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Missing image Caspian_Sea_from_orbit.jpg Caspian Sea viewed from orbit The Caspian Sea or Mazandaran Sea is a landlocked sea between Asia and Europe (European Russia). It is the world's largest inland body of water, with a surface area of 371,000 km² (143000 sq. mi.).
GeographyThe Caspian Sea is bordered by Russia (Dagestan, Kalmykia, Astrakhan Oblast), Republic of Azerbaijan, Iran (Guilan, Mazandaran and Golestan provinces), Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, with the central Asian steppes to the north and east. On its eastern Turkmen shore is a large embayment, the Kara Bogaz Gol. The sea is connected to the Sea of Azov by the Manych Canal. Cities near the Caspian SeaMajor cities by the Caspian Sea:
Missing image Baku_2.jpg The Caspian Sea, viewed from Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan HistoryIn Antiquity it was called the Hyrcanian Ocean. Other old names for the Caspian Sea include the Mazandaran Sea, Khazar Sea and the Khvalissian Sea. Historical cities by the Sea include:
FaunaThe Caspian holds great numbers of sturgeon, which yield eggs that are processed into caviar. However, overfishing has threatened the sturgeon population to the point that environmentalists advocate banning sturgeon fishing completely until the population recovers. OilRecently discovered huge oil fields also lie underneath the Caspian Sea, though further exploration is needed to define the full extent of the oil potential in this part of the world. The main problem is the status of the Caspian Sea and the establishment of the water boundaries between the five riparian countries. Characteristics and ecologyThe Caspian has characteristics common to both seas and lakes. It is often listed as the world's largest lake, though it is not a freshwater lake. The Volga River (about 80% of the inflow) and the Ural River discharge into the Caspian Sea, but it is endorheic, i.e. there is no natural outflow (other than by evaporation). Thus the Caspian ecosystem is a closed basin, with its own sea level history that is independent of the eustatic level of the world's oceans. The Caspian became landlocked about 5.5 million years ago. The level of the Caspian has fallen and risen, often rapidly, many times over the centuries. Some Russian historians claim that a medieval rising of the Caspian caused the coastal towns of Khazaria, such as Atil, to flood. In 2004, the water level is -28 metres, or 28 metres below sea level. Over the centuries, Caspian Sea levels have changed in synchronicity with the estimated discharge of the Volga, which in turn depends on rainfall levels in its vast catchment basin. Precipitation is related to variations in the amount of North Atlantic depressions that reach the interior, and they in turn are affected by cycles of the North Atlantic Oscillation (see link). Thus levels in the Caspian sea relate to atmospheric conditions in the North Atlantic thousands of miles to the north and west. TransportationSeveral scheduled ferry services operate on the Caspian Sea, including:
See also
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