Taganrog Bay

Taganrog Bay or Tahanrih Bay (Russian: Таганрогский залив, Ukrainian: Таганрозька затока) is the northeastern arm of the Sea of Azov. It also may be perceived as a flooded estuary of the Don River.

Geography

The bay serves as a natural boundary between the Kuban coast line in Russia and the northern Azov littoral region in Ukraine and Russia. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the international boundary here hasn't been established.

At its northeast end is the mouth of the Don River. Length: about 140 kilometres (87 mi), width at the mouth: 31 kilometres (19 mi), median depth: about 5 metres (16 ft). It may freeze some winters from December to March.

Two other rivers, the Kalmius and the Mius, flow into the bay. The flow of water into the bay is the chief factor for current development in the Sea of Azov.

Landforms

Its mouth is marked by the Dolgaya Spit on the south and the Bilosaray Spit (Bilosarayska Spit) on the north. It abounds in sandy spits that partly enclose shallow bays. The bay contains "Sandy Isles" (Песчаные острова, Пісчані острови). Rivers Don, Kalmius, Mius and Yeya drain into the Taganrog Bay Basin.

Taganrog

Taganrog (Russian: Таганрог; IPA: [təɡɐnˈrok]) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the north shore of the Taganrog Bay (Sea of Azov), several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: 257,681 (2010 Census); 281,947 (2002 Census); 291,622 (1989 Census).

History of Taganrog

The history of the city goes back to late Bronze Age–early Iron Age (between the 20th and 10th centuries BC). It was the earliest Greek settlement in the Northern-Western Black Sea Region, and was mentioned by the Greek historian Herodotus as Emporion Kremnoi.

The first Russian Navy base, Taganrog was officially founded by Peter the Great on September 12, 1698 and hosted the Azov Flotilla of Catherine the Great (1770–1783). This flotilla subsequently became the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

By the end of the 18th century, Taganrog lost its primacy as a military base after Crimea and the Sea of Azov were absorbed into the Russian Empire. In 1802, Alexander I granted the city special status, which lasted until 1887. In 1825, the Alexander I Palace in Taganrog was used as the Tsar's summer residence, where he died in November 1825.