__NOTOC__ The Spits of the Sea of Azov are narrow strips of land in the Sea of Azov which can be as long as 112 km (

Arabat Spit The Arabat Spit ( uk, Арабатська коса; russian: Арабатская коса) or Arabat Arrow is a spit (landform), barrier spit that separates the large, shallow and very salty Syvash lagoons from the Sea of Azov. The spit runs ...

, the world's longest spit), 45 km (Fedotov Spit), 31 km (Achuevsk Spit), 30 km (Obitochna Spit) and 23 km (Berdyansk Spit). Their total length exceeds 300 km which is larger than the width of the sea (about 180 km). Most of the spits were formed as a result of deposition of sand,

silt Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel ...

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 Tuzla (, ) is the third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inhabitants. Tuzla is the economic, cultural, e ...

spits are located inside the

Strait of Kerch The Kerch Strait, uk, Керченська протока, crh, Keriç boğazı, ady, Хы ТӀуалэ is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west f ...

; the former spit is formed by the outflow of water from the Azov Sea to the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

and therefore also faces south, whereas the latter is facing north. A major oil spill occurred near those spits on November 11, 2007. 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,Shutov, Yu. "Арабатская стрелка" (in Russian) Tavria, 198
Part 4
and some spits were partly or entirely washed away by water currents. Many spits are used as resting ground by migrating birds (mostly ducks, geese, swans,

sandpiper Sandpipers are a large family, Scolopacidae, of waders. They include many species called sandpipers, as well as those called by names such as curlew and snipe. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil ...

great cormorant The great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo''), known as the black shag in New Zealand and formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and the large cormorant in India, is a w ...

s and seagulls, see e.g.

this This may refer to: * ''This'', the singular proximal demonstrative pronoun Places * This, or ''Thinis'', an ancient city in Upper Egypt * This, Ardennes, a commune in France People with the surname * Hervé This, French culinary chemist Arts, ...

and

pictures) and therefore some are declared national

nature reserves A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

. Examples are Beglitsk, Belosaraysk,List of nature reserves
(in Russian) Krivaya and Berdyansk Spits. In addition to bird colonies, Belosaraysk and Berdyansk Spits also host more than 200 vegetation species each.
web site of Berdyansk (in Russian) Berdyansk Spits is remarkable by having one of the oldest lighthouses on the Azov Sea (160 years old). Petrushino Spit is historical in that in 1697,

Peter I Peter I may refer to: Religious hierarchs * Saint Peter (c. 1 AD – c. 64–88 AD), a.k.a. Simon Peter, Simeon, or Simon, apostle of Jesus * Pope Peter I of Alexandria (died 311), revered as a saint * Peter I of Armenia (died 1058), Catholico ...

built a major fortress at its base. In July 1711, a Turkish landing operation was defeated there.A. P. Chekho
Taganrog
(in Russian)

Major spits

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Azov spits

Azov Azov (russian: Азов), previously known as Azak, is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town. Population: History Early settlements in the vicinity The mout ...

Major spits

See also

References

External links