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 Seas and oceans 
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Russia’s sea resources
Russia has shores on 13 seas, 12 belonging to three oceans: • The Arctic Ocean (the White Sea • The Pacific Ocean (the Bering Sea • The Atlantic Ocean (the Baltic Sea The total territory of the sea aquatorium falling under Russia’s jurisdiction is about 7 million km2, while the territory of the continental shelf is about 5 million km2. This is approximately one fifth of the territory of the world’s ocean shelf. The unique sea coast is an important recreational resource and the sea aquatoria are a source of water for industrial purposes. All seas are first of all a source of natural resources — sea products and raw mineral fuels such as oil and gas. Apart from this they are important transport routes. Russia has more than 40 sea harbours and a well-developed navy. Russian seas of the Arctic Ocean Russia’s seas have the following unique features: • Unique relic ecosystems in the Arctic (Chaunskaya Guba) and some shallow water hydrothermal colonies in the bays of the Kurile island have been discovered. • The Arctic Barents and Bering seas as well as the Pacific Okhotsk Sea are the most productive seas in the world — enormous quantities and varieties of fish have been preserved here, mainly cod. • The biggest variety of fish belonging to the valued salmon and sturgeon families has been recorded and preserved in Russian seas. • The most important migration routes of sea mammals and birds from the Northern hemisphere pass along the coastlines of Russian seas. • The basic stocks of commercial fish and seafood, which are of world importance — Pacific salmon, Kamchatka crabs and some other types of cod — are concentrated in the seas of the Far East. To learn more, please go to: |
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