| There are two kinds of blackouts. One occurs when | | | | bounded by Russia on the north and east, by |
| a person faints, or loses consciousness. There is a | | | | Rumania and Bulgaria on the west, and by Turkey on |
| feeling of everything turning black, or going blank, | | | | the south. The Black Sea is 168,000 square miles in |
| which is described as a "blackout" of consciousness. | | | | size, and more than 7,000 feet deep. North of it is a |
| It is similar to falling sound asleep suddenly and | | | | bay called the Sea of Azov. The Black Sea is |
| unexpectedly. Aviators black out sometimes when | | | | connected with the Mediterranean Sea in the |
| they pull out of a steep dive at tremendous speed. | | | | southwest, by the bosporus, the Sea of marmara, |
| The blood leaves their brains, causing them to lose | | | | and the dardanelles. Many rivers from Europe and |
| consciousness for a short time. Another kind of | | | | Asia flow into the Black Sea. The most important are |
| blackout takes place during wartime, when there is | | | | the Danube, Dniester, Don, and Dnieper. |
| an air-raid warning at night. | | | | The Black Sea has few islands. The largest one is in |
| The airraid warning is a signal to turn out all lights that | | | | the western part opposite the mouths of the |
| might be seen by enemy aircraft aircraft. Even the | | | | Danube. It is called Adassi, which means "isle of |
| light of a single match can be seen for miles from the | | | | serpents." In the summer this Sea is usually calm, and |
| air, and this could tell an enemy bomber exactly | | | | ships can travel through it safely. But in the winter |
| where the target is located. Air-raid wardens during | | | | fierce storms make it very dangerous. One hundred |
| World War II had the task of checking on the areas | | | | years ago, a terrible storm in November wrecked 40 |
| assigned to them, to make sure that there was a | | | | ships and killed nearly a thousand people. There is also |
| complete blackout. If they saw a light showing | | | | danger in the winter from floating ice. The Black Sea |
| anywhere, they were supposed to tell the people | | | | has so many rivers flowing into it that it has less salt |
| inside to put out that light. In the United States there | | | | than the ocean, and so it freezes more quickly. |
| were no actual air raids, but the practice air raids | | | | The northern shore is icebound during January and |
| were important. Without them, people would not | | | | February. In the winter, the Black Sea is often |
| have known what to do if the real thing had | | | | covered with heavy fog that shuts out the sun. |
| occurred. | | | | People have sailed on the Black Sea for thousands of |
| In Europe during the war blackouts were extremely | | | | years. Because it was so big and because there were |
| important, because enemy aircraft were likely to | | | | savage tribes living along the coast, it was called "the |
| appear on bombing missions at almost any time. Most | | | | inhospitable sea." For a long time, the Black Sea was |
| homes had heavy, dark blackout curtains so that | | | | under the control of Turkey, but eighty years ago, |
| lights could be kept on inside. The curtains prevented | | | | Russia was also given the right to use it for trade. |
| even a speck of light from being seen by anyone | | | | Now, all nations trade in the Black Sea. The most |
| outside Black Sea The Black Sea is a large body of | | | | important ports are Odessa, Trebizond, Batum, and |
| water, almost completely surrounded by land. It is | | | | Sevastopol. |