Kerch Strait

"Cimmerian Bosporus" redirects here. For the ancient state, see Bosporan Kingdom.

Kerch Strait
August 2011 landsat satellite photo
Kerch Strait Location within Europe Kerch Strait Location within European Russia Kerch Strait Location within Crimea Kerch Strait Location within Krasnodar Krai
Coordinates	45°15′N 36°30′E
Max. length	35 km (22 mi)
Max. width	15 km (9.3 mi)
Min. width	3.1 km (1.9 mi)
Average depth	18 m (59 ft)
Islands	Tuzla Island

Location of Kerch Strait

The Kerch Strait is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west from the Taman Peninsula of Russia's Krasnodar Krai in the east. The strait is 3.1 kilometres (1.9 mi) to 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) wide and up to 18 metres (59 ft) deep. The most important harbor, the Crimean city of Kerch, gives its name to the strait, formerly known as the Cimmerian Bosporus or Straits of Taman. It has also been called the Straits of Yenikale after the Yeni-Kale fortress in Kerch.

Taman, the most important settlement on the Taman Peninsula side of the strait, sits on Taman Bay, which is separated from the main Kerch Strait by the Chushka Spit to the north and the former Tuzla Spit to the south; the Tuzla Spit is now Tuzla Island, connected to the Taman Peninsula by a 2003 Russian-built 3.8-kilometre-long (2.4 mi) dam, and to mainland Crimea by the Crimean Bridge opened in 2018. A major cargo port is under construction near Taman.