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The sea is 340 km long and 135 km wide and has an area of 37,555 km² (14,500 mi²). The main rivers flowing into the sea are the Don and Kuban; they ensure that the waters of the sea are comparatively low in salinity and almost fresh in places, and also bring huge volumes of silt into the sea. The Sea of Azov is the shallowest sea in the world with an average depth of only 13 metres; in fact, where the silt has built up, such as the Gulf of Taganrog , the average depth is less than 1 metre. The prevailing current in the sea is a counter-clockwise swirl; the tides are variable but can peak at over 5 metres. In the winter large portions of the sea can be ice-bound.

Significant ports on the sea are Berdyansk, Mariupol, Rostov-na-Donu, Taganrog and Yeysk . Two canals enter into the sea — the Volga-Don Canal and a link to the Caspian Sea through the Manych Canal. The sea has a number of significant fisheries and has been exploited for gas and oilNodding donkey pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario, 2001 Petroleum (from Latin petrus rock and oleum oil), mineral oil or crude oil sometimes colloquially called black gold is a thick, dark brown or greenish flammable liquid, which exists in the uppe extraction.

Historically the sea has had a rich variety of marine life, with over eighty fish species identified as well as 300 varieties of invertebrates. Diversity and numbers have been reduced by over-fishing and increasing levels of pollutionLachine Canal, in Montreal, is badly polluted Pollution is the release of harmful environmental contaminants, or the substances so released. Generally the process needs to result from human activity to be regarded as pollution. Even relatively benign prod.