas and the Varna Bays and the small peninsulas of Nessebur and Cape Kaliakra .

Different landscapes and marine /Resources determine the livelihood of coastal people. Large fertile plains in Bulgaria , Romania , Ukraine and Russia support intensive agriculture and the production of wheat, corn, sunflower seeds, sugar beets, fruits and vegetables. The hinterlands of the Black Sea coast are famous as “granaries” that supply a significant part of foodstuff in these countries. Corn and pastures provide fodder for stockbreeding and the production of meat, milk, eggs, etc. Warmer climate and limited arable land in the East and South (Georgia and Turkey ) are utilized by growing citrus fruits, tea, rise, nuts and tobacco. Though specialization differs from one country to another the most typical agricultural landscape anywhere around the Black Sea are vineyards. Grapes and excellent wines from the Black Sea region add to the local tourism attractions and special Georgian and Bulgarian wines are famous far beyond it.

Fisheries have long history in the region and it has always provided good income for certain part of the coastal population, except for the last four decades when industrial fisheries suffered a great reduction of fish catches both in quantity and variety. Now Turkey 's fish catches leads in the region followed by Ukraine and Russia while Bulgaria , Romania and Georgia have symbolic catches.

Industrial production in the region is not only based on agriculture but on local mineral and energy /Resources as well as on the qualifications of local people and their traditions. Coal and ore deposits provide row materials for thermal energy and metallurgy especially in Ukraine , Russia and Turkey . In other countries coastal towns have often developed as important industrial centres just because their ports serve as gateways for import or export.

Cut coasts and hospitable bays predetermine the development of ports that attract industries and hundred thousands of people in some of the coastal cities like Odessa (the Ukrainian forth biggest city), Mykolayiv, Kherson, Ilichevsk, Mariupol in Ukraine, Sochi and Novorossiysk in the Russian Federation, Constanta in Romania, Varna and Burgas - the third and forth biggest cities in Bulgaria, Batumi in Georgia, Trabzon in Turkey.

The coastal location when favourable for transport development has always given best advantages for Black Sea economy, especially in recent decade of great economical changes in the region. Lying on the crossroad between Asia and Europe the region has seen good and bad times: it gives impetus to trade but it also challenges the balance between desirable economical profit now and long-term sustainable development for local communities and their environment. Oil transportation in the Black Sea region is part of this challenge especially if social and environmental concerns and long-term economical effects are neglected and only geopolitical arguments dominate important decisions for the future.

It is symptomatic though that the transport system in each country is quite isolated from its neighbours, except for the countries within the former Soviet Union . Actually past political regimes restricted people from moving across borders. Travelling from country to country along the Black Sea coast or across the sea, despite relatively short distances, can be a real challenge even for enthusiasts. If someone from Bulgaria decides to visit the Russian coast, for instance, one should fly to Moscow first or better drive to Istanbul , from where there are regular flights to the Russian coast and the border formalities are minimal. Fortunately, political restrictions on travel within the Black Sea region have been reduced but not eliminated. The poor transport infrastructure between Black Sea countries renders difficulties to closer economic and cultural relations among them.

Tourism is a relatively new industry in the region. It offers very good options for combining the conventional sea tourism with balneology and cultural tourism. Impressive tourism complexes were created in the 1960s – 80s along the Western coast, including big resorts for international tourists like Sunny Beach and the Golden Sands in Bulgaria , and Mamaya in Romania . At the same time Ukraine , Russia and Georgia kept to their traditional resort towns like Yalta , Evpatoria, Anapa, Sochi , etc. hosting mainly national tourists. Later Bulgaria set up a new model of tourism development following the present market demands – small quiet and beautiful resorts and tourist villages appear where tourists can rest in closeness with nature. The same tendency exists in Turkey , too, though Black Sea resorts there have to compete with the Turkish Mediterranean and Marmara tourism regions. In all Black Sea countries now there is a growing interest towards rural tourism and ecotourism because the regional natural /Resources offer exceptional opportunities for unconventional tourism activities like bird watching, rafting, underwater archaeology, photo-tourism, etc.

The Black Sea coasts support millions of people of different cultures, historical and geographical background. Nevertheless, the common land and sea as well as interactions between them for ages have resulted in the formation of the unique Black Sea community that is described by tolerance and broadmindedness. Cultures have been mixed in a strange way and often Black Sea people from different countries understand each other much better than politicians. Though different in origin, Black Sea languages show a remarkable resemblance where food or fish is concerned. One can find Christian and Muslim communities living together in peace almost everywhere around the sea. Folk dances and folk tales in distant coastal regions look quite similar, yet preserving national identity. The democratization of Black Sea countries and the awareness of common interests and goals give good chances to future cooperation. This positive tendency is well visible in common efforts for developing the Black Sea Economic Cooperation and for the sustainable development of the Black Sea region (the Black Sea Commission and the implementation of the Black Sea Strategic Action Plan for the Rehabilitation and Protection of the Black Sea ).