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THE BLACK SEA
Present
Noah's Flood Theory
 The Black Sea is an inland sea, lying between southeastern Europe and Asia Minor. It is connected with the Aegean Sea by the Bosporus, the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles. Romania, Bulgaria, and the European portion of Turkey bound it on the west. The Northern and Eastern shores are bordered by Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia. The entire southern shore is Turkish territory.
 The Black Sea has a length of about 750 miles from east to west, a maximum width of 380 miles and an area (excluding its northern arm, the Sea of Azov) of about 168,500 square miles.The sea receives most of its water from central and eastern Europe through the Dnepr, Dnestr, Southern Bug, and Danube rivers. It also receives waters from a considerable section of eastern European Russia, through the Don River (which flows into the sea of Azov) and from the western
Present.
The Black Sea is abundantly stocked with valuable sturgeon and other fish. As an outlet for the products of Ukraine and adjoining republics, it is of special importance in regional commerce.
The principal ports are Odessa, Kherson, Yalta, and Sevastopol in Ukraine. As travel has become more reliable, the Crimean Beaches of the Black Sea have become a major tourist attraction--a welcome addition to the many wonderful sights of the Crimea.
 The "Dolphin Shows" round out just a few of the many attractions associated with this beautiful sea.
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 By boat, it is a wonderful trip to the volcanic "Bear Mountain."
The beaches are pristine, and the waters a deep blue but very clear with a low salt content, making diving very popular.
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The Black Sea is also noted for the lack of sharks and stinging jellyfish, making it one of the safest bodies of water for swimming and diving.
 Boat tours are also available to sights such as "Swallows Nest", a fairytale castle built upon a rock base.
Noah's Flood Theory
In 1999, the Crimea has become the center of attention in the controversial "Noah's Flood" theory. Columbia University geologists William Ryan and Walter Pitman created a storm of controversy with the publication of their book on Noah's Flood.
Ryan and Pitman's theory:
During the Ice Age, the Black Sea was an isolated fresh water lake surrounded by farmland. About 12,000 years ago, toward the end of the Ice Age, Ice that sprawled over the Northern Hemisphere began to melt. Oceans and seas grew deeper as a result. About 7,000 years ago the Mediterranean Sea swelled.
 Sea water rushed northward, slicing through what is now Turkey. Funneled through the narrow Bosporus Strait, the water hit the Black Sea with 200 times the force of Niagara Falls. Each day the Black Sea rose about six inches, and coastal farms were flooded. Seared into the memories of terrified survivors, the tale of the flood was passed down through the generations and eventually became the Noah story.
Explorer Robert Ballard headed an expedition in 1999, in which he retrieved mud samples from the sea bed containing sea shells.
These shells are being tested at Woods Hole Institute to determine if they are of fresh or saltwater origin. Ballard also reported finding sonar images on the ocean bed, he believes to be the ruins of buildings as theorized by Ryan and Pitman. He will lead another expedition to the Black Sea in the summer of 2,000 by which time the results of the Woods Hole testing will be known.
Will the Black Sea prove to be a "link" to "Noah's Flood"? Perhaps, only time will tell.
 One thing is certain, all civilizations that sailed these magical waters and laid claim to this valuable seaport through the ages, have left it as they themselves found it, unspoiled and beautiful.
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