Key Facts about Caspian Sea

About Caspian Sea:

• It is the world’s largest inland body of water, covering a total surface area of about 386,400 sq.km.
• It is located between Asia and Europe.
• It lies to the east of the Caucasus Mountains and to the west of the vast steppe of Central Asia. 
• Bordering countries: It is bordered by Russia and Azerbaijan on the west, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan on the north and east, and Iran on the south. 
• The sea was named for the Kaspi, ancient peoples who once lived on its western shores.
• Formation:
  • Going by the definition of a sea, the Caspian Sea is a lake and not a sea,as it is an enclosed water body without any direct outlet to the ocean. 
  • However, 5.5 million years ago, it was part of the ancient Paratethys Sea (an ancient sea in the Tethys Ocean) and got landlocked as a result of tectonic uplift and sea-level fall.
  • Hence, the seafloor of the Caspian Sea is composed of oceanic basalt and not continental granite.
• The composition of the water of the Caspian Sea also varies from almost fresh in the northern parts of the lake to saltier southwards. 
• The mean salinity of the Caspian Sea is now about one-third that of the oceans. 
• Three major rivers—the Volga, the Ural, and the Terek—empty into the Caspian from the north. 
• Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is the largest city on the Caspian. Another important city along the Caspian is Iran’s Nowshahr.
• The sea is also known for its abundance of energy resources (oil and natural gas reserves in offshore fields and onshore on the coast of the sea).
• It is the source of most of the world’s caviar.