Caspian Sea
Appearance
Caspian Sea | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 41°40′N 50°40′E / 41.667°N 50.667°E |
Type | Endorheic, Saline, Permanent, Natural |
Primary inflows | Volga River, Ural River, Kura River, Terek River |
Primary outflows | Evaporation |
Catchment area | 3,626,000 km2 (1,400,000 sq mi)[1] |
Basin countries | Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan |
Max. length | 1,030 km (640 mi) |
Max. width | 435 km (270 mi) |
Surface area | 371,000 km2 (143,200 sq mi) |
Average depth | 187 m (610 ft) |
Max. depth | 1,025 m (3,360 ft) |
Water volume | 69,400 km3 (16,600 cu mi) |
Residence time | 250 years |
Shore length1 | 7,000 km (4,300 mi) |
Surface elevation | −28 m (−92 ft) |
Islands | 26+ (see Island below) |
Settlements | Baku (Azerbaijan), Rasht (Iran), Aktau (Kazakhstan), Makhachkala (Russia), Türkmenbaşy (Turkmenistan) (see article) |
References | [1] |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
The Caspian Sea is the largest lake (inland body of water) on Earth by both area and volume. It has a surface area of 371,000 square kilometres (143,244 mi²) and a volume of 78,200 cubic kilometres (18,761 mi³). The Caspian accounts for 40 to 44% of the total lacustrine waters of the world.[2]
The Caspian sea is a landlocked (endorheic) body of water. It is bordered by Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. 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 sea water.
Other websites
- Caspian Sea Region
- Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (2003)
- Target: Caspian Sea Oil John Robb, 2004
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 van der Leeden, Troise, and Todd, eds. 1990. The Water Encyclopedia. 2nd ed, Chelsea, MI: Lewis Publishers, p196
- ↑ "Caspian Sea". Iran Gazette. Retrieved 2010-05-17.