Caspian Sea - wikipedia Caspian Sea Caspian Sea Xəzər dənizi / دریای خزر / Каспий теңізі / Каспийское море / Hazar deňzi The Caspian Sea as captured by the MODIS on the orbiting Terra satellite, June 2003 Coordinates 41 ° 40 ′ N 50 ° 40 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 41.667 ° N 50.667 ° E ﻿ / 41.667 ; 50.667 Coordinates : 41 ° 40 ′ N 50 ° 40 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 41.667 ° N 50.667 ° E ﻿ / 41.667 ; 50.667 Type Endorheic, Saline, Permanent, Natural Primary inflows Volga River, Ural River, Kura River, Terek River Primary outflows Evaporation, Garabogazköl Catchment area 3,626,000 km ( 1,400,000 sq mi ) Basin countries Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan Max. length 1,030 km ( 640 mi ) Max. width 435 km ( 270 mi ) Surface area 371,000 km ( 143,200 sq mi ) Average depth 211 m ( 690 ft ) Max. depth 1,025 m ( 3,360 ft ) Water volume 78,200 km ( 18,800 cu mi ) Residence time 250 years Shore length 7,000 km ( 4,300 mi ) Surface elevation − 28 m ( − 92 ft ) Islands 26 + Settlements Baku ( Azerbaijan ), Anzali ( Iran ), Aktau ( Kazakhstan ), Makhachkala ( Russia ), Türkmenbaşy ( Turkmenistan ) ( see article ) References Shore length is not a well - defined measure. Unlike the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, towards the end of the 16th century the Caspian Sea was still not well explored and mapped. 1570 map by Fernão Vaz Dourado. The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed inland body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world 's largest lake or a full - fledged sea. It is in an endorheic basin ( a basin without outflows ) located between Europe and Asia. It is bounded by Kazakhstan to the northeast, Russia to the northwest, Azerbaijan to the west, Iran to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southeast. The Caspian Sea presently lies about 28 m ( 92 ft ) below sea level in the Caspian Depression, to the east of the Caucasus Mountains and to the west of the vast steppe of Central Asia. The sea bed in the southern part reaches as low as 1023 m below sea level, which is the second lowest natural depression on earth after Lake Baikal ( - 1180 m ). The ancient inhabitants of its coast perceived the Caspian Sea as an ocean, probably because of its saltiness and large size. The sea has a surface area of 371,000 km ( 143,200 sq mi ) ( not including the detached lagoon of Garabogazköl ) and a volume of 78,200 km ( 18,800 cu mi ). It has a salinity of approximately 1.2 % ( 12 g / l ), about a third of the salinity of most seawater. Contents 1 Etymology 2 Physical characteristics 2.1 Formation 2.2 Geography 2.3 Hydrology 2.4 Environmental degradation 3 Nature 3.1 Aquatic 3.1. 1 Flora 3.1. 2 Fauna 3.2 Terrestrial 3.2. 1 Flora 3.2. 2 Fauna 4 History 4.1 Cities 4.1. 1 Ancient 4.1. 2 Modern 5 Oil extraction 5.1 Political issues 6 Territorial status 6.1 Cross-border inflow 7 Transport 7.1 Canals 8 See also 9 References 10 External links Etymology The word Caspian is derived from the name of the Caspi, an ancient people who lived to the southwest of the sea in Transcaucasia. Strabo wrote that `` to the country of the Albanians belongs also the territory called Caspiane, which was named after the Caspian tribe, as was also the sea ; but the tribe has now disappeared ''. Moreover, the Caspian Gates, which is the name of a region in Iran 's Tehran province, possibly indicates that they migrated to the south of the sea. The Iranian city of Qazvin shares the root of its name with that of the sea. In fact, the traditional Arabic name for the sea itself is Bahr al - Qazwin ( Sea of Qazvin ). In classical antiquity among Greeks and Persians it was called the Hyrcanian Ocean. In Persian antiquity, as well as in modern Iran, it is known as درياى خزر, Daryā - e Khazar ; it is also sometimes referred to as Mazandaran Sea ( Persian : دریای مازندران ‎ ‎ ) in Iran. Ancient Arabic sources refer to it as Baḥr Gīlān ( بحر گیلان ) meaning `` the Gilan Sea ''. Turkic languages refer to the lake as Khazar Sea. In Turkmen, the name is Hazar deňizi, in Azeri, it is Xəzər dənizi, and in modern Turkish, it is Hazar denizi. In all these cases, the second word simply means `` sea '', and the first word refers to the historical Khazars who had a large empire based to the north of the Caspian Sea between the 7th and 10th centuries. An exception is Kazakh, where it is called Каспий теңізі, Kaspiy teñizi ( Caspian Sea ). Old Russian sources call it the Khvalyn or Khvalis Sea ( Хвалынское море / Хвалисское море ) after the name of Khwarezmia. In modern Russian, it is called Каспи́йское мо́ре, Kaspiyskoye more. Physical characteristics Formation The Caspian Sea, like the Black Sea, Namak Lake, and Lake Urmia, is a remnant of the ancient Paratethys Sea. It became landlocked about 5.5 million years ago due to tectonic uplift and a fall in sea level. During warm and dry climatic periods, the landlocked sea almost dried up, depositing evaporitic sediments like halite that were covered by wind - blown deposits and were sealed off as an evaporite sink when cool, wet climates refilled the basin. ( Comparable evaporite beds underlie the Mediterranean. ) Due to the current inflow of fresh water, the Caspian Sea is a freshwater lake in its northern portions, and is most saline on the Iranian shore, where the catchment basin contributes little flow. Currently, the mean salinity of the Caspian is one third that of Earth 's oceans. The Garabogazköl embayment, which dried up when water flow from the main body of the Caspian was blocked in the 1980s but has since been restored, routinely exceeds oceanic salinity by a factor of 10. Geography Map of the Caspian Sea, yellow shading indicates Caspian drainage basin. ( Since this map was drawn, the nearby Aral Sea has greatly decreased in size. ) The Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water in the world and accounts for 40 to 44 % of the total lacustrine waters of the world. The coastlines of the Caspian are shared by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan. The Caspian is divided into three distinct physical regions : the Northern, Middle, and Southern Caspian. The Northern -- Middle boundary is the Mangyshlak Threshold, which runs through Chechen Island and Cape Tiub - Karagan. The Middle -- Southern boundary is the Apsheron Threshold, a sill of tectonic origin between the Eurasian continent and an oceanic remnant, that runs through Zhiloi Island and Cape Kuuli. The Garabogazköl Bay is the saline eastern inlet of the Caspian, which is part of Turkmenistan and at times has been a lake in its own right due to the isthmus that cuts it off from the Caspian. Differences between the three regions are dramatic. The Northern Caspian only includes the Caspian shelf, and is very shallow ; it accounts for less than 1 % of the total water volume with an average depth of only 5 -- 6 metres ( 16 -- 20 ft ). The sea noticeably drops off towards the Middle Caspian, where the average depth is 190 metres ( 620 ft ). The Southern Caspian is the deepest, with oceanic depths of over 1,000 metres ( 3,300 ft ), greatly exceeding the depth of other regional seas, such as the Persian Gulf. The Middle and Southern Caspian account for 33 % and 66 % of the total water volume, respectively. The northern portion of the Caspian Sea typically freezes in the winter, and in the coldest winters ice forms in the south as well. Over 130 rivers provide inflow to the Caspian, with the Volga River being the largest. A second affluent, the Ural River, flows in from the north, and the Kura River flows into the sea from the west. In the past, the Amu Darya ( Oxus ) of Central Asia in the east often changed course to empty into the Caspian through a now - desiccated riverbed called the Uzboy River, as did the Syr Darya farther north. The Caspian also has several small islands ; they are primarily located in the north and have a collective land area of roughly 2,000 km ( 770 sq mi ). Adjacent to the North Caspian is the Caspian Depression, a low - lying region 27 metres ( 89 ft ) below sea level. The Central Asian steppes stretch across the northeast coast, while the Caucasus mountains hug the western shore. The biomes to both the north and east are characterized by cold, continental deserts. Conversely, the climate to the southwest and south are generally warm with uneven elevation due to a mix of highlands and mountain ranges ; the drastic changes in climate alongside the Caspian have led to a great deal of biodiversity in the region. The Caspian Sea has numerous islands throughout, all of them near the coasts ; none in the deeper parts of the sea. Ogurja Ada is the largest island. The island is 37 km ( 23 mi ) long, with gazelles roaming freely on it. In the North Caspian, the majority of the islands are small and uninhabited, like the Tyuleniy Archipelago, an Important Bird Area ( IBA ), although some of them have human settlements. Hydrology Caspian Sea near Aktau, Mangystau Region, Kazakhstan. The Caspian has characteristics common to both seas and lakes. It is often listed as the world 's largest lake, although it is not a freshwater lake. It contains about 3.5 times more water, by volume, than all five of North America 's Great Lakes combined. The Caspian was once part of the Tethys Ocean, but became landlocked about 5.5 million years ago due to plate tectonics. The Volga River ( about 80 % of the inflow ) and the Ural River discharge into the Caspian Sea, but it has 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 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, perhaps caused by the Amu Darya changing its inflow to the Caspian from the 13th century to the 16th century, caused the coastal towns of Khazaria, such as Atil, to flood. In 2004, the water level was 28 metres ( 92 feet ) below sea level. Over the centuries, Caspian Sea levels have changed in synchrony 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. Thus levels in the Caspian Sea relate to atmospheric conditions in the North Atlantic thousands of miles to the northwest. The last short - term sea - level cycle started with a sea - level fall of 3 m ( 10 ft ) from 1929 to 1977, followed by a rise of 3 m ( 10 ft ) from 1977 until 1995. Since then smaller oscillations have taken place. Environmental degradation The Volga River, the largest in Europe, drains 20 % of the European land area and is the source of 80 % of the Caspian 's inflow. Its lower reaches are heavily developed with numerous unregulated releases of chemical and biological pollutants. Although existing data are sparse and of questionable quality, there is ample evidence to suggest that the Volga is one of the principal sources of transboundary contaminants into the Caspian. The magnitude of fossil fuel extraction and transport activity in the Caspian also poses a risk to the environment. The island of Vulf off Baku, for example, has suffered ecological damage as a result of the petrochemical industry ; this has significantly decreased the number of species of marine birds in the area. Existing and planned oil and gas pipelines under the sea further increase the potential threat to the environment. The Vladimir Filanovsky field in the Russian section of the body of water was discovered for its wealth of oil in 2005. It is reportedly the largest discovery of oil that they have had in 25 years. It was announced in October 2016 that Lukoil would start production in this region. Nature Iran 's northern Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests are maintained by moisture captured from the Caspian Sea by the Alborz Mountain Range. Aquatic Flora The rising level of the Caspian Sea between 1994 -- 96 reduced the number of habitats for rare species of aquatic vegetation. This has been attributed to a general lack of seeding material in newly formed coastal lagoons and water bodies. Fauna Most tadpole gobies ( Benthophilus ) are only found in the Caspian Sea basin. The Caspian turtle ( Mauremys caspica ), although found in neighboring areas, is a wholly freshwater species. The zebra mussel is native to the Caspian and Black Sea basins, but has become an invasive species elsewhere, when introduced. The area has given its name to several species, including the Caspian gull and the Caspian tern. The Caspian seal ( Pusa caspica ) is the only aquatic mammal and is endemic to the Caspian Sea, being one of very few seal species that live in inland waters, but is different from those inhabiting freshwaters due to the hydrological environment of the sea. Archeological studies of Gobustan petroglyphs indicate that there once had been dolphins and porpoises, or a certain species of beaked whales and a whaling scene indicates of large baleen whales likely being present in Caspian Sea at least until when Caspian Sea was a part of ocean system or until Quaternary or much more recent periods such as until the last glacial period or antiquity. Although the rock art on Kichikdash Mountain assumed to be of a dolphin or of a beaked whale, might instead represent the famous beluga sturgeon due to its size ( 430 cm in length ), but fossil records suggest certain ancestors of modern dolphins and whales, such as Macrokentriodon morani ( bottlenose dolphins ) and Balaenoptera sibbaldina ( blue whales ) were presumably larger than their present descendants. From the same artworks, auks, like Brunnich 's Guillemot could also have been in the sea as well, and the existences of current endemic, oceanic species such as lagoon cockles which was genetically identified to originate in Caspian / Black Seas regions, and these petroglyphs suggest marine inflow between the current Caspian Sea and the Arctic Ocean or North Sea, or the Black Sea. The sea 's basin ( including associated waters such as rivers ) has 160 native species and subspecies of fish in more than 60 genera. About 62 % of the species and subspecies are endemic, as are 4 -- 6 genera ( depending on taxonomic treatment ). The lake proper has 115 natives, including 73 endemics ( 63.5 % ). Among the more than 50 genera in the lake proper, 3 -- 4 are endemic : Anatirostrum, Caspiomyzon, Chasar ( often included in Ponticola ) and Hyrcanogobius. By far the most numerous families in the lake proper are gobies ( 35 species and subspecies ), cyprinids ( 32 ) and clupeids ( 22 ). Two particularly rich genera are Alosa with 18 endemic species / subspecies and Benthophilus with 16 endemic species. Other examples of endemics are four species of Clupeonella, Gobio volgensis, two Rutilus, three Sabanejewia, Stenodus leucichthys, two Salmo, two Mesogobius and three Neogobius. Most non-endemic natives are either shared with the Black Sea basin or widespread Palearctic species such as crucian carp, Prussian carp, common carp, common bream, common bleak, asp, white bream, sunbleak, common dace, common roach, common rudd, European chub, sichel, tench, European weatherfish, wels catfish, northern pike, burbot, European perch and zander. Almost 30 non-indigenous, introduced fish species have been reported from the Caspian Sea, but only a few have become established. Six sturgeon species, the Russian, bastard, Persian, sterlet, starry and beluga, are native to the Caspian Sea. The last of these is arguably the largest freshwater fish in the world. The sturgeon yield roe ( eggs ) that are processed into caviar. Overfishing has depleted a number of the historic fisheries. In recent years, overfishing has threatened the sturgeon population to the point that environmentalists advocate banning sturgeon fishing completely until the population recovers. The high price of sturgeon caviar, however, allows fishermen to afford bribes to ensure the authorities look the other way, making regulations in many locations ineffective. Caviar harvesting further endangers the fish stocks, since it targets reproductive females. Terrestrial Flora Many rare and endemic plant species of Russia are associated with the tidal areas of the Volga delta and riparian forests of the Samur River delta. The shoreline is also a unique refuge for plants adapted to the loose sands of the Central Asian Deserts. The principal limiting factors to successful establishment of plant species are hydrological imbalances within the surrounding deltas, water pollution, and various land reclamation activities. The water level change within the Caspian Sea is an indirect reason for which plants may not get established. These affect aquatic plants of the Volga Delta, such as Aldrovanda vesiculosa and the native Nelumbo caspica. About 11 plant species are found in the Samur River Delta, including the unique liana forests that date back to the Tertiary period. Fauna Illustration of two Caspian tigers, extinct in the region since the 1970s. Reptiles native to the region include spur - thighed tortoise ( Testudo graeca buxtoni ) and Horsfield 's tortoise. The Asiatic cheetah used to occur in the Trans - Caucasus and Central Asia, but is today restricted to Iran. The Asiatic lion used to occur in the Trans - Caucasus, Iran, and possibly the southern part of Turkestan. The Caspian tiger used to occur in northern Iran, the Caucasus and Central Asia. The Persian leopard is found in Iran, the Caucasus and Central Asia. History Caspian Sea ( Bahr ul - Khazar ). 10th century map by Ibn Hawqal Caspian Sea map from 1747 with the Dead Kultuk as ' Blue Sea ' The 17th - century Cossack rebel and pirate Stenka Razin, on a raid in the Caspian ( Vasily Surikov, 1906 ) The earliest hominid remains found around the Caspian Sea are from Dmanisi dating back to around 1.8 Ma and yielded a number of skeletal remains of Homo erectus or Homo ergaster. More later evidence for human occupation of the region come from a number of caves in Georgia and Azerbaijan such as Kudaro and Azykh Caves. There is evidence for Lower Palaeolithic human occupation south of the Caspian from western Alburz. These are Ganj Par and Darband Cave sites. Neanderthal remains also have been discovered at a cave site in Georgia. Discoveries in the Huto cave and the adjacent Kamarband cave, near the town of Behshahr, Mazandaran south of the Caspian in Iran, suggest human habitation of the area as early as 11,000 years ago. The Caspian area is rich in energy resources. Oil wells were being dug in the region as early as the 10th century to reach oil `` for use in everyday life, both for medicinal purposes and for heating and lighting in homes. '' By the 16th century, Europeans were aware of the rich oil and gas deposits around the area. English traders Thomas Bannister and Jeffrey Duckett described the area around Baku as `` a strange thing to behold, for there issueth out of the ground a marvelous quantity of oil, which serveth all the country to burn in their houses. This oil is black and is called nefte. There is also by the town of Baku, another kind of oil which is white and very precious ( i.e., petroleum ). '' In the 18th century, during the rule of Peter I the Great, Fedor I. Soimonov, hydrographer and pioneering explorer of the Caspian Sea charted the until then little known body of water. Soimonov drew a set of four maps and wrote the ' Pilot of the Caspian Sea ', the first report and modern maps of the Caspian, that were published in 1720 by the Russian Academy of Sciences. Today, oil and gas platforms are abounding along the edges of the sea. Cities Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan is the largest city by the Caspian Sea. Ancient Hyrcania, ancient state in the north of Iran Anzali, Gilan Province of Iran Astara, Gilan Province of Iran Astarabad, Golestan Province of Iran Tamisheh, Golestan Province of Iran Atil, Khazaria Khazaran Baku, Azerbaijan Derbent, Dagestan, Russia Xacitarxan, modern - day Astrakhan Modern Iran : Ali Abad Astaneh - ye Ashrafiyeh Astara Babolsar Bandar - e Anzali Bandar - e-gaz Bandar Torkaman Behshahr Chaloos Fenderesk Gomishan Gonbad - e Kavus Gorgan Jooybar Kordkuy Lahijan Langrud MahmudAbad Neka Nowshahr Nur Ramsar Rasht Rudbar Rudsar Sari Tonekabon Azerbaijan : Astara Baku Gobustan Khudat Khachmaz Lankaran Masalli Nabran Neftchala Shabran Siyazan Oil Rocks Sumqayit Kazakhstan : Atyrau Aktau Russia : Astrakhan Dagestanskiye Ogni Derbent Izberbash Kaspiysk Makhachkala Turkmenistan : Türkmenbaşy ( formerly Krasnovodsk ) Hazar ( formerly Çeleken ) Esenguly Garabogaz ( formerly Bekdaş ) Oil extraction Oil pipelines in the Caspian region. September 2002. Caspian region oil and natural gas infrastructure. August 2013. The world 's first offshore wells and machine - drilled wells were made in Bibi - Heybat Bay, near Baku, Azerbaijan. In 1873, exploration and development of oil began in some of the largest fields known to exist in the world at that time on the Absheron peninsula near the villages of Balakhanli, Sabunchi, Ramana and Bibi Heybat. Total recoverable reserves were more than 500 million tons. By 1900, Baku had more than 3,000 oil wells, 2,000 of which were producing at industrial levels. By the end of the 19th century, Baku became known as the `` black gold capital '', and many skilled workers and specialists flocked to the city. By the beginning of the 20th century, Baku was the centre of international oil industry. In 1920, when the Bolsheviks captured Azerbaijan, all private property -- including oil wells and factories -- was confiscated. Afterwards, the republic 's entire oil industry came under the control of the Soviet Union. By 1941, Azerbaijan was producing a record 23.5 million tons of oil, and the Baku region supplied nearly 72 % of all oil extracted in the entire USSR. In 1994, the `` Contract of the Century '' was signed, signalling the start of major international development of the Baku oil fields. The Baku -- Tbilisi -- Ceyhan pipeline, a major pipeline allowing Azerbaijan oil to flow straight to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, opened in 2006. Political issues Many of the islands along the Azerbaijani coast continue to hold significant geopolitical and economic importance because of the potential oil reserves found nearby. Bulla Island, Pirallahı Island, and Nargin, which was used as a former Soviet base and is the largest island in the Baku bay, all hold oil reserves. The collapse of the USSR and subsequent opening of the region has led to an intense investment and development scramble by international oil companies. In 1998, Dick Cheney commented that `` I ca n't think of a time when we 've had a region emerge as suddenly to become as strategically significant as the Caspian. '' A key problem to further development in the region is the status of the Caspian Sea and the establishment of the water boundaries among the five littoral states. The current disputes along Azerbaijan 's maritime borders with Turkmenistan and Iran could potentially affect future development plans. Much controversy currently exists over the proposed Trans - Caspian oil and gas pipelines. These projects would allow Western markets easier access to Kazakh oil and, potentially, Uzbek and Turkmen gas as well. Russia officially opposes the project on environmental grounds. However, analysts note that the pipelines would bypass Russia completely, thereby denying the country valuable transit fees, as well as destroying its current monopoly on westward - bound hydrocarbon exports from the region. Recently, both Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have expressed their support for the Trans - Caspian Pipeline. U.S. diplomatic cables disclosed by WikiLeaks revealed that BP covered up a gas leak and blowout incident in September 2008 at an operating gas field in the Azeri - Chirag - Guneshi area of the Azerbaijan Caspian Sea. Territorial status Southern Caspian Energy Prospects ( portion of Iran ). Country Profile 2004. Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan As of 2000, negotiations related to the demarcation of the Caspian Sea had been going on for nearly a decade among the states bordering the Caspian -- Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran. The status of the Caspian Sea is the key problem. Access to mineral resources ( oil and natural gas ), access for fishing, and access to international waters ( through Russia 's Volga river and the canals connecting it to the Black Sea and Baltic Sea ) all depend upon the outcomes of negotiations. Access to the Volga River is particularly important for the landlocked states of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. This concerns Russia, because the potential traffic would use its inland waterways. If a body of water is labelled as a sea, then there would be some precedents and international treaties obliging the granting of access permits to foreign vessels. If a body of water is labelled merely as a lake, then there are no such obligations. Environmental issues are also somewhat connected to the status and borders issue. All five Caspian littoral states maintain naval forces on the sea. According to a treaty signed between Iran and the Soviet Union, the Caspian Sea is technically a lake and was divided into two sectors ( Iranian and Soviet ), but the resources ( then mainly fish ) were commonly shared. The line between the two sectors was considered an international border in a common lake, like Lake Albert. The Soviet sector was sub-divided into the four littoral republics ' administrative sectors. Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan have bilateral agreements with each other based on median lines. Because of their use by the three nations, median lines seem to be the most likely method of delineating territory in future agreements. However, Iran insists on a single, multilateral agreement between the five nations ( as this is the only way for it to achieve a one - fifth share of the sea ). Azerbaijan is at odds with Iran over some oil fields that both states claim. Occasionally, Iranian patrol boats have fired at vessels sent by Azerbaijan for exploration into the disputed region. There are similar tensions between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan ( the latter claims that the former has pumped more oil than agreed from a field, recognized by both parties as shared ). The Caspian littoral states ' meeting in 2007 signed an agreement that bars any ship not flying the national flag of a littoral state from entering the sea. Negotiations among the five littoral states have been ongoing, amidst ebbs and flows, for the past 20 years, with some degree of progress being made at the fourth Caspian Summit held in Astrakhan in 2014. Cross-border inflow UNECE recognizes several rivers that cross international borders which flow into the Caspian Sea. These are : River Countries Atrek River Iran, Turkmenistan Kura River Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey Ural River Kazakhstan, Russia Samur River Azerbaijan, Russia Sulak River Georgia, Russia Terek River Georgia, Russia Transport Although the Caspian Sea is endorheic, its main tributary, the Volga, is connected by important shipping canals with the Don River ( and thus the Black Sea ) and with the Baltic Sea, with branch canals to Northern Dvina and to the White Sea. Another Caspian tributary, the Kuma River, is connected by an irrigation canal with the Don basin as well. Several scheduled ferry services ( including train ferries ) operate on the Caspian Sea, including : a line between Türkmenbaşy, Turkmenistan ( formerly Krasnovodsk ) and Baku. a line between Baku and Aktau. several lines between cities in Iran and Russia. The ferries are mostly used for cargo ; only the Baku -- Aktau and Baku -- Türkmenbaşy routes accept passengers. Canals As an endorheic basin, the Caspian Sea basin has no natural connection with the ocean. Since the medieval period, traders reached the Caspian via a number of portages that connected the Volga and its tributaries with the Don ( which flows into the Sea of Azov ) and various rivers that flow into the Baltic. Primitive canals connecting the Volga Basin with the Baltic have been constructed as early as the early 18th century ; since then, a number of canal projects have been completed. The two modern canal systems connecting the Volga basin with the ocean are the Volga -- Baltic Waterway and the Volga -- Don Canal. The proposed Pechora - Kama Canal was a project that was widely discussed between the 1930s and 1980s. Shipping was a secondary consideration ; its main goal was to redirect some of the water of the Pechora River ( which flows into the Arctic Ocean ) via the Kama into the Volga. The goals were both irrigation and stabilizing the water level in the Caspian, which was thought to be falling dangerously fast at the time. In 1971 some construction experiments were conducted using nuclear explosions. In June 2007, in order to boost his oil - rich country 's access to markets, Kazakhstan 's President Nursultan Nazarbaev proposed a 700 - kilometre ( 435 - mile ) link between the Caspian and Black seas. It is hoped that the `` Eurasia Canal '' ( Manych Ship Canal ) would transform landlocked Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries into maritime states, enabling them to significantly increase trade volume. Although the canal would traverse Russian territory, it would benefit Kazakhstan through its Caspian Sea ports. The most likely route for the canal, the officials at the Committee on Water Resources at Kazakhstan 's Agriculture Ministry say, would follow the Kuma - Manych Depression, where currently a chain of rivers and lakes is already connected by an irrigation canal ( Kuma - Manych Canal ). Upgrading the Volga -- Don Canal would be another option. See also Baku Oil Fields Caspian people Ekranoplan, a ground effect plane which was developed on the Caspian Sea. Epoch of Extremal Inundations Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea Shah Deniz gas field South Caucasus pipeline Southern Gas Corridor Tengiz Field Trans - Caspian Gas Pipeline Trans - Caspian Oil Pipeline Wildlife of Azerbaijan Wildlife of Iran Wildlife of Kazakhstan Wildlife of Russia References ^ Jump up to : van der Leeden, Troise, and Todd, eds., The Water Encyclopedia. Second Edition. Chelsea F.C., MI : Lewis Publishers, 1990, p. 196. ^ Jump up to : `` Caspian Sea -- Background ''. Caspian Environment Programme. 2009. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2012. Jump up ^ `` ESA : Observing the Earth -- Earth from Space : The southern Caspian Sea ''. ESA.int. Retrieved 2007 - 05 - 25. Jump up ^ `` Caspian Sea ''. Jump up ^ Lake Profile : Caspian Sea. LakeNet. Jump up ^ Lake Basin Management Initiative - The Caspian Sea ( 2004 ) Jump up ^ Caspian Sea in Encyclopædia Britannica. Jump up ^ `` Strabo. Geography. 11.3. 1 ''. Perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2011 - 04 - 14. Jump up ^ Iran ( 5th ed., 2008 ), by Andrew Burke and Mark Elliott, p. 28, Lonely Planet Publications, ISBN 978 - 1 - 74104 - 293 - 1 Jump up ^ Hyrcania. www.livius.org. Retrieved 2012 - 05 - 20. Jump up ^ Drainage Basins -- Caspian Sea. Briancoad.com. Retrieved 2012 - 05 - 20. Jump up ^ Max Vasmer, Etimologicheskii slovar ' russkogo yazyka, Vol. IV ( Moscow : Progress, 1973 ), p. 229. Jump up ^ `` Sea Facts ''. Casp Info. Retrieved 2017 - 02 - 25. ^ Jump up to : `` Caspian Sea ''. Iran Gazette. Archived from the original on 2009 - 01 - 22. Retrieved 2010 - 05 - 17. ^ Jump up to : Hooshang Amirahmadi ( 10 June 2000 ). The Caspian Region at a Crossroad : Challenges of a New Frontier of Energy and Development. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 112 --. ISBN 978 - 0 - 312 - 22351 - 9. Retrieved 20 May 2012. Jump up ^ Khain V.E. Gadjiev A.N. Kengerli T. N ( 2007 ). `` Tectonic origin of the Apsheron Threshold in the Caspian Sea ''. Doklady Earth Sciences. 414 : 552 -- 556. doi : 10.1134 / S1028334X07040149. ^ Jump up to : Henri J. Dumont ; Tamara A. Shiganova ; Ulrich Niermann ( 20 July 2004 ). Aquatic Invasions in the Black, Caspian, and Mediterranean Seas. Springer. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4020 - 1869 - 5. Retrieved 20 May 2012. Jump up ^ A.G. Kostianoi and A. Kosarev ( 16 December 2005 ). The Caspian Sea Environment. Birkhäuser. ISBN 978 - 3 - 540 - 28281 - 5. Retrieved 20 May 2012. Jump up ^ `` News Azerbaijan ''. ann.az. Retrieved 9 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` Welcome to the Caspian Sea Level Project Site ''. Caspage.citg.tudelft.nl. Archived from the original on 2011 - 07 - 24. Retrieved 2010 - 05 - 17. Jump up ^ `` Caspian Environment Programme ''. caspianenvironment.org. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 30 October 2012. Jump up ^ `` LUKOIL starts up V. Filanovsky in the Caspian Sea ''. ^ Jump up to : Naseka, A.M. ; and N.G. Bogutskaya ( 2009 ). Fishes of the Caspian Sea : zoogeography and updated check - list. Zoosystematica Rossica 18 ( 2 ) : 295 -- 317. Jump up ^ `` The Caspian Sea ''. All The Sea. Retrieved 2015 - 01 - 16. Jump up ^ `` Masuleh ''. Retrieved 2015 - 01 - 16. ^ Jump up to : Gallagher R. ( 2012 ). `` Azerbaijan : Land of Fire and Flood -- Ancient Mariners and a Deluged Landscape - Rock Art Evidence of a Marine Inflow. ''. The Official Graham Hancock Homepage. Retrieved 2015 - 11 - 18. ^ Jump up to : Gallagher, R. `` THE ICE AGE RISE AND FALL OF THE PONTO CASPIAN : ANCIENT MARINERS AND THE ASIATIC MEDITERRANEAN. ''. Documentlide.com. Jump up ^ `` Gobustan Petroglyphs -- Methods & Chronology ''. The Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2015 - 01 - 19. ^ Jump up to : `` Gobustan Petroglyphs -- Subject Matter ''. The Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2015 - 01 - 19. Jump up ^ C. Michael Hogan Overfishing. Encyclopedia of Earth. eds. Sidney Draggan and Cutler Cleveland. National Council for Science and the Environment, Washington DC Jump up ^ `` Fishing Prospects ''. Archived from the original on 2008 - 09 - 05. Retrieved 2012 - 05 - 20. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ). iran-daily.com ( 2007 - 01 - 14 ) ^ Jump up to : Heptner, V.G., Sludskij, A.A. ( 1992 ) ( 1972 ). Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva : Vysšaia Škola ( Mammals of the Soviet Union. Volume II, Part 2. Carnivora ( Hyaenas and Cats ) ). Washington DC : Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation. pp. 1 -- 732. CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list ( link ) ^ Jump up to : Humphreys, P., Kahrom, E. ( 1999 ). Lion and Gazelle : The Mammals and Birds of Iran. Images Publishing, Avon. Jump up ^ `` Major Monuments '' Archived May 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine... Iranair.com. Retrieved 2012 - 05 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Safeguarding Caspian Interests ''. Archived from the original on 2009 - 06 - 03. Retrieved 2016 - 02 - 07... iran-daily.com ( 2006 - 11 - 26 ) ^ Jump up to : The Development of the Oil and Gas Industry in Azerbaijan SOCAR Jump up ^ Back to the Future : Britain, Baku Oil and the Cycle of History SOCAR Jump up ^ `` Fedor I. Soimonov ''. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 9 October 2015. Jump up ^ `` Caspian Sea ''. Jump up ^ The Great Gas Game, Christian Science Monitor, ( 2001 - 10 - 25 ) Jump up ^ Sergei Blagov, Russia Tries to Scuttle Proposed Trans - Caspian Pipeline, Eurasianet, ( 2006 - 03 - 27 ) Jump up ^ Sergei Blagov, Russia Tries to Scuttle Proposed Trans - Caspian Pipeline, Eurasianet, ( 2006 - 03 - 27 ) Jump up ^ Russia Seeking To Keep Kazakhstan Happy, Eurasianet, ( 2007 - 12 - 10 ) Jump up ^ Tim Webb ( 2010 - 12 - 15 ). `` WikiLeaks cables : BP suffered blowout on Azerbaijan gas platform ''. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2013 - 03 - 26. Jump up ^ Walt, Vivienne ( 2010 - 12 - 18 ). `` WikiLeaks Reveals BP 's ' Other ' Offshore Drilling Disaster ''. Time. Retrieved 2013 - 03 - 26. Jump up ^ Khoshbakht B. Yusifzade. `` 8.3 The Status of the Caspian Sea -- Dividing Natural Resources Between Five Countries ''. Azer.com. Retrieved 2010 - 05 - 17. Jump up ^ `` The great Caspian arms race '', Foreign Policy, June 2012 Jump up ^ `` Russia Gets Way in Caspian Meet ''. Archived from the original on 2008 - 01 - 20. Retrieved 2007 - 10 - 28. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Jump up ^ Nicola Contessi ( April 2015 ), `` Traditional Security in Eurasia : The Caspian caught between Militarisation and Diplomacy '', The RUSI Journal Jump up ^ `` Drainage basing of the Caspian Sea '' ( PDF ). unece.org. Jump up ^ Caspian Canal Could Boost Kazakh Trade Business Week ( 2007 - 07 - 09 ) External links Look up Caspian Sea in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Caspian Sea. Names of the Caspian Sea Caspian Sea Region Target : Caspian Sea Oil John Robb, 2004 Dating Caspian sea level changes Caspian Sea Is Dying IIKSS - international institute of khazar ( caspian ) sea studies Regions of the world Regions of Africa North Mediterranean Gibraltar Arc Greater Middle East MENA Middle East Maghreb Barbary Coast Barbara Ancient Libya Atlas Mountains ( Middle Atlas ) Sahara Western Sahara Sahel Eastern Mediterranean Egypt Upper Egypt Middle Egypt Lower Egypt Cataracts of the Nile Bashmur Nubia Lower Nubia Nile Valley Nile Delta Darfur Gulf of Aqaba Sub-Saharan East Aethiopia Swahili coast East African Rift Great Rift Valley Afar Triangle Danakil Desert Danakil Alps Albertine Rift Virunga Mountains Gregory Rift Valley Southern Rift Valley Rift Valley lakes African Great Lakes Mittelafrika Horn of Africa Ethiopian Highlands Gulf of Aden Gulf of Tadjoura Sudan ( region ) Sudanian Savanna East African montane forests Sub-Saharan Central Negroland Guinea region Gulf of Guinea Cape Lopez Mayombe Igboland Mbaise Maputaland Pool Malebo Congo Basin Chad Basin Congolese rainforests Ouaddaï highlands Ennedi Plateau Sub-Saharan West Pepper Coast Gold Coast Slave Coast Ivory Coast Cape Palmas Cape Mesurado Negroland Guinea region Gulf of Guinea Sudanian Savanna Niger Basin Guinean Forests of West Africa Sudan ( region ) Niger Delta Inner Niger Delta Sub-Saharan South Madagascar Central Highlands ( Madagascar ) Northern Highlands Rhodesia North South Thembuland Succulent Karoo Nama Karoo Bushveld Highveld Fynbos Cape Floristic Region Kalahari Desert Okavango Delta False Bay Hydra Bay Sub-Saharan Anglophone Africa Francophone Africa Lusophone Africa Arabophone Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Tropical Africa Islands Regions of North America Canada Eastern Canada Western Canada Canadian Prairies Central Canada Northern Canada Atlantic Canada The Maritimes French Canada English Canada Acadia Acadian Peninsula Quebec City -- Windsor Corridor Peace River Country Cypress Hills Palliser 's Triangle Canadian Shield Interior Alaska - Yukon lowland taiga Newfoundland ( island ) Vancouver island Gulf Islands Strait of Georgia Canadian Arctic Archipelago Labrador Peninsula Gaspé Peninsula Avalon Peninsula Bay de Verde Peninsula Brodeur Peninsula Melville Peninsula Bruce Peninsula Banks Peninsula ( Nunavut ) Cook Peninsula Gulf of Boothia Georgian Bay Hudson Bay James Bay Greenland United States Pacific Northwest Inland Northwest Northeast New England Mid-Atlantic Commonwealth West Midwest Upper Midwest Mountain States Intermountain West Basin and Range Province Oregon Trail Mormon Corridor Calumet Region Southwest Old Southwest Llano Estacado Frontier Strip Central United States Tallgrass prairie South South Central Deep South Upland South Four Corners East Coast West Coast Gulf Coast Third Coast Coastal states Eastern United States Appalachia Trans - Mississippi Great North Woods Great Plains Interior Plains Great Lakes Great Basin Great Basin Desert Acadia Ozarks Ark - La - Tex Waxhaws Siouxland Twin Tiers Driftless Area Palouse Piedmont Atlantic coastal plain Outer Lands Black Dirt Region Blackstone Valley Piney Woods Rocky Mountains Mojave Desert The Dakotas The Carolinas Shawnee Hills San Fernando Valley Tornado Alley North Coast Lost Coast Emerald Triangle San Francisco Bay Area San Francisco Bay North Bay ( San Francisco Bay Area ) East Bay ( San Francisco Bay Area ) Silicon valley Interior Alaska - Yukon lowland taiga Gulf of Mexico Lower Colorado River Valley Sacramento -- San Joaquin River Delta Yukon -- Kuskokwim Delta Colville Delta Arkansas Delta Mobile -- Tensaw River Delta Mississippi Delta Mississippi River Delta Columbia River Estuary Great Basin High Desert Monterey Peninsula Upper Peninsula of Michigan Lower Peninsula of Michigan Virginia Peninsula Keweenaw Peninsula Middle Peninsula Delmarva Peninsula Alaska Peninsula Kenai Peninsula Niagara Peninsula Beringia Belt regions Bible Belt Black Belt Corn Belt Cotton Belt Frost Belt Rice Belt Rust Belt Sun Belt Snow Belt Mexico Northern Mexico Baja California Peninsula Gulf of California Colorado River Delta Gulf of Mexico Soconusco Tierra Caliente La Mixteca La Huasteca Bajío Valley of Mexico Mezquital Valley Sierra Madre de Oaxaca Yucatán Peninsula Basin and Range Province Central Western Caribbean Zone Isthmus of Panama Gulf of Panama Pearl Islands Azuero Peninsula Mosquito Coast Caribbean West Indies Antilles Greater Antilles Lesser Antilles Leeward Leeward Antilles Windward Lucayan Archipelago Southern Caribbean Aridoamerica Mesoamerica Oasisamerica Northern Middle Anglo Latin French Hispanic American Cordillera Ring of Fire LAC Regions of South America North Caribbean South America West Indies Los Llanos The Guianas Amazon Basin Amazon rainforest Gulf of Paria Paria Peninsula Paraguaná Peninsula Orinoco Delta South Tierra del Fuego Patagonia Pampas Pantanal Gran Chaco Chiquitano dry forests Valdes Peninsula West Andes Tropical Andes Wet Andes Dry Andes Pariacaca mountain range Altiplano Atacama Desert East Amazon basin Atlantic Forest Caatinga Cerrado Latin Hispanic American Cordillera Ring of Fire LAC Regions of Asia Central Greater Middle East Aral Sea Aralkum Desert Caspian Sea Dead Sea Sea of Galilee Transoxiana Turan Greater Khorasan Ariana Khwarezm Sistan Kazakhstania Eurasian Steppe Asian Steppe Kazakh Steppe Pontic -- Caspian steppe Mongolian - Manchurian grassland Wild Fields Yedisan Muravsky Trail Ural Ural Mountains Volga region Idel - Ural Kolyma Transbaikal Pryazovia Bjarmaland Kuban Zalesye Ingria Novorossiya Gornaya Shoriya Tulgas Iranian plateau Altai Mountains Pamir Mountains Tian Shan Badakhshan Wakhan Corridor Wakhjir Pass Mount Imeon Mongolian Plateau Western Regions Taklamakan Desert Karakoram Trans - Karakoram Tract Siachen Glacier North Inner Asia Northeast Far East Russian Far East Okhotsk - Manchurian taiga Extreme North Siberia Baikalia ( Lake Baikal ) Transbaikal Khatanga Gulf Baraba Steppe Kamchatka Peninsula Amur Basin Yenisei Gulf Yenisei Basin Beringia Sikhote - Alin East Japanese archipelago Northeastern Japan Arc Sakhalin Island Arc Korean Peninsula Gobi Desert Taklamakan Desert Greater Khingan Mongolian Plateau Inner Asia Inner Mongolia Outer Mongolia China proper Manchuria Outer Manchuria Inner Manchuria Northeast China Plain Mongolian - Manchurian grassland North China Plain Yan_Mountains Kunlun Mountains Liaodong Peninsula Himalayas Tibetan Plateau Tibet Tarim Basin Northern Silk Road Hexi Corridor Nanzhong Lingnan Liangguang Jiangnan Jianghuai Guanzhong Huizhou Wu Jiaozhou Zhongyuan Shaannan Ordos Loop Loess Plateau Shaanbei Hamgyong Mountains Central Mountain Range Japanese Alps Suzuka Mountains Leizhou Peninsula Gulf of Tonkin Yangtze River Delta Pearl River Delta Yenisei Basin Altai Mountains Wakhan Corridor Wakhjir Pass West Greater Middle East MENA Middle East Red Sea Caspian Sea Mediterranean Sea Zagros Mountains Persian Gulf Pirate Coast Strait of Hormuz Greater and Lesser Tunbs Al - Faw Peninsula Gulf of Oman Gulf of Aqaba Gulf of Aden Balochistan Arabian Peninsula Najd Hejaz Tihamah Eastern Arabia South Arabia Hadhramaut Arabian Peninsula coastal fog desert Tigris -- Euphrates Mesopotamia Upper Mesopotamia Lower Mesopotamia Sawad Nineveh plains Akkad ( region ) Babylonia Canaan Aram Eber - Nari Suhum Eastern Mediterranean Mashriq Kurdistan Levant Southern Levant Transjordan Jordan Rift Valley Levantine Sea Golan Heights Hula Valley Gaza Strip West Bank Galilee Gilead Judea Samaria Arabah Anti-Lebanon Mountains Sinai Peninsula Arabian Desert Syrian Desert Fertile Crescent Azerbaijan Syria Palestine Iranian plateau Armenian Highlands Caucasus Caucasus mountains Greater Caucasus Lesser Caucasus North Caucasus South Caucasus Kur - Araz Lowland Lankaran Lowland Alborz Absheron Peninsula Anatolia Cilicia Cappadocia Alpide belt South Greater India Indian subcontinent Himalayas Hindu Kush Western Ghats Eastern Ghats Ganges Basin Ganges Delta Pashtunistan Punjab Balochistan Kashmir Kashmir Valley Pir Panjal Range Thar Desert Indus Valley Indus River Delta Indus Valley Desert Indo - Gangetic Plain Eastern coastal plains Western Coastal Plains Meghalaya subtropical forests Lower Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Doab Bagar region Great Rann of Kutch Little Rann of Kutch Deccan Plateau Coromandel Coast Konkan False Divi Point Hindi Belt Ladakh Aksai Chin Gilgit - Baltistan Baltistan Shigar Valley Karakoram Saltoro Mountains Siachen Glacier Bay of Bengal Gulf of Khambhat Gulf of Kutch Gulf of Mannar Trans - Karakoram Tract Wakhan Corridor Wakhjir Pass Lakshadweep Andaman and Nicobar Islands Andaman Islands Nicobar Islands Maldive Islands Alpide belt Southeast Mainland Indochina Malay Peninsula Maritime Peninsular Malaysia Sunda Islands Greater Sunda Islands Lesser Sunda Islands Indonesian Archipelago Timor New Guinea Bonis Peninsula Papuan Peninsula Huon Peninsula Huon Gulf Bird 's Head Peninsula Gazelle Peninsula Philippine Archipelago Luzon Visayas Mindanao Leyte Gulf Gulf of Thailand East Indies Nanyang Alpide belt Asia - Pacific Tropical Asia Ring of Fire Regions of Europe North Nordic Northwestern Scandinavia Scandinavian Peninsula Fennoscandia Baltoscandia Sápmi West Nordic Baltic Baltic Sea Gulf of Bothnia Gulf of Finland Iceland Faroe Islands East Danubian countries Prussia Galicia Sambia Peninsula Amber Coast Curonian Spit Izyum Trail Lithuania Minor Nemunas Delta Baltic Baltic Sea Vyborg Bay Lokhaniemi Southeastern Balkans Aegean Islands Gulf of Chania North Caucasus Greater Caucasus Kabardia European Russia Southern Russia Central Baltic Baltic Sea Alpine states Alpide belt Mitteleuropa Visegrád Group West Benelux Low Countries Northwest British Isles English Channel Channel Islands Cotentin Peninsula Normandy Brittany Gulf of Lion Iberia Al - Andalus Baetic System Pyrenees Alpide belt South Italian Peninsula Insular Italy Tuscan Archipelago Aegadian Islands Iberia Al - Andalus Baetic System Gibraltar Arc Southeastern Mediterranean Crimea Donbass Sloboda Ukraine Alpide belt Germanic Romance Celtic Slavic countries Uralic European Plain Eurasian Steppe Pontic -- Caspian steppe Wild Fields Pannonian Basin Great Hungarian Plain Little Hungarian Plain Eastern Slovak Lowland Volhynia Karelia East Karelia Karelian Isthmus Regions of Oceania Australasia Gulf of Carpentaria New Guinea Bonis Peninsula Papuan Peninsula Huon Peninsula Huon Gulf Bird 's Head Peninsula Gazelle Peninsula New Zealand South Island North Island Coromandel Peninsula Zealandia New Caledonia Solomon Islands ( archipelago ) Vanuatu Kula Gulf Australia Capital Country Eastern Australia Lake Eyre basin Murray -- Darling basin Northern Australia Nullarbor Plain Outback Southern Australia Maralinga Sunraysia Great Victoria Desert Gulf of Carpentaria Gulf St Vincent Lefevre Peninsula Fleurieu Peninsula Yorke Peninsula Eyre Peninsula Mornington Peninsula Bellarine Peninsula Mount Henry Peninsula Melanesia Islands Region Bismarck Archipelago Solomon Islands Archipelago Fiji New Caledonia Papua New Guinea Vanuatu Micronesia Caroline Islands Federated States of Micronesia Palau Guam Kiribati Marshall Islands Nauru Northern Mariana Islands Wake Island Polynesia Easter Island Hawaiian Islands Cook Islands French Polynesia Austral Islands Gambier Islands Marquesas Islands Society Islands Tuamotu Kermadec Islands Mangareva Islands Samoa Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Ring of Fire Polar regions Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula East Antarctica West Antarctica Eklund Islands Ecozone Extreme points Islands Arctic Arctic Alaska British Arctic Territories Canadian Arctic Archipelago Finnmark Greenland Northern Canada Northwest Territories Nunavik Nunavut Russian Arctic Sakha Sápmi Yukon North American Arctic Earth 's oceans and seas Arctic Ocean Amundsen Gulf Barents Sea Beaufort Sea Chukchi Sea East Siberian Sea Greenland Sea Gulf of Boothia Kara Sea Laptev Sea Lincoln Sea Prince Gustav Adolf Sea Pechora Sea Queen Victoria Sea Wandel Sea White Sea Atlantic Ocean Adriatic Sea Aegean Sea Alboran Sea Archipelago Sea Argentine Sea Baffin Bay Balearic Sea Baltic Sea Bay of Biscay Bay of Bothnia Bay of Campeche Bay of Fundy Black Sea Bothnian Sea Caribbean Sea Celtic Sea English Channel Foxe Basin Greenland Sea Gulf of Bothnia Gulf of Finland Gulf of Lion Gulf of Guinea Gulf of Maine Gulf of Mexico Gulf of Saint Lawrence Gulf of Sidra Gulf of Venezuela Hudson Bay Ionian Sea Irish Sea Irminger Sea James Bay Labrador Sea Levantine Sea Libyan Sea Ligurian Sea Marmara Sea Mediterranean Sea Myrtoan Sea North Sea Norwegian Sea Sargasso Sea Sea of Åland Sea of Azov Sea of Crete Sea of the Hebrides Thracian Sea Tyrrhenian Sea Wadden Sea Indian Ocean Andaman Sea Arabian Sea Bali Sea Bay of Bengal Flores Sea Great Australian Bight Gulf of Aden Gulf of Aqaba Gulf of Khambhat Gulf of Kutch Gulf of Oman Gulf of Suez Java Sea Laccadive Sea Mozambique Channel Persian Gulf Red Sea Timor Sea Pacific Ocean Arafura Sea Banda Sea Bering Sea Bismarck Sea Bohai Sea Bohol Sea Camotes Sea Celebes Sea Ceram Sea Chilean Sea Coral Sea East China Sea Gulf of Alaska Gulf of Anadyr Gulf of California Gulf of Carpentaria Gulf of Fonseca Gulf of Panama Gulf of Thailand Gulf of Tonkin Halmahera Sea Koro Sea Mar de Grau Molucca Sea Moro Gulf Philippine Sea Salish Sea Savu Sea Sea of Japan Sea of Okhotsk Seto Inland Sea Shantar Sea Sibuyan Sea Solomon Sea South China Sea Sulu Sea Tasman Sea Visayan Sea Yellow Sea Southern Ocean Amundsen Sea Bellingshausen Sea Cooperation Sea Cosmonauts Sea Davis Sea D'Urville Sea King Haakon VII Sea Lazarev Sea Mawson Sea Riiser - Larsen Sea Ross Sea Scotia Sea Somov Sea Weddell Sea Endorheic basins Aral Sea Caspian Sea Dead Sea Sea of Galilee Salton Sea Book Category Islands of the Caspian Sea Adsiz Ada Ashuradeh Baburi Baku Archipelago Batkachnyy Blinov Bolshiye Peshnyye Bolshoy Zyudostinskiy Bolshoy Setnoy Boyuk Zira Bulla Chechen Chikil Chilov Chistoy Banki Durneva Gil Kichik Zira Kura Island Kura Rock Malyy Zhemchuzhnyy Morskaya Chapura Morskoy Biryuchek Morskoy Ivan - Karaul Morskoy Setnoy Nizhniy Oseredok Nordovyy Nordvestinskiy Ogurja Ada / Ogurchinskiy Osushnoy Pillarahi Podvodnyye Qara Su Qum Sedmoy Sara Spirkin Oseredok Svinoy Tava Tyuleniy Archipelago Tyuleniy Ukatnyy Verkhny Oseredok Vulf Zenbil Zhanbay Zhestkiy Zyudev Earth 's oceans and seas Arctic Ocean Amundsen Gulf Barents Sea Beaufort Sea Chukchi Sea East Siberian Sea Greenland Sea Gulf of Boothia Kara Sea Laptev Sea Lincoln Sea Prince Gustav Adolf Sea Pechora Sea Queen Victoria Sea Wandel Sea White Sea Atlantic Ocean Adriatic Sea Aegean Sea Alboran Sea Archipelago Sea Argentine Sea Baffin Bay Balearic Sea Baltic Sea Bay of Biscay Bay of Bothnia Bay of Campeche Bay of Fundy Black Sea Bothnian Sea Caribbean Sea Celtic Sea English Channel Foxe Basin Greenland Sea Gulf of Bothnia Gulf of Finland Gulf of Lion Gulf of Guinea Gulf of Maine Gulf of Mexico Gulf of Saint Lawrence Gulf of Sidra Gulf of Venezuela Hudson Bay Ionian Sea Irish Sea Irminger Sea James Bay Labrador Sea Levantine Sea Libyan Sea Ligurian Sea Marmara Sea Mediterranean Sea Myrtoan Sea North Sea Norwegian Sea Sargasso Sea Sea of Åland Sea of Azov Sea of Crete Sea of the Hebrides Thracian Sea Tyrrhenian Sea Wadden Sea Indian Ocean Andaman Sea Arabian Sea Bali Sea Bay of Bengal Flores Sea Great Australian Bight Gulf of Aden Gulf of Aqaba Gulf of Khambhat Gulf of Kutch Gulf of Oman Gulf of Suez Java Sea Laccadive Sea Mozambique Channel Persian Gulf Red Sea Timor Sea Pacific Ocean Arafura Sea Banda Sea Bering Sea Bismarck Sea Bohai Sea Bohol Sea Camotes Sea Celebes Sea Ceram Sea Chilean Sea Coral Sea East China Sea Gulf of Alaska Gulf of Anadyr Gulf of California Gulf of Carpentaria Gulf of Fonseca Gulf of Panama Gulf of Thailand Gulf of Tonkin Halmahera Sea Koro Sea Mar de Grau Molucca Sea Moro Gulf Philippine Sea Salish Sea Savu Sea Sea of Japan Sea of Okhotsk Seto Inland Sea Shantar Sea Sibuyan Sea Solomon Sea South China Sea Sulu Sea Tasman Sea Visayan Sea Yellow Sea Southern Ocean Amundsen Sea Bellingshausen Sea Cooperation Sea Cosmonauts Sea Davis Sea D'Urville Sea King Haakon VII Sea Lazarev Sea Mawson Sea Riiser - Larsen Sea Ross Sea Scotia Sea Somov Sea Weddell Sea Endorheic basins Aral Sea Caspian Sea Dead Sea Sea of Galilee Salton Sea Book Category Lakes of Kazakhstan Caspian Sea Aike Alakol Aral North South Balkhash Barak Kol Bartogay Chagan Issyk Jasybay Kayindi Kopa Kamyslybas Markakol Sasykkol Siletiteniz Tengiz Zaysan Zerenda Zhasylkol Azerbaijan articles History Early Kura -- Araxes culture Khojaly -- Gadabay culture Shulaveri - Shomu culture Mughan culture Jar - Burial Culture Leyla - Tepe culture Mannaeans Medes Achaemenid Empire Atropatene Caucasian Albania Parthian Empire Arran ( Caucasus ) Sasanian Empire Shirvan Middle Ages Sajid dynasty Sallarid dynasty Rawwadids Shaddadids Shirvanshahs Kingdom of Syunik ( Siunia dynasty ) Eldiguzids Ilkhanate Principality of Khachen ( House of Dop, House of Hasan - Jalalyan ) Kara Koyunlu Ag Qoyunlu Safavid dynasty Afsharid dynasty Zand dynasty Qajar dynasty Russo - Persian War ( 1804 -- 13 ) Treaty of Gulistan Russo - Persian War ( 1826 -- 28 ) Treaty of Turkmenchay Modern Armenian -- Tatar massacres March Days Armenian -- Azerbaijani War Azerbaijan Democratic Republic Soviet Azerbaijan Nagorno - Karabakh War Black January Independent Azerbaijan By topic History of the name Azerbaijan The Land of Fire Geography Bodies of water Caspian Sea Climate Earthquakes Environment issues Extreme points Fauna Flora Geology Mountains National parks Orography Protected areas State reserves Wildlife more... Subdivisions Administrative divisions Borders Cities World Heritage Sites more... Politics Government Cabinet Constitution Elections Foreign relations European Union Human rights LGBT Law enforcement Ministry of National Security National Assembly Political parties Politics President Prime Minister Military History Air and Air Defence Force Caspian Guard Internal Troops Land Forces National Guard Navy Peacekeeping forces State Border Service Gabala Radar Station Ministry of Defense Ministry of Defence Industry more... Economy Agriculture Central Bank Companies Energy Manat ( currency ) Mineral industry Petroleum industry Telecommunications Tourism Transport more... Culture Architecture Art Cinema Cuisine Dances Dress Folklore Language Literature Media Music Ashiq Meykhana Mugham Novruz ( New Year ) Public holidays Rugs Sport Theatre more... Demographics Education Ethnic minorities Health Languages LGBT history People list more... Religion Freedom of religion Bahá'í Christianity Hinduism Islam Judaism Zoroastrianism more... Symbols Flag National anthem National emblem Outline Index Book Category Portal Russia articles History Timeline Proto - Indo - Europeans Scythians East Slavs Rus ' Khaganate Kievan Rus ' Novgorod Republic Vladimir - Suzdal Grand Duchy of Moscow Tsardom of Russia Russian Empire Russian Republic Russian SFSR Soviet Union Russian Federation By topic Economy Military Journalism ‎ Postal Geography Subdivisions Borders Earthquakes Geology European Russia Caucasus Mountains North Caucasus Caspian Sea Ural Mountains West Siberian Plain Siberia Russian Far East North Asia Extreme points Cities and towns Islands Lakes Rivers Volcanoes Climate Politics Conscription Constitution Elections Federal budget Foreign relations Freedom of assembly Freedom of press Media Government Human rights Judiciary Law Citizenship Civil Service Law enforcement ( Prisons ) Liberalism Military Opposition Political parties President of Russia Economy Agriculture Aircraft industry Car industry Banking Central Bank Corruption Defence industry Economic regions Energy Fishing industry Forestry Gambling Mining Petroleum industry Russian ruble Russian oligarchs Space industry Shipbuilding Trade unions Taxation Tourism Transport Telecommunications Waste Society Demographics Citizens Abortion Alcoholism Crime Education Healthcare Ethnic groups Languages LGBT Immigration Illegal Prostitution Racism Religion Suicide Water supply and sanitation Women Culture Architecture Art Literature Ballet Cinema Graffiti Inventions Media Music Public holidays Opera Language Cuisine Martial arts Folklore Television Internet National anthem Coat of arms National flag Sports Outline Book Category Portal Soviet Union topics History Index of Soviet Union - related articles Russian Revolution February October Russian Civil War Russian SFSR USSR creation treaty New Economic Policy Stalinism Great Purge Great Patriotic War ( World War II ) Cold War Khrushchev Thaw 1965 reform Stagnation Perestroika Glasnost Revolutions of 1989 Dissolution Nostalgia Post-Soviet states Geography Subdivisions Republics autonomous Oblasts autonomous Autonomous okrugs Closed cities list Regions Caspian Sea Caucasus Mountains European Russia North Caucasus Siberia Ural Mountains West Siberian Plain Politics General Constitution Elections Foreign relations Brezhnev Doctrine Government list Human rights LGBT Law Leaders Collective leadership Passport system State ideology Marxism -- Leninism Leninism Stalinism Bodies Communist Party organisation Central Committee Politburo Secretariat Congress General Secretary Congress of Soviets ( 1922 -- 1936 ) Supreme Soviet ( 1938 -- 1991 ) Congress of People 's Deputies ( 1989 -- 1991 ) Supreme Court Offices Premier President Deputy Premier First Deputy Premier Security services Cheka GPU NKVD MVD MGB KGB Political repression Red Terror Collectivization Great Purge Population transfer Gulag list Holodomor Political abuse of psychiatry Ideological repression Religion Suppressed research Censorship Censorship of images Economy Agriculture Central Bank Energy policy Five - Year Plans Net material product Inventions Ruble ( currency ) Internet domain Transport Science Communist Academy Academy of Sciences Academy of Medical Sciences Lenin All - Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences Sharashkas Naukograds list Society Crime Demographics Soviet people working class 1989 census Languages Linguistics LGBT Culture Ballet Cinema Fashion Literature Music opera Propaganda Sports Stalinist architecture Opposition Soviet dissidents and their groups list Anthem republics Emblem republics Flag republics Templates Departments Russian Revolution 1917 Joseph Stalin Stagnation Era Fall of Communism Book Category Commons Portal WikiProject VIAF : 235067119 GND : 4110033 - 5 SUDOC : 028231511 BNF : cb15322350n ( data ) NDL : 01135352 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caspian_Sea&oldid=795407225 '' Categories : Caspian Sea Endorheic lakes of Asia International lakes of Asia International lakes of Europe Saline lakes Landforms of Central Asia Landforms of Western Asia Geography of Central Asia Geography of Western Asia Lakes of Azerbaijan Lakes of Iran Lakes of Kazakhstan Lakes of Turkmenistan Geography of Southern Russia Lakes of Astrakhan Oblast Lakes of Dagestan Lakes of Kalmykia Disputed territories in Asia Border tripoints Azerbaijan -- Iran border Iran -- Turkmenistan border Kazakhstan -- Turkmenistan border Kazakhstan -- Russia border Azerbaijan -- Russia border Iran -- Soviet Union relations Lowest points Hidden categories : CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list Webarchive template wayback links All articles with failed verification Articles with failed verification from September 2015 Wikipedia pages move - protected due to vandalism Use British English Oxford spelling from September 2016 Coordinates on Wikidata Articles containing Persian - language text Articles containing Turkmen - language text Articles containing Azerbaijani - language text Articles containing Turkish - language text Articles containing Kazakh - language text Articles containing Russian - language text All articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases Articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases from May 2011 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from September 2010 Articles with unsourced statements from April 2017 Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2000 All articles containing potentially dated statements Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikinews Languages Адыгэбзэ Afrikaans Alemannisch አማርኛ Ænglisc Aragonés ܐܪܡܝܐ Armãneashti অসমীয়া Asturianu Avañe'ẽ Авар Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه বাংলা Bân - lâm - gú Башҡортса Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ भोजपुरी Български Boarisch Bosanski Brezhoneg Буряад Català Чӑвашла Čeština Corsu Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Dolnoserbski Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Estremeñu Euskara فارسی Fiji Hindi Føroyskt Français Frysk Gaeilge Gaelg Gàidhlig Galego 贛 語 گیلکی ગુજરાતી 客家 語 / Hak - kâ - ngî 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hornjoserbsce Hrvatski Ido Ilokano Bahasa Indonesia Interlingua Ирон Íslenska Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ಕನ್ನಡ ქართული Kaszëbsczi Қазақша Kernowek Kiswahili Kurdî Кыргызча Лакку Лезги Latina Latviešu Lëtzebuergesch Lietuvių Limburgs Lingála Livvinkarjala Lumbaart Magyar मैथिली Македонски മലയാളം मराठी მარგალური مصرى مازِرونی Bahasa Melayu Baso Minangkabau Mirandés Монгол မြန်မာဘာသာ Nāhuatl Nederlands Nedersaksies नेपाली नेपाल भाषा 日本 語 Нохчийн Norsk Norsk nynorsk Occitan Олык марий ଓଡ଼ିଆ Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча ਪੰਜਾਬੀ پنجابی Patois ភាសា ខ្មែរ Piemontèis Plattdüütsch Polski Português Qaraqalpaqsha Română Rumantsch Runa Simi Русиньскый Русский Саха тыла Scots Seeltersk Shqip Sicilianu Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Ślůnski Soomaaliga کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Basa Sunda Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் Tarandíne Татарча / tatarça తెలుగు ไทย Тоҷикӣ Türkçe Türkmençe Українська اردو Vèneto Vepsän kel ' Tiếng Việt Winaray 吴语 ייִדיש 粵語 Zazaki Zeêuws Žemaitėška 中文 Kabɩyɛ Edit links This page was last edited on 14 August 2017, at 01 : 30. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: is the caspian sea a lake or a sea
Answer: variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea