How many countries are washed by the Adriatic Sea. Holidays in the Adriatic Riviera: photo, map, information on visas and attractions

The Adriatic Sea separates the Apennine and Balkan peninsulas. Thus, in the west, it washes the entire eastern coast of Italy, and in the east - Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and Albania.

The sea got its name in honor of the port city of Adria, founded in antiquity near Venice. Over time, all the surrounding areas began to be called the Adriatic, including the waters washing the Italian and Balkan shores.

Features of geographical location and climate

Geographically, the Adriatic Sea is considered part of the Mediterranean Basin. If from the east, north and west it is bounded by the mainland, then in the south the border of the Adriatic is the Otranto Strait, which connects the Ionian and Adriatic seas.

The Adriatic Sea is considered shallow. The average depth here is less than 250 m. The deepest point (about 1230 m) is located closer to the Otranto Strait. But in the north, where the sea juts into the mainland, it is quite shallow (from 100 to 20 m). Once these areas were dry land, there were even several ancient cities. But gradually the water level rose higher and higher, flooding the coastal zone.

Naturally, the shores of the Adriatic Sea are very different. The western Italian coast is occupied mainly by sandy beaches, while the western one - the Balkan one - by mountains, forests and stone embankments. Since both coasts are indented by shallow bays and convenient harbors, the Adriatic became one of the main European centers of shipping and trade in ancient times.

Each year, the Adriatic Sea, bordered by majestic rocky ridges, secluded beaches and coniferous forests, attracts thousands of tourists. The reasons for this popularity are associated with:

  • Rich in history of the region. The Adriatic is a place where you can simultaneously see ancient antiquities and get acquainted with the culture of the Italian Renaissance.
  • Amazing purity and transparency of the Adriatic Sea. This feature is explained by the rocky bottom topography and increased salinity of the water. Since the sea is also considered one of the most calm in the world, in the waters of the Adriatic, even the most careful tourists can safely try themselves in diving, surfing or spearfishing.
  • A mild climate. The area is very warm, but the summer weather is not as hot as on the Mediterranean coasts.
  • Unique nature, which has inspired the best European artists for centuries, and diverse fauna.
  • Well-developed tourist infrastructure.

The Adriatic Sea separates the Italian Peninsula (Apennines) from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost part of the Mediterranean.

The Adriatic Sea stretches from the Strait of Otranto (where it joins the Ionian Sea) to the northwestern Po Valley. Countries on the Adriatic coast - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro, Slovenia.

The sea is divided into three basins, the northern one is the shallowest, the southern one the deepest (with a maximum depth of 1233 meters). The Otranto Sill underwater ridge is located on the border between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.

Hydrography of the Adriatic Sea

The prevailing currents move counterclockwise: from the Strait of Otranto, along the east coast and back to the strait along the western (Italian) coast. Tidal movements in the Adriatic Sea are insignificant, although large amplitudes sometimes occur.

The salinity of the Adriatic is lower than the Mediterranean, because the Adriatic Sea collects a third of the fresh water that flows into the Mediterranean; this makes the Adriatic a diluting basin for the Mediterranean.

The water surface temperature usually ranges from 30 ° C in summer to 12 ° C in winter, which significantly stabilizes the climate of the Adriatic basin.

The Adriatic Sea is located on the Apulian or Adriatic microplate, which is separated from the African Plate. The plate movement contributed to the formation of the surrounding mountain ranges and the tectonic uplift of the Apennines following the collision with the Eurasian plate. In the Late Oligocene, the Apennine Peninsula was formed, separating the Adriatic Basin from the rest of the Mediterranean Sea.

All possible types of precipitation occur in the Adriatic; moreover, the bulk of the water is transported to the sea from the Po and other rivers on the west coast. The western coast is alluvial (terraced), while the eastern coast is highly indented with pronounced karstification.

The depth of the Adriatic Sea is 259.5 meters, and the maximum depth is 1233 meters; however, the North Adriatic Basin rarely exceeds 100 meters. The North Adriatic Basin stretches between Venice and Trieste to the line connecting Ancona and Zadar (just 15 meters deep at the northwest end). The middle Adriatic basin south of the Ancona-Zadar line (also called the Pomo depression or the Jabuk pit) is 270 meters deep. The deep-water Palagruzh rapids (170 meters) are located south of the Middle Adriatic Pit, separating it from the South Adriatic Pit (1200 meters) and the Middle Adriatic Basin from the South Adriatic Basin. Further south, the sea floor rises to 780 meters to form Otranto Sill on the border with. The South Adriatic Basin is in many ways similar to the North Ionian Sea to which it is tied.


In the transverse direction, the Adriatic Sea is asymmetric: the Apennine peninsular coast is relatively smooth (the promontories of Monte Conero and Gargano are the only significant protrusions in the sea); in contrast to the Balkan coast, where numerous islands abound. The strength of the coast is due to the proximity of the Dinaric Alps, in contrast to the opposite (Italian) coast, because the Apennine Mountains are farther from the coastline.

It is assumed that the entire volume of water in the Adriatic is exchanged across the Strait of Otranto in 3.4 years. This is a relatively short period. For example, it takes about 500 years to exchange all the water in the Black Sea.

Since the rivers flowing into the Adriatic Sea reach a volume of water of 5700 cubic meters per second, this speed is 0.5% of the total volume of the Adriatic Sea or 1.3-meter water layer every year.
After the Po river, the Neretva and Drin rivers rank second and third in terms of water exchange importance. Another significant contribution of fresh water to the Adriatic is the underwater discharge of groundwater through underwater springs. It is estimated that they contribute 29% of the total flow of water into the Adriatic. Underwater springs include thermal waters found offshore the town of Izola. Thermal spring water is rich in hydrogen sulphide and has a temperature of 22 to 29.6 ° C.

History
The earliest settlements on the Adriatic coast were Etruscan, Illyrian and Greek. By the 2nd century BC, the shores were under Roman control. In the Middle Ages, the Adriatic shores and the sea itself were controlled to one degree or another by a number of states, primarily the Byzantine Empire, the Serbian Empire, the Republic of Venice, the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. The Napoleonic Wars resulted in the First French Empire gaining control of the coastal regions, and British efforts to fight the French in the area eventually secured much of the east coast of the Adriatic and the Po Valley in Austria. After the unification of Italy, the Kingdom of Italy began its eastward expansion, which continued until the 20th century. After World War I and the collapse of Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, control of the east coast passed to Yugoslavia and Albania. The first disintegrated in the 1990s, with four new states emerging on the Adriatic coast. Italy and Yugoslavia agreed on maritime boundaries by 1975, and this border has been recognized by the successor states of Yugoslavia. But the maritime boundaries between Slovenian, Croatian, Bosnian-Herzegovinian and Montenegrin waters are still contested. Italy and Albania agreed on their maritime border in 1992.

Fishing and tourism are significant sources of income throughout the Adriatic coast. The tourism industry in Croatia's Adriatic is growing faster than in the rest of the Adriatic basin.
Sea transport is also an important branch of the region's economy: there are 19 seaports on the Adriatic, each of which handles more than a million tons of cargo per year. The largest seaport on the Adriatic Sea is the port of Trieste. And the port of Split is the largest port on the Adriatic Sea in terms of passenger traffic.

There are dozens of marine protected areas in the Adriatic. The reserves are designed to protect karst habitats and marine biodiversity. The sea is rich in flora and fauna - over 7000 species have been identified as native to the Adriatic, many of which are endemic, rare and endangered.
The shores of the Adriatic Sea are inhabited by over 3.5 million people. The largest cities are Bari, Venice, Trieste, Split.

Islands of the Adriatic Sea

There are more than 1,300 islands and islets of all sizes in the Adriatic Sea, including those that appear at low tide. Most of them are located along the east coast of the Adriatic, especially near Croatia. The largest Croatian islands are Cres and Krk, each with an area of \u200b\u200b405.78 square kilometers, and the highest is Brac, whose peak reaches 780 meters above sea level. The island of Losinj is divided from the island of Cres by a narrow navigable canal dug during the classical antiquity; the island was formerly known as Apsyrtid. There are 47 permanently inhabited islands on the Croatian islands, among which the most inhabited are Krk, Korcula and Brač. The islands along the western (Italian) coast of the Adriatic are less numerous. But the most famous of them are the 117 islands on which the city of Venice is built.

The name “Adriatic Sea” has existed since ancient times. In Latin, it sounded like Mare Hadriaticum and its origin, probably, took from the name of the city of Adria or Hadriya.

The Adriatic Sea is the coast of the countries:

croatian coast - the length of the coast of the Adriatic Sea of \u200b\u200bCroatia is 1777 km;

Highest island - Brac.
Vidova Gora rises on it by 780 meters. It is followed by Cres - 639 meters and Hvar - 628 meters.

The longest coastline near the island of Pag is 269.2 km. After him, the island of Hvar - 254.2 km and the island of Cres - 247.7 km.

Sea currents in the Adriatic are warm. Directed from the south of Croatia to the north and along the Italian coast from north to south. On the Italian coast of the Adriatic, the water is significantly polluted by the Po river, but due to the direction of the currents, the polluted waters do not come to the Croatian coast. Therefore, the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea is considered the cleanest in Europe.

Geographical encyclopedia

Adriatic Sea, the sea between Italy and the Balkan Peninsula, now to the Ionian Sea. In ancient times this designation extended to a part of the Mediterranean Sea further south, so that Malta was considered to be in the Adriatic Sea (Acts ... ... Brockhaus Bible Encyclopedia

Modern encyclopedia

Part of the Mediterranean m., Between the Apennine and Balkan Peninsulas. 144 thousand km & sup2. Depth up to 1230 m. Fishing (mackerel, etc.). Offshore oil and gas production. Ports: Venice, Trieste, Rijeka, Split, Durres ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Adriatic Sea - ADRIATIC SEA, part of the Mediterranean Sea, between the Apennine and Balkan peninsulas. The area is 144 thousand km2. Depth up to 1230 m. Fishing (sardines, mackerel, etc.). Offshore oil and gas production. Major ports: Venice, Trieste (Italy), ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Mare Adriaticum or Superum, Adria or Hadria) Mediterranean basin heading northward. west between the Apennines and the Balkans (Gemus in ancient times), it is connected to the Ionian Sea by the Otranta Channel 68 km wide, passing between the city ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Part of the Mediterranean Sea, between the Apennine and Balkan Peninsulas. 144 thousand km2. Depth up to 1230 m. Fishing (mackerel, etc.). Offshore oil and gas production. Ports: Venice, Trieste, Rijeka, Split, Durres. * * * ADRIATIC SEA ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Adriatic Sea - part of the Mediterranean Sea between the Apennine and Balkan Peninsulas. Russian. the name is formed by the suffix ichesk from other Greek. the names of the sea Adrias; at the base of illir. adur water, sea. Perhaps the original formation from the name adur of the city of Adria ... ... Toponymic dictionary

Adriatic Sea - ADRIATIC SEA, long and wide bay of the Mediterranean. sea, located between the Balkan Peninsula and Italy; its general direction with. h. on y. in. The name A. comes from the word Adria or Hadria, the name of the Etruscan colony founded ... Military encyclopedia

- (from Adría, the name of a Greek colony of the 6th century BC; Italian Mare Adriatico, Serbo-Croatian Jadransko more) a semi-enclosed sea, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea; located between the Apennine and Balkan peninsulas. ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Books

  • Montenegro, Milovan Mikulich, Mariana Bismilk. Montenegro is a country located in the southeastern part of Europe on the Adriatic coast. In the east and north-east it borders with Serbia, in the west and north-west with Croatia and ...

From the word Adriatica breathes with warmth, mystery and romance. The Adriatic Sea and its coastline fully confirm these ideas. Warm mild climate, beautiful cities located in picturesque bays attract many tourists.

Adriatic sea on world map

The Adriatic Sea is part of the system. The sea got its name in honor of the ancient city Adriaonce standing on its banks.

Nowadays Adria is 25 kilometers from the coast due to the deposition of land and sand in the deltas of local rivers.

What countries does it wash?

Adriatic Sea washes the following states:

  • Italy, the length of the coastline of which is more than 1000 kilometers;
  • Croatia (1,770 kilometers);
  • Albania (470 kilometers);
  • Montenegro (200 kilometers);
  • Slovenia (47 kilometers);
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina, the length of its coastline is the smallest - a tiny 20 kilometers.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

The coast of the Adriatic Sea, which belongs to Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the smallest in comparison with the surrounding countries. Its length is only 20 kilometers. The only resort of this state on the Adriatic is a small town Neum with a population of less than 2 thousand people.

Neum is similar to the Croatian resorts of the Adriatic coast: the same ancient history, rooted in antiquity, the same old houses, the same pebble beaches and a similar climate.

But the prices for rest and services in Neum are the lowest on the entire coastline and compare favorably with neighboring resorts in Croatia.

There are no attractions in the city, but they are held here annually. international animation festival and music Festival.

Coastal climate by month

The climate of the northern and central Adriatic is generally recognized mediterranean, but due to the mountainous terrain of the coast, it has features that distinguish it from the Mediterranean climate.

The Adriatic Sea is characterized by local winds that form in the mountains, which greatly affect the weather. The southern part of the sea has subtropical climate... Differences in weather conditions between the southern and northern Adriatic affect the length of the holiday season in these two areas.

Winter

On the Adriatic coast, it is not yet felt, since the daytime air temperature is 8 ° C in the north and 13 ° C in the south. The average water temperature is 14-15 ° C, and in some places it can reach 17 degrees, but this is not enough for swimming.

As it becomes noticeably cooler, the air temperature can drop to 4 ° C in the north and 10-11 ° C in the south. In the northern part of the coast, snow can fall and even a short-term snow cover is established. The amount of precipitation in this month is 2-6 days. Water temperature in january climatic summer begins on the entire coast, the average temperature exceeds 20 degrees Celsius, the holiday season begins.

But swimming is not yet comfortable because of the slowly warming sea, its temperature at this time does not exceed 17-18 degrees.

Summer

Over the entire Adriatic Sea, Azores anticyclonebringing very warm, sometimes hot weather with low humidity.

Average water temperature throughout the summer in the northern part of the sea it reaches 24 degrees, and in the southern part it rises to 26.

The average daily air temperature is 28 degrees, and at times rises to 35 degrees above zero.

As it gets even hotter, the air temperature on the coast rises by another couple of degrees and is 30-32 degrees.

  • In some areas it can get colder up to 13 ° C, while in others the temperature can be kept at 19 ° C warm. The warmest place on the Adriatic at this time remains the Budva Riviera and the Croatian islands, where the season can last almost until this time. The water also differs depending on the region (14-20 ° C).
  • In that video you will see the shores of the Adriatic Sea of \u200b\u200bMontenegro: