Siwash, Gnyle - Gulf in the west of the Azov Sea. Siwash separates the peninsula from the mainland. For him, the border between the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the Kherson region of Ukraine.
Title Siwash in translation from the Crimean Tatar language means "mud".
From the Sea of Azov Siwash separated long braid Arabatsk arrow connecting with the sea Genichesk Strait. From the Black Sea is separated by a narrow isthmus Perekopsk.
Area Sivash is about 2560 km ². Due to shallow water (the biggest of its depth does not exceed 3 meters, the predominant depths are 0,5-1,0 m) in summer the water was very warm and publishes putrid smell, because of what is called Siwash Rotten sea. For the same reason sea water evaporates rapidly, because of what Siwash strongly mineralized.
It consists of 11 salt and bitter-salty bays.
Length - about 200 km. Width - 2-35 km.
Ryadova area - 2 500 km ², of which about 100 km ² and falls on the island and 560 km ² on plots that are only occasionally covered by water.
Powered by the Azov Sea.
Coast Sivash mostly low, flat, swampy, in the summer are covered with a layer of salt.
The bottom is covered with a layer of silt Sivash thickness of 5 m and more. Salinity of 22 ‰ (in the north) to 87 ‰ (the south).
In the brine Sivash is chlorinated compounds of sodium, potassium and magnesium, methyl magnesium, magnesium sulfate and other salts.
Total reserves of salt Sivash - about 200 million tons
On the basis of mineral wealth Sivash built plants: Perekops'kyi bromine, Crimean titanium dioxide with the production of phosphate fertilizers and Crimean soda.