A Tour Around the Black Sea Trivia Quiz

Answer: Danube

The Danube originates in the Black Forest region in Germany and flows to the Black Sea over a length of 2,860 km (1,780 mi). After it leaves Germany, it flows through or forms the border with Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine. Most of its delta lies in Romania, although the northern part is part of Ukraine.

The Volga is the longest river in Europe (3,692 km/2,294 mi). It empties in the Caspian Sea. The Dnieper (2,290 km/1,420 mi) and Dniester (1,362 km/846 mi) are two other rivers that empty in the Black Sea.

Answer: Odessa

In the 15th century, a small Tatar settlement existed in the area, but it wasn't until Russia's victory in the Russo-Turkish war of 1792 the area came under Russian control. Odessa was founded in 1794 on the orders of Catherine the Great. In the 19th century it became an important city because its ice-free port had the capacity to harbour the large fleet Russia needed in the region.

On the background of Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese war (1904-1905), an uprising of Odessa's labourers was supported by the crew of the mutinous battleship Potemkin. The uprising was put down violently and made famous in Sergei Eisenstein's movie 'The Battleship Potemkin', a 1925 propaganda film criticising Tsarist rule.

On October 22, 1941, shortly after Odessa was captured by German and Romanian troops, a bomb was detonated in the Romanian headquarters, killing 67 people. Romanian troops blamed the Jewish population and started a three day reprisal campaign that became known as the 'Odessa Massacre'. Between 25,000 and 35,000 Jews were rounded up and shot or burnt alive. An estimate of 100,000 Jews were murdered in the larger Odessan region during WWII (numbers are disputed).

Modern Odessa is the fifth largest city of Ukraine. Its historical architecture looks more Mediterranean than Russian. The major tourist attraction is the Potemkin Stairs, shown in Eisenstein's movie as the place where the 1905 revolt was put down (although this really happened in the surrounding streets).

The three wrong answers are Ukrainian cities too, but none of them lie on the Black Sea coast.

Answer: Crimea

Crimea is a peninsula on the northern shore of the Black Sea and an autonomous region of Ukraine. It has an area of 26,100 km˛ (10,038 sq mi), and its capital is Simferopol.

The Yalta conference was the second of three meetings between the leaders of the USA, UK and USSR to discuss how Europe would be re-organised after WWII. The first was held in Tehran in 1943 and the third in Potsdam (Germany) later in 1945.

From 1853 to 1856, the Crimean War was fought between Russia and a coalition of the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain, France and the Kingdom of Sardinia. Russian attempts to take advantage of the decline of the Ottoman Empire to gain influence over its territories threatened to upset the balance of power that had existed in Europe since the end of the Napoleonic wars. The Crimean War is considered the first modern war for its use of railways and trenches, and has become notorious for a number of tactical blunders such as the 'charge of the light brigade' during the Battle of Balaclava. The war is also famous for Florence Nightingale's efforts to introduce modern nursing practices in battle.

The three wrong answer are all peninsulas in northern Russia, north of the Arctic circle.

Answer: Sea of Azov

The Sea of Azov has an area of 39,000 km˛ (15,000 sq mi) and an average depth that varies between 0.9 metres (2 ft 11 in) and 14 metres (46 ft), which makes it the shallowest sea in the world. There's an inflow from various rivers, of which the most important ones are the Don and Kuban. The Sea of Azov flows into the Black Sea via the narrow Strait of Kerch ,which separates the Kerch Peninsula (part of the Crimean Peninsula) and the Taman Peninsula (Russia). The Strait of Kerch has a width varying between 4.5 and 15 km (2.8 - 9.3 mi).

The three wrong answers are all marginal seas (partially enclosed seas adjacent to an open ocean) of the Arctic Ocean, bordering northern Russia.

Answer: Caucasus Mountains

The Caucasian Mountains Range consists of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus. The Greater Caucasus runs from the Taman Peninsula (on the Black Sea) to the Absheron Peninsula (on the Caspian Sea) over a distance of approximately 1,200 km (750 mi). The Lesser Caucasus lies south of the Greater Caucasus, and runs more or less parallel with it.

The Greater Caucasus forms the border between Russia and Georgia. Part of the Lesser Caucasus forms the border between Georgia and respectively Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Greater and Lesser Caucasus are connected by the Likhi Range, which separates Georgia in its western and eastern halves.

The Caucasus Mountains are generally considered part of the European-Asian boundary, however, since Europe and most of Asia are on the same tectonic plate (Eurasian plate) this boundary is artificial and not exactly defined. As a result, Georgia can be classified either as a European or an Asian country.

Mount Elbrus (5,642 m - 18,510 ft) is the highest peak of the Caucasus Mountain Range. It is located in the Greater Caucasus and is generally considered the highest mountain in Europe.

The Ural Mountains is a mountain range that runs from north to south through western Russia and forms another part of the European-Asian boundary. The Carpathian Mountains is a mountain range in Central and Eastern Europe; the Southern Alps are on the Southern island of New Zealand.

Answer: Abkhazia

Both Abkhazia and South Ossetia are self-declared independent republics within Georgian territory. Georgia considers both 'occupied by Russia' and the vast majority of countries don't recognise their independence either. In this question, Abkhazia is the right answer because it is the only one that borders the Black Sea.

In the wake of Georgia's independence from the USSR (1991), Abkhasia strived towards its own independence. This set off the Georgian-Abkhasian war (1992-93) during which Georgia lost control over the revolting region, what resulted in the establishment of the de facto independent 'republic of Abkhasia'.

In 1990, when the USSR was disintegrating, the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict erupted when Georgia revoked the autonomy that South Ossetia was granted by the USSR. The ensuing war (started January 1991) and cease-fires left South Ossetia partly under control of its unrecognised government and partly under control of Georgia.

The conflict was never fully resolved and flared up from time to time. In August 2008 another war erupted between Georgia and South Ossetia. South Ossetia was supported by its ally Russia that then opened a second front in Abkhasia. This war ended in a clear defeat for Georgia. As a result, Georgia lost territory in Abkhazia and lost the parts of South Ossetia it controlled before. Abkhasia and South Ossetia were recognised by Russia and a handful of other countries.

Chechnya and Dagestan are republics of Russia, also located in the Caucasus region. After the dissolution of the USSR, Chechnya made its own bid towards independence but was brought firmly back under Russian authority in two bloody wars. Dagestan consists of ethnically very diverse population groups. This has led to tensions and outbursts of terrorism in the region since the 1990s.

Answer: Colchis

The term 'Colchians' is used as the collective term for the ancient Georgian tribes that inhabited the region on the eastern Black Sea coast between the Greater and Lesser Caucasians, from the second millennium BCE on. It wasn't until the sixth Century BCE that the kingdom of Colchis emerged in the region. In the middle ages Colchis and its eastern neighbour Iberia united to form the Kingdom of Georgia.

Colchis was mentioned in the myth of Jason and the Argonauts. In this Greek legend, hero Jason searches for the Golden Fleece which is guarded by a dragon that never sleeps in the land of Colchis.

In modern history, Georgia was part of the Russian Empire and then the USSR (with a brief interlude after the Russian revolution). In 1991, shortly before the USSR collapsed, Georgia became independent once again. The first years of Georgian independence were marked by civil war after the first elected president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, was deposed in a bloody coup d'état. The situation was made worse by the lingering conflicts with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. After the Rose Revolution of 2003 a democratic government was installed and Georgia entered a period of stability.

The three wrong answers were also names of ancient regions. Bactria corresponds with parts of present day Iran and Afghanistan, Galatia with the highlands of central Anatolia (Turkey). Scythia is the denomination of the large area in Central Eurasia from present day Ukraine in the west to the steppes of Kazakhstan in the east.

Answer: Safranbolu

The name of the city is derived from the words 'saffron' and 'polis'. As the name suggests, it was a centre for growing and trading saffron. Even today, Safranbolu produces some of the best quality saffron in the world. Safranbolu is also known for its well preserved buildings and artefacts, mostly dating from the Ottoman era.

The three wrong answers are all UNESCO heritage sites in Turkey, but neither of them are in the Black Sea region. Hattusa was the ancient capital of the Hittite civilization. Nemrut Dag is the remains of the tomb of king Antiochus I Theos of Commagene, built on the flanks of Mount Nemrut. Pamukkale is famous for its hot springs and limestone terraces.

Answer: Bosphorus

The Bosphorus connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. The Dardanelles connect the Sea of Marmara with the Aegean Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean. The Bosphorus, Sea of Marmara and Dardanelles together form the Turkish Straits, part of the European-Asian boundary.

Since Istanbul is built both west and east of the Bosphorus, it lies partly within Europe and partly within Asia. It was founded in the 7th century BCE by Greek colonists and named Byzantion. It became capital of the Roman Empire under emperor Constantine who renamed it Constantinople. In 1453 it was conquered by sultan Mehmed II, who renamed it Istanbul and made it capital of the Ottoman Empire. It remained the capital until the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire in 1923. Just a couple of days before Ankara had replaced Istanbul as the capital of the newly established Turkish Republic.

The Strait of Messina separates mainland Italy from Sicily; the Strait of Bonifacio separates Sardinia and Corsica.

Answer: Bulgaria

Bulgaria has a coastline on the Black Sea that stretches from Turkey to Romania over a distance of 378 km (235 mi). The region is very important for Bulgaria's tourist revenues. Varna is the largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast and Bulgaria's third largest city.