Which sea does the Kerch Strait belong to? Tunnel design options. Ferry connection

Kerch Strait belongs to the area Sea of Azov and connects it with Black. The Black Sea part of the strait starts from Cape Panagia, located in the southwest of the Taman Peninsula.
The strait is, in principle, navigable at any time of the year, but is covered in winter floating ice. Usually the current in the strait is directed from the Sea of Azov to , but in some cases, for example, when strong wind from the south, a change in current is possible.

Kerch Peninsula in the area of the strait it is occupied by a hill, in some places steep and rocky, while the coast of the Taman Peninsula is low. There is little precipitation on the banks of the strait, and therefore there is sparse vegetation. The coastline is very winding, with many small peninsulas and bays. From Russian coast long sandy spits protrude.

IN ancient times The Kerch Strait was called the Cimmerian Bosporus. The Cimmerians are a people who settled in the northeastern Black Sea region in the 2nd/3rd-7th centuries. BC e., even before the appearance of the Scythians here. The name "Bosporus" has a mythological origin. So, the ancient Greek playwright Euripides (480-406 BC) in the play “Iphigenia in Tauris” (414 BC) described how the strait swims Io - the beloved of Zeus, turned by Hera - the jealous wife of Zeus - in a cow, which is pursued by gadflies. Later, another ancient Greek playwright - Aeschylus (525-456 BC) called the place of crossing the strait "cow's ford", in Greek - Bosporus.

Two and a half thousand years ago, between the capes of Panagia and Tuzla on the shores of the Taman Bay, there was ancient greek city Colony Korokondama. Since then, 2 kilometers have been reclaimed from the coast, and the city has been at the bottom.
Here, on the Taman Peninsula, is the famous Phanagoria - the largest ancient Greek colony in Russia. Phanagoria was founded in 543 BC. e. It was the capital of the Bosporus kingdom, was part of the Byzantine Empire, and then - the Khazar Khaganate. At the beginning of the 10th century, when the sea level began to rise and the city began to go under water, the inhabitants left these places. Archaeological research showed that the buildings of Phanagoria were preserved at the bottom of the Taman Bay, at a depth of 3-4 m.

IN Lately the popularity of sliding doors or the so-called compartment doors has increased. They are installed everywhere: as in residential apartments both homes and offices. The name "compartment door" came to us from similar devices used in train cars. The main convenience is that during operation, opening and closing, such doors do not require additional space. Similar decorative elements are referred to as radius elements. Having bought mirrored compartment doors, you should take care of your safety. Breaking such a door is extremely difficult, but still quite real. To ensure safety and to prevent the glass from flying into many small pieces around the room, the door can be glued with a security film. Then in case of misfortune, the glass will simply remain on the film.

In the VI century. BC e. The Ionians founded west bank the Panticapaeum Strait - the future capital of the Bosporan kingdom, located on the site of the current Kerch.
Subsequently, the strait bore various names, depending on who ruled on its shores. In the Middle Ages, it was called Taman-Bogazy (from the Turkic "Taman Strait"), at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 20th centuries. he got Russian names: Tauride, Yenikalsky, -Yenikalsky. In the 19th century the Russians, who already owned the entire peninsula, were built to guard the Kerch Strait.
During World War II, the Kerch Peninsula became the site of bloody battles between German and Soviet troops. The battles became even fiercer winter time when the strait froze and troops could move along it.

At present, the border between Russia and Ukraine passes through the strait, but it has not yet been precisely defined due to disagreement between the parties.
The Kerch Strait between the Kerch (Crimea) and Taman (Caucasus) peninsulas connects the Azov and Black Sea. extreme capes- Ak-Burun on the Kerch Peninsula (Ukraine) and Tuzla on the Taman Peninsula (Russia). The depth of the Kerch Strait is from 5 to 15 m. The shores of the Kerch Peninsula are elevated, the Taman Peninsula is low, indented with bays, bays and estuaries.
Tuzla Spit - a narrow strip of land in the Kerch Strait - has become the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia and Ukraine.

Across the Kerch Strait is a completely feasible project. During World War II, the Kerch Strait was already built. In 1943, the German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler demanded the construction of an automobile and railway line 4.8 km long in order to make a throw at the oil regions of the Caucasus and Persia, but this venture failed when the Germans were expelled from the Crimea. What the Germans failed to do, the Russians succeeded for a while: in 1944 they built a railway across the Kerch Strait. was completed in November 1944, but the pillars of the structure were not protected by ice cutters, and the metal piles collapsed during one of the winter storms in February 1945. They were not restored and replaced with a railway ferry crossing.

There is no certainty that such a bridge is needed at all: the exchange of goods between Russia and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait is limited, the Russian "Caucasus" on the Taman Peninsula exists solely to serve the ferry crossing. And most importantly, an obstacle in the construction of a permanent bridge was the uncertainty in the issue of laying state borders in the Kerch Strait. Ukraine demands to keep the "Soviet" border, Russia insists on its revision. The main dispute flared up because of the Tuzla Spit.

The Tuzla Spit, or Tuzla Spit, in the Kerch Strait consists of an elongated island and an artificial spit running from the Taman Peninsula. Until 1925, it was a single spit adjoining the Taman Peninsula, but the cofferdam was washed away when local fishermen dug a channel in it to shorten the path from one side of the spit to the other. Russia considers Tuzla a spit, which is part of the Taman Peninsula, while Ukraine insists that Tuzla is an island. Now separated by a strait West Side spit is administratively owned Autonomous Republic Crimea of Ukraine, and East End connected to the mainland, Krasnodar Territory Russian Federation.
The issue of the Tuzla Spit has been a subject of dispute between Russia and Ukraine since the collapse of the USSR. Whoever owns the scythe controls the entire strait. It is also important that the Kerch herring and anchovy (a kind of Black Sea anchovy) chose this particular spit for spawning. As a result, all the fish goes for processing only to the Kerch fish factory.

Putin in the Kerch Strait begins in late autumn and lasts for several months.
Fishing and shipping are the main branches of the local economy. There are practically no minerals here, except for the iron ore deposit at Cape Zhelezny Rog on south coast Taman Peninsula. Here is a unique exit directly to the earth's surface of iron ore with an iron content of 32%. Until 1932, iron was not mined, but slabs that had broken off from the ore layer were collected in shallow water.

Dividing the two peninsulas Taman and Crimean, has a name - the Kerch Strait. It's true unique creation nature, which until recently was also the border of two states - Russia and Ukraine.

A bit of history

The Kerch Strait has centuries of history. According to Greek mythology, it was crossed by Io - the beloved of God Zeus. She was turned into a cow. Therefore, in some sources you can find the name "Cow Ford", which is directly related to the strait.

Historians ancient greece talk about the Amazons. They also crossed the Kerch Strait, their crossing took place on ice. In winter, in general, many nomads moved from one peninsula to another through the water area. More modern historical books and writings repeat this.

Numerous hostilities more than once withstood the winter Kerch Strait, and in the warm season - naval combat battles. Herodotus in his reports repeatedly mentioned certain Cimmerian crossings, named after the peoples crossing the channel. The history of the Kerch Strait is rich and varied. It has many names corresponding to different time periods. This is the Tauride Strait, and Yenikalsky, and Kerch-Yenikalsky. The peoples who own the nearby land appropriated it for themselves, hence the various names of the Kerch Strait appeared.

XX century

Closer to modern times, the Kerch Strait became the property of the Slavic peoples, namely, the territory of the USSR. In order to have the opportunity railway transport to cross it, in the post-war period, the construction of the bridge began. Although, according to some sources, it became known that they were going to build it even before the start of World War II. The materials were trophies obtained during military operations.

Unfortunately, the construction was stopped in the spring of 1945 due to the fact that the ice that came down after the winter damaged a third of the already installed supports. Recovery at that time was almost impossible. The remaining building materials were removed and disposed of.

By the mid-50s, a ferry crossing was opened across the Kerch Strait, with a length of about 5 km. She passed from the Crimea to the Krasnodar Territory. And by the 80s, all types of transportation were suspended due to the wear and tear of ferries. For almost 15 years, only cars were transported through the crossing. Restoration and new construction required large cash costs which is why it never started.

XXI century

After the collapse Soviet Union and until 2000, disputes between the Russian Federation and Ukraine did not stop over the Kerch Strait. And in 2004, the ferry crossing was reopened, but it was intended only for cargo transportation. But in 2007, after the crash of several ships, irreparable damage was done to the Kerch Strait and its entire water area. The issue of building a bridge again came to the fore.

Numerous options and projects for future construction were proposed. The bridge across the Kerch Strait was decided to be built jointly by Russia and Ukraine. The start of its construction was to be carried out with the advent of 2014. However, this did not happen. Now that the Crimea is recognized as a territory of the Russian Federation, the design and construction of the bridge has been activated again.

Geography of the Strait

The basins of the two seas are separated by the Kerch Canal. South coast The Sea of Azov, formed by the Taman and Kerch peninsulas, has a hilly and steep relief. In some places there are cliffs and headlands. The same applies to the shores of the Black Sea. On this side you can find large quantity sandbars and shallow waters, the largest of which are Chushka and Tuzla.

The distance of the Kerch Strait is accompanied by high banks. A channel has been dug along its entire length. The navigation equipment that is located there provides free and safe movement by him. Smaller ones run from the main canal, leading to well-equipped ports and some settlements. They are called fairways or recommended paths.

Due to shallow water in winter, the Kerch Strait freezes. In spring floods and summer rains, it is characterized by a rise in the water level. The strait is located in a zone with a temperate continental climate (hot summers and rather warm winters).

Fishing is widely developed on the territory of the Kerch water basin, it reaches a huge scale. Fish processing in the city is a well-known occupation, and for many people it is almost the only source of cash income.

coasts of the strait

Nature here is peculiar, characteristic of its own geographic location. The coasts of the peninsulas belonging to the Kerch Strait region are hilly with hills of various sizes (40-90 meters). From the side of the Kerch Peninsula - these are steep rocks and cliffs, and in the Tamansky region - lowlands and plains.

Due to the climate, sparse and sparse vegetation prevails along the coast of the strait. Here you can find undersized shrubs, low trees, reeds and different kinds herbs. The shores of the strait are quite winding, so there are numerous small peninsulas and small bays.

Strait dimensions

The most great depth The Kerch Strait is only 18 meters. It should be noted that even during minor frosts, its entire surface is covered with solid ice. The smallest depth of the Kerch Strait in the port area is only 7-8 m, so it is recognized as one of the shallowest in the world.

If we talk about the length, then the approximate length of the Kerch Strait does not exceed 45 kilometers. Although various information sources broadcast different data from each other. Some of them claim that the length of the Kerch Strait reaches 40 km and no more. The exact specific size has not been established, so the length of the water area is considered with a small error.

In addition, the minimum width of the Kerch Strait is slightly more than 4 km. This is a very small indicator for such a water area. The channel is called not only the shallowest, but also the narrowest, because maximum width The Kerch Strait is only 15 km. And if you stop on the shore and look into the distance, you will see a significant resemblance to the sea.

Bridge across the Kerch Strait

Such a building is simply necessary. By land to overcome numerous distances to the narrowest point of the strait - too long. Plus, the path does not end there, there is still a ferry crossing ahead.

Construction projects Kerch bridge already several dozen. It is assumed that its length should not exceed 5 km. However, the bridge must be built so that it is resistant to all kinds of conditions. environment(currents, floods, ice melting).

Technical parameters should take into account:

Shipping dimensions (channel height - 45 m, width 200 m).
Seismic activity (up to 9 points).
The roof of bedrock deep rocks should be more than 40 m.
High load from the ice field, hummock thickness - 2 m, current speed - 2 m/s, wind speed - 25 m/s.
The wide area of the considered alignments (5 km).

Only with the right calculation and high-quality construction, it is possible to build a strong and durable bridge across the strait. Take into account all of the technical specifications extremely important.

Why is the Kerch bridge being destroyed?

The main problems during construction are the high seismicity of the entire region, weak soils and the lack of full-fledged state funding.

For the bridge to be strong and serve long time, its piles should go 200 m down. This is necessary in the presence of specific underwater soil. In addition, the design of the bridge speaks of its colossal dimensions, and its entire structure must be unified. Constant landslides and earthquakes, characteristic of the coasts of the strait, will not affect the entire structure in the best way.

No less destructive impact on the bridge has a specific and unstable weather, strong winds, big waves and occasional storms. In addition to durable structures, absolutely unique technology is required for construction, and, accordingly, large sums of money.

Options for the construction of the Kerch bridge

We list the most realistic projects for crossing the strait:

"Northern", according to which the bridge will connect two capes - Lantern and Small Kut. The bridge crossing will be about 10 km long, road access roads - 49 km, railway - 24 km.
Zhukovsky will be built from locality Zhukovka to Chushka Spit. Length - 6 km, road - 46 km, railway - 13 km.
The Yenikalsky option will connect the cape and the spit (from Yenikalino to Chushka). Length - 5.7 km, road access roads - 46 km, railway - 5 km.
The Tuzla project involves the construction of a bridge from Cape Ak-Burun to the island. Length - 12 km, road - 38 km, railway - 36 km.

Which of the options will be applied remains to be seen, time will tell.

Kerch Strait (map)

We bring to your attention a photo from the satellite. This is what the strait looks like from space.

The Kerch Strait, the map of which is presented to your attention, is a fairly extensive body of water.

ferry crossing

The Kerch Strait, the crossing through which was officially opened in the fall of 1954, passes between two large port cities (Kerch and Temryuk), connecting two separate peninsulas. This is the main message for everything. body of water. Thanks to the crossing, it became possible to deliver goods and goods from different states. Movement is carried out on ferries. You can not spend too much time traveling by land, but at the same time enjoy a wonderful walk on the water.

Today, the main way to move from Crimean peninsula to Tamansky - this is the Kerch Strait. The ferry has been the most popular mode of transport for these places for many decades.

Unfortunately, the crossing does not cope with the numerous flow of passengers at all times of the year. The need to expand and increase the capacity of the crossing comes to the fore in the season of the influx of tourists. To solve this problem, additional ferries are allocated by the government for some time.

A bridge across the Kerch Strait is a must! transport interchange between the two peninsulas leaves much to be desired. After the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation, there were not only hopes for the speedy construction of the bridge, but also the approximate dates for the completion of its construction.

Numerous proposals and projects are accepted and considered. A large number of of them consists of absolutely real ideas that are feasible even in the difficult conditions of the current economy. Well, with proper design and sufficient funding, it will be possible to drive over the bridge in the next few years.

Along with the controversial change in the status of Crimea, which Russia declared its territory against the opinion of Ukraine and the rest of the world, all pending agreements on the state border in the Kerch Strait collapsed. Ukraine and Russia did not have time to establish it, and now, according to the Russian version, only the border between the subjects of the Russian Federation passes in the Kerch Strait. But even if a miracle happens and the world agrees to Russian Crimea, then who will own the Kerch Strait? Will Ukraine get the right to at least sail from its remnant of the Sea of Azov to the Black and Mediterranean?

PortNews Agency, citing a group of anonymous experts on international relations stated that after gaining control over Crimea, Russia would demand not half of the territory of the Sea of Azov, but 80%, and it would be necessary to negotiate with Ukraine not on the regime for navigation of Russian ships through the Kerch Strait, but on the potential opportunity to sail through it for Ukrainian ships and ships under other flags .

The last agreement between the Russian Federation and Ukraine on the Russian-Ukrainian state border was concluded on December 28, 2003, without deciding the status of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait and leaving its decision for the future. On the eve of the country quarreled over the island of Tuzla, which lies in the center of the strait. Russia pulled a dam from Taman to it, and Ukraine interfered with it with the help of underwater work. Every country has declared deserted sand island his.

The 2003 agreement provides for free passage of merchant and military ships of the two countries through the strait, and free passage of foreign merchant ships to the ports of Russia and Ukraine. For the passage of non-commercial vessels of third countries, the consent of Ukraine and Russia is required. It was assumed that in 2005 the presidents of the countries would come to an agreement and resolve the issue of division.

Russia proposed delimiting the Kerch Strait along the fairway - the Kerch-Yenikal Canal, which passes west of the island Tuzla. Ukraine insisted on partition along the line of the “administrative border that separated Russia and Ukraine during the Soviet era,” which, according to it, was east of the island Tuzla. Russia replied that in the USSR internal borders did not draw on the water. In 2005, the countries again disagreed and exchanged diplomatic notes of protest. Kyiv threatened to call on the international community as an arbitrator, Russia insisted on a division along the fairway.

In May 2008, the government delegations of Russia and Ukraine agreed on a methodology for determining the line of the state border between the Russian Federation and Ukraine in the Sea of Azov based on a combination of methods of the median equidistant line. Next, experts must determine the length of the coast of the Sea of Azov in the Russian and Ukrainian side to define the dividing line. After the division of the Kerch Strait, the parties intended to divide the Black Sea.

However, it was not possible to agree on the strait, since each side remained in its own opinion.

In 2012, an additional agreement was concluded between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on measures to ensure the safety of navigation in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait, which recognized the mutual recognition of national ship documents in relation to Russian and Ukrainian vessels navigating in the waters of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch strait.

Now, in March 2014, Russia has annexed Crimea, and all earlier agreements have lost their meaning.

On Tuesday, February 16, a number of Ukrainian media disseminated information that the Russian side, which, after the annexation of Crimea, intends to block navigation in it in connection with the construction of a bridge to the occupied peninsula. The Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation is really going to restrict traffic in the strait, but this will not affect the Kerch-Yenikal canal, through which, in fact, merchant shipping is carried out. Russia will never dare to completely block the Kerch Strait, as this will hit its own economic interests and block all Russian ports in the Sea of Azov.

On February 2, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Viktor Olersky held a meeting in Taman on measures to ensure the safety of navigation during the construction of a bridge to the Crimea. The discussion was attended by Deputy Head of Rosmorrechflot Yuri Kostin, the so-called "Minister of Transport of Crimea" Andrey Bezsalov, heads of FKU Uprdor "Taman" and LLC "SGM-Most", captains of the ports of Kerch and the Caucasus, representatives of the "Marine Rescue Service of Rosmorrechflot", "Rosmorport" and other responsible institutions.

In particular, it was stated that in the near future it is planned to approve the territories prohibited for navigation in the area of construction of a bridge across the Kerch Strait. In these territories, "excluding Kerch-Yenikalsky channel", the movement of all ships and ships, except for ships and vessels of the navy, federal security agencies, as well as watercraft participating in the process of building a bridge in the Kerch Strait, will be prohibited. This exception is extremely important, since merchant shipping in the strait is precisely through this However, one of the Crimean sites presented information from the meeting in such a way that the movement of ships in the Kerch Strait would be completely blocked.Approximately in this form, this message appeared in a number of Ukrainian electronic media.

The Kerch Strait itself is very shallow, its bottom has a difficult terrain, which makes navigation through it difficult and dangerous. Therefore, along the strait, almost along its entire length, the Kerch-Yenikalsky canal was dug with a width of 120 m and a design depth of 9.35 m. It is available for ships up to 215 m long, with a draft of up to 8 m. there are still many restrictions. In particular, at the entrance to the canal ships large sizes The captain of the port of Kerch gives permission in each individual case. Movement on the side channels during fog, mist, snowfall, heavy rain and other adverse hydrometeorological conditions, as well as at wind speeds of more than 14 m/s. forbidden. The passage of ships with a length of more than 160 m and a draft of more than 6 m is carried out along the Kerch-Yenikalsky Canal only during daylight hours. The Kerch Strait has a traffic control system, so their skippers must use the services of the Vessel Traffic Control Center.

Map of the Kerch Strait. Vessels sail exclusively on marked lines

The channel is the only way to the Black Sea ports, both Russian and Ukrainian. Its overlap would paralyze not only Berdyansk, Genichesk and Mariupol, but also the Russian ports of Yeysk, Kavkaz, Azov, Taganrog and Temryuk. This would cause significant damage to the Russian economy. That is why no sea blockade of the Azov ports of Ukraine should be expected. The Russian authorities intend to determine the security measures in case the construction of the bridge piers ever starts. It is also hardly possible to discriminate against ships based on their state affiliation, since very few merchant ships actually sail under the Russian and Ukrainian flags. Almost all merchant shipping in both countries is provided by ships registered under foreign flags.

The Administration of the Sea Ports of Ukraine (AMPU) confirmed this conclusion to Apostrophe, explaining that, according to the agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation on cooperation in the use of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait dated December 24, 2003, merchant ships, warships, as well as other state vessels flying the flag of Ukraine or the Russian Federation, operated for non-commercial purposes, "enjoy freedom of navigation in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait." "And merchant ships under the flags of third countries can enter the Sea of Azov and pass through the Kerch Strait if they are sent to a Ukrainian or Russian port or return from it. USPA does not expect difficulties and restrictions on the passage of ships to seaports Berdyansk and Mariupol through the Kerch-Yenikal Strait," the administration stressed.

The spread of Russian fakes also harms the image of Ukrainian ports as reliable trading partners.

The waters of the Kerch Strait hide ancient treasures. In particular, at the bottom of it are the ruins of ancient Greek cities, which went under water as the shores eroded. People tried to change the location of just one spit called Tuzla, but this led to border dispute with no end in sight.

Taurian, Yenikal, Cimmerian...

in different historical eras The Kerch Strait bore various names given to it by the peoples who settled on its shores.

The Kerch Strait belongs to the Sea of Azov and connects it with the Black Sea. The Black Sea part of the strait starts from Cape Panagia, located in the southwest of the Taman Peninsula.

The strait is, in principle, navigable at any time of the year, but in winter it is covered with floating ice. Usually the current in the strait is directed from the Sea of Azov to the Black, but in some cases, for example, with a strong wind from the south, a change in the current is possible.

The Kerch Peninsula in the area of the strait is occupied by a hill, in some places steep and rocky, while the shore of the Taman Peninsula is low. There is little precipitation on the banks of the strait, and therefore there is sparse vegetation. The coastline is very winding, with many small peninsulas and bays. Long sandy spits protrude from the Russian coast.

In ancient times, the Kerch Strait was called the Cimmerian Bosporus. The Cimmerians are a people who settled in the northeastern Black Sea region in the 8th-7th centuries. BC e., even before the appearance of the Scythians here. The name "Bosporus" has a mythological origin. So, the ancient Greek playwright Euripides (480-406 BC) in the play “Iphigenia in Tauris” (414 BC) described how the strait swims Io - the beloved of Zeus, turned by Hera - the jealous wife of Zeus - in a cow, which is pursued by gadflies. Later, another ancient Greek playwright - Aeschylus (525-456 BC) called the place of crossing the strait "cow's ford", in Greek - Bosporus.

Two and a half thousand years ago, between the capes of Panagia and Tuzla on the shore of the Taman Bay, there was an ancient Greek city-colony of Ko-rokondama. Since then, the sea has recaptured 2 kilometers from the coast, and the city has been at the bottom.

Right there, on the Taman Peninsula, there is the famous Fanagoria - the largest ancient Greek colony in Russia. Phanagoria was founded in 543 BC. e. It was the capital of the Bosporus kingdom, was part of the Byzantine Empire, and then - the Khazar Khaganate. At the beginning of the 10th century, when the sea level began to rise and the city began to go under water, the inhabitants left these places. Archaeological studies have shown that the buildings of Phanagoria were preserved at the bottom of the Taman Bay, at a depth of 3-4 m.

In the VI century. BC e. The Ionian Greeks founded on the western shore of the Panticapaeum Strait - the future capital of the Bosporan kingdom, located on the site of the current Kerch.

Subsequently, the strait bore various names, depending on who ruled on its shores. In the Middle Ages, it was called Taman-Boga-zy (from the Turkic "Taman Strait"), at the end of the 18th - beginning of the 20th centuries. he got Russian names: Tauride, Yenikalsky, Kerch-Yenikalsky. In the 19th century The Russians, who already owned the entire Crimea, built the fortress of Kerch to protect the Kerch Strait.

During World War II, the Kerch Peninsula became the site of bloody battles between German and Soviet troops. The battles became even fiercer in the winter, when the strait froze over and troops could move along it.

At present, the border between Russia and Ukraine passes through the strait, but it has not yet been precisely defined due to disagreement between the parties.

The Kerch Strait between the Kerch (Crimea) and Taman (Caucasus) peninsulas connects the Azov and Black Seas. The extreme capes are Ak-Burun on the Kerch Peninsula and Cape Tuzla on the Taman Peninsula. The depth of the Kerch Strait is from 5 to 15 m. The shores of the Kerch Peninsula are elevated, the Taman Peninsula is low, indented with bays, bays and estuaries.

STUMBLING SPIDER

Tuzla Spit - a narrow strip of land in the Kerch Strait - has become the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia and Ukraine.

A bridge across the Kerch Strait is a completely feasible project. During World War II, a bridge across the Kerch Strait had already been built. In 1943, the German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler demanded the construction of an automobile and railroad bridge 4.8 km long to make a throw at the oil regions of the Caucasus and Persia, but this venture failed when the Germans were expelled from the Crimea. What the Germans failed, the Russians succeeded for a while: in 1944 they built a railway bridge across the Kerch Strait. The bridge was completed in November 1944, but the pillars of the structure were not protected by ice cutters, and the metal piles collapsed during one of the winter storms in February 1945. The bridge was not restored and was replaced by a railway ferry crossing.

There is no certainty that such a bridge is needed at all: trade between Russia and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait is limited, the Russian port of Kavkaz on the Taman Peninsula exists solely to service the ferry crossing. And most importantly, the uncertainty in the issue of the state borders in the Kerch Strait became an obstacle in the construction of a permanent bridge. Ukraine demands to keep the "Soviet" border, Russia insists on its revision. The main dispute flared up because of the Tuzla Spit.

The issue of the Tuzla Spit has been a subject of dispute between Russia and Ukraine since the collapse of the USSR. Whoever owns the scythe controls the entire strait. It is also important that the Kerch herring and anchovies (a kind of Black Sea anchovy) chose this spit-island for spawning. As a result, all the fish goes for processing only to the Kerch fish factory.

Putin in the Kerch Strait begins in late autumn and lasts for several months.

Fishing and shipping are the main branches of the local economy. There are practically no minerals here, except for the iron ore deposit at Cape Zhelezny Rog on the southern coast of the Taman Peninsula. Here is a unique exit directly to the earth's surface of iron ore with an iron content of 32%. Until 1932, iron was not mined, but slabs that had broken off from the ore layer were collected in shallow water.

CURIOUS FACTS

■ The name of Cape Ak-Burun in translation from the Crimean Tatar language means "white cape".

■ The Kerch Lapidarium, a repository of ancient inscriptions, ranks 12th in terms of the number of Greek inscriptions among the repositories of classical epigraphic monuments in the world.

■ At present, the fleet of the Kerch ferry crossing consists of two ferry-icebreakers Kerch-1
and "Kerchinsky-2", as well as the car ferry "Yeisk". The interval of movement of ferries does not exceed three hours, and in summer time due to the increase in the number of flights, it is reduced to two hours.

■ In addition to partially submerged ancient Greek cities, the strait also contains the remains of Ottoman warships.

■ Since the early 1990s. both sides - Russian and Ukrainian - have developed about 20 projects for a bridge across the Kerch Strait. The bridge would make it possible to shorten the road between the Crimea and the Caucasus by 400 km. The adoption of the project is hampered by the fact that the technical feasibility and economic feasibility of such construction is still unclear.

■ Phanagoria excavations have been carried out since 1936 and were interrupted only once - during the Second World War. Significant damage to ancient buildings is caused by the inhabitants of the village of Sennaya, who disassemble ancient Greek buildings and use stones to build the foundations of private houses.

ATTRACTIONS

■ The city of Kerch: the ancient Greek city of Mirmekiy (mid-VI century BC), the settlement of Panticapaeum (V century BC - III century), Melek-Chesmensky barrow (IV century BC) , the ancient settlement of Tiritaka, the Crypt of Demeter (first half of the 1st century), the temple of the Beheading of John the Baptist (XV.), the Yeni-Kale fortress (XVIII century), the Great Mithridates Stairs (1833-1840), the fortress of Kerch (XIX c.), Bulganak mud hills (Valley of Volcanoes, Kerch), Kerch Lapidarium, a monument to Mithridates VI Eupator (King of the Pontic Kingdom), a monument to the children of Kerch - victims of the war of 1941-1945, salt Lake Chokrak.
■ Stanitsa Taman (Russia): Turkish wells (Turkish fountain, XV century), archaeological reserve "Germonassa-Tmutarakan settlement", Church of the Intercession (1793), ramparts of the Phanagoria fortress (1794), House-Museum of M. Yu. Lermontov, a monument to the first Cossacks - settlers, Taman Archaeological Museum, Museum of Winemaking.
■ Natural: Tuzla spit, Cape Panagia ( Taman Peninsula), Cape Ak-Burun (Kerch Peninsula).
■ Historical: the ancient Greek colony Phanagoria (543 BC).

Atlas. The whole world is in your hands №200