Yahorlyk Bay

Yahorlyk Bay [Jahorlyc’ka zatoka]. Map: VII-12. A Black Sea bay situated along the west coast of Kherson oblast. Located between the Kinburn Spit and the Yahorlyk Kut Peninsula, it is 15 km wide at its entrance, 26 km long, and up to 5 m deep. It has a salinity of 14–15 percent and freezes up only in unusually harsh winters. A number of islands are situated in the bay, with Dovhyi Island in the middle of its entrance. A section of the bay (including a stretch of shoreline) is within the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 5 (1993).]