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Lake Location:
Kazakhstan | Lake Area:
143,244 sq. miles | Lake Depth:
3,363 feet |
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. It has a surface area of 371,000 square kilometers (143,244 sq mi) and a volume of 78,200 cubic kilometers (18,761 cu mi).
It is an endorheic body of water and lies between the southern areas of the Russian Federation ( Russia ) and northern Iran.
It has a maximum depth of about 1025 meters (3,363 ft). It is called a sea because when the Romans first arrived there, they tasted the water and found it to be salty. It has a salinity of approximately 1.2%, about a third the salinity of most seawater.
It is named after the ancient Caspians.
The Caspian Sea is bordered by five countries:
- Kazakhstan, to the North & North East.
- Turkmenistan on the Southern half of the Eastern shore
- Iran has the southern shore with (Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan provinces)
- Azerbaijan on the Southern part of the Western shore including its capital Baku.
- Russian Federation to the North West with (Dagestan, Kalmykia, Astrakhan Oblast)
Major natural features around the Caspian sea include:
- The Caspian Depression is north of the Caspian sea
- The central Asian steppes to the north east.
- The Caucasus mountains on the border between Russia and Azerbaijan.
- The Garabogazkol on the eastern shore.
The sea is connected to the Sea of Azov by the Manych Canal and the Volga-Don Canal. (Source)
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