Why is the White Sea white? Why is the sea called the sea? Location of the White Sea on a geographical map

There are a sufficient number of seas in the world, the names of which coincide with certain colors: Silver, White, Black, Red and so on. Let's find out the reasons why they were named this way and not something else.

Why was the Black Sea called black?

There are several versions of why the Black Sea was called black. According to the Turkish hypothesis The Black Sea received its current name from the Turks, who, trying to conquer the coastal population, constantly met very fierce resistance. Because of this, the sea was nicknamed “Karaden-Giz”, which means inhospitable.

According to the sailors, the sea gets its name from the strong storms that turn the water dark. However, strong storms in this sea are quite rare, and strong unrest(above 6 points) – no more than 17 days a year. Darkening of the water is characteristic of all seas. There is also a hypothesis that the Black Sea was so named because of the black silt that remains on the shores after storms, but, in truth, it is not that black, rather gray.

According to hydrologists who proposed their version, the sea was so named due to the fact that any metal object who have been at great depths, rise to the surface very blackened. The culprit is hydrogen sulfide, which large quantities located at a depth of over 200 meters.

Unfortunately, history does not reveal the secret: who was the first to call the sea black.

Why is the Red Sea called red?

According to scientists, the sea was so named due to the seasonal reddening of the water, which is associated with reproduction unicellular algae"Trichodesiumerythraceum". Some historians believe that the sea got its name from ancient travelers who were amazed by the reflection of the red mountains in the mirror water.

However, the Sea is called “Red” exclusively in European languages. For example, in Hebrew it has the name “Yam Suf” - reed, reed, most likely named because of the reed beds of the Gulf of Suez.

The area of ​​the Red Sea is about 460 thousand square meters. kilometers, and the volume of water is 201 thousand cubic kilometers. The average depth of the Red Sea does not exceed 440 meters, and the maximum is 3039 meters.

Over the entire year, no more than 100 mm falls over the sea territory atmospheric precipitation, and about 2000 mm (20 times more) evaporates during the same period. Thus, more than one and a half centimeters of water evaporates from the surface of the Red Sea every year.

Why was the White Sea called white?

Many title researchers are trying to figure this out. Some believe that this is due to the fact that the sea is covered with ice almost all year round, others express the opinion that the name comes from the whitish color of the water, which reflects the northern sky. But indeed, it remains white at any time of the year: sometimes fog, sometimes rain, sometimes snow.

The name “White Sea” (MareAlbum) appears for the first time on the map of Peter Plaitsius, created in 1592. In 1427, on Ptolemy's maps, the bay Arctic Ocean, which in all coordinates coincides with the White Sea, was called the “Calm” Sea.

Study of the population of Russia White Sea was started in the first half of the 17th century. And in 1770, the first map of the White Sea was created, more or less close to reality. It was based on previously made inventories of the area.

Why was the Yellow Sea called yellow?

The Yellow Sea is a semi-enclosed edge of the Pacific Ocean, on the east coast of Asia (west of the Korean Peninsula). It forms the Bohai, Liaodong and West Korean Gulfs. Most of the coastline is calm and paved with alluvial deposits. There are calm harbors on the coasts of the Shandong and Liaodong Peninsulas. The Yellow Sea is not deep, especially its western part, where a river flows into it, which carries out a huge amount of eroded forest and silt, the Yellow River. This is where the name comes from: Yellow River - Yellow River, Huanghai - Yellow Sea.

It’s not for nothing that the Yellow Sea is called yellow outside of Korea. Because the Yellow River, which flows into the sea from the western side, carries a lot of silt from the Central Chinese plains. As a result, all this silt ends up in a shallow and closed sea, and the water begins to acquire a characteristic yellow-brownish tint. Note that all this muddy ligature, as well as the tides that carry water kilometers from the coast, are main reason the fact that not everywhere is safe to swim.

Why is the Dead Sea called dead?

All objects are white that can be seen on the shore Dead Sea are salt crystals that cover the entire surface of the earth. This is not table salt, but mineral salts, as in the water of the world's oceans, but in very high concentrations. The waters of the Dead Sea are lethal to most living organisms.

Due to the huge concentration of salt in water, its density is much higher than normal density fresh water. This is why in the Dead Sea the human body will be much more buoyant than in fresh rivers. This way you will feel like a fishing float.

In addition, as it turned out, the waters of the Dead Sea have a positive effect on human health due to their special climatic characteristics: in this region, the oxygen content in the air is 15% higher, as well as absolutely harmless ultraviolet radiation.

Why was the Laptev Sea called that?

The Laptev Sea is a marginal sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean. The Laptev Sea is located just between the Severnaya Zemlya islands and the Taimyr Peninsula on the western side and the New Siberian Islands on the eastern side. The area of ​​the sea is about 665 thousand square kilometers, A average depth equals 540 meters. The southern part of the sea is shallow (up to 50 meters), and the northern part is a territory of great depths (up to 3380 meters). Also, the location of the sea is different in that it is located in a seismically active zone, where earthquakes up to magnitude 5-6 are observed.

The original historical name of the sea was “Siberian Sea”. In 1878-79, it was renamed the “Nordenskiöld Sea”, in honor of the Swedish navigator, geographer, geologist, Arctic explorer and historical cartographer Niels Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld. In history he is remembered as the first person who was able to navigate the Northern Sea Route from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean(in 1877-1878).

It received its final name “Laptev Sea” in honor of the Russian cousins ​​Khariton and Dmitry Laptev, who were polar explorers. They were the ones who made the first inventory coastline seas.

White Sea

The inland sea of ​​the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coast of the European part Russian Federation and occupies an area of ​​90 thousand square meters. km. The White Sea is connected waterways with several more seas - the Baltic, Azov, Caspian and Black, as well as the White Sea-Baltic Canal. In the north it connects with Barents Sea, with the Gorlo and Voronka straits. There are several large ports on its coast. The most famous of them are Arkhangelsk, Onega and Belomorsk.

The White Sea got its name due to the fact that winter period is covered with a thick layer of ice and resembles a snow-covered white plain stretching over a vast territory. There is also a legend. At a time when the seas were just seas and no names had yet been assigned to them, our ancestors had small ships and went to sea only in good weather, afraid of getting caught in a storm. Seas and sea ​​routes were not yet well studied, but the first travelers had already appeared who devoted themselves to studying them.

Many geographical features They contain color definitions in their names (Yellow Sea, Black Sea, Red Sea, etc.). In all cases, these names are completely justified. So in a simple way The White Sea also received its name.

But we can assume that the sea is named for the whitish color of the water, reflecting the northern sky. However, it is possible that the name “White” could mean “northern” in the system of color designations for the countries of the world.

Interestingly, the “White Sea” was first presented on the map of Peter Plancius in 1592. And two years later, the Flemish cartographer Mercator displays on his map not only the Latin name “Album Mare”, but also accompanies it with the Russian “Bella More”.

By the way, according to one version, the Baltic Sea is also “white”, because the name is derived from the Latvian “balts” and the Lithuanian “baltas”, which in both cases means “white”.

The White Sea coast has been inhabited by Russians for a very long time. Basic information about this can be obtained from the Tale of Bygone Years, which states that permanent settlements of Russian Pomor fishermen on the banks of the Northern Dvina and the White Sea appeared no later than the 11th century. For the first half of the 12th century, there is direct documentary evidence of some of these settlements. The ancient Novgorodians were among the first to travel to the “White Lands” (as they called the coasts of the White and Baltic seas, which in those days could be perceived as one sea) and settled there.

Despite the harsh climate, Russian Pomors very quickly developed this territory thanks to the rich forest areas on the shores and islands, which made it easy to rebuild towns and cities, engage in shipbuilding, but most importantly, the White Sea has always been rich in fish and seafood and remains so to this day.

This sea was named White relatively recently. Before that it had other names. One of them is Studenoe. It's easy to explain. For about six months, its surface remains covered with ice, and navigation here becomes impossible. At this time, all trade routes shift towards the Baltic, and life comes to a standstill on the White Sea. However, there is an assumption that the Slavs called him White. This is due to the ice that covered the surface of the sea with a white icy shell.

Probably for the same reason, ancient sailors called it Northern. Well, the Solovetsky Sea received its name due to the presence of the large Solovetsky Islands in its basin.

The fact that the sea remained frozen for more than six months gave rise to another name for it - Calm. It perfectly described the character of this northern body of water. Well, what else should the sea be like, bound by an ice shell? Of course, only calm.

Starting from the 17th century, the Scandinavian peoples began to call the sea Gandvik, which translates as “Bay of Monsters.” We do not know for certain what this is connected with. However, there are a huge number of myths and legends floating around this northern sea. It is quite possible that some of them concern some kind of mythical sea creature.

Yours modern name the sea received thanks to the original winter view. Its surface was covered with a huge white “blanket”. Well, that’s what the Slavs called it. As a result, it firmly established itself in this northern sea, and began to be present on all geographical maps.

As for historians, they do not have a consensus on the name of the sea. This fact is not reflected anywhere, which means that what we just told you about is just a simple hypothesis. Among other stories concerning the name of the sea, there is one that, in our opinion, is the most plausible. Summer color sea ​​water here it has a white tint. The sky is exactly the same color. Sailors say that both the water and the sky here are like milk. Here's another reason for its name. It is white not only in winter, but also in summer. Well, there is also a special meaning in the fact that it was the Slavs who gave such a name to the sea. These peoples have always considered white to be a divine color. If you believe the legend, then it is in northern latitudes their ancestral home was Hyperborea. Its inhabitants were powerful, highly educated people. But a misfortune happened. Due to natural disasters, this country perished. In memory of her and her people, the sea was named White.

Perhaps there are other versions that are no less plausible, but that’s a different story. One way or another, the sea received its modern name, and is called White.

In searching for an answer to the question of why the sea is called that way, you can come across a lot of assumptions and hypotheses. Let's look at the most convincing of them. We will also try to answer the question of why the sea is called the sea and nothing else.

Why is a collection of salt water in a vast depression of land called a sea? Some sources claim that the word "sea" comes from the Proto-Slavic form *morje. The word itself originates from Israeli mythology and biblical stories, where it denoted not only part of the world's oceans, but also various other bodies of water. It is noteworthy that this word had another interpretation. The ancient Jews sometimes used it to designate all the world's evils.

Now let’s try to figure out why some seas have such unusual names and whether they are directly related to the color palette.

Why is the Black Sea called black?

There are several answers to this question. According to one theory, this sea got its name thanks to the Turks, who for a long time were unable to cross it in order to conquer the peoples inhabiting the coastal strip. It was then that they gave him the nickname “Kara-den-giz”, which means “inhospitable”, “unkind”. Well, black color, obviously, was associated with bad hospitality.

Sailors who sail on it say that it appears black during a storm. But in fairness, it is worth saying that this sea is stormy with a force above 6 points only 20 days a year, and the rest of the time it seems more azure than black.

There is a version that it got its name due to the silt washed ashore, but it is also larger gray than black.

The version that seems more plausible is that the Black Sea got its name due to the fact that any object lowered to its bottom and removed from there after some time will be black, which it will acquire due to the accumulation of hydrogen sulfide at great depths. And who called the Black Sea black for the first time, history is silent.

Why is the Red Sea called red?

There are two main versions of the answer to this question. According to one, it appears red when a special kind of algae blooms. According to another version, it was first named so by travelers who saw coastal rocks reflected in its waters, colored red by sunset or sunrise.

It is noteworthy that this sea is not called red in the language of the peoples living on its shores. In this area it is more commonly called reed or reed because of the rapid growth of these plants in the vicinity of the Suez Canal.

Why is the Dead Sea called dead?

Death by swimming in waters of Dead The sea is definitely not in danger for you, rather, quite the opposite. High concentration healthy salts in this sea it has a pronounced healing and even rejuvenating effect on the human body.

But many other organisms cannot live in these waters, for which such a concentration of salts, which does not even allow the human body to sink to the bottom of this sea, is simply lethal. The density of the water in this sea is many times greater than the density of fresh water. It has also been noted that the oxygen content in the air in the Dead Sea region is 15% higher, and people sunbathing on its shores do not experience the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

Why is the White Sea called white?

But we know the answer to the question of who first called the White Sea white, quite reliably. This name appears on the map of Peter Plaitsius, which was compiled at the end of the 16th century. The more common and most supported version of why the White Sea is called white is the version that the water in it really has a whitish tint, which does not change depending on weather conditions. It is believed that the sea acquires this shade due to the reflection of the white northern sky in it.