page_title: Caspian Sea
hierarchical_section_title: Caspian Sea
caption_attribution_description: العربية: منظرٌ من مدار الأرض لِبحر قزوين. التعليق الأصلي: كما أوردته وكالة الناسا:&#160;::"القسم الشمالي من بحر قزوين يُعاني من ظاهرةٍ تُعرف باسم التخثث أو إغناء الماء، وهي تلك الحالة التي تتسببُ فيها الأسمدة الزراعيَّة المُنسابة من خِلال مياه الري والأمطار بِنُمو الطحالب في المياه. يُؤدي نُفوق وتحلُّل تلك الطحالب إلى حرمان المياه من الأكسجين، ممَّا يُؤدي بِدوره إلى الإضرار بِالحياة البريَّة بِطبيعة الحال. هذه الصُورة لِبحر قزوين تُظهرُ بعض الدوَّامات الخضراء والزرقاء على مقرُبةٍ من مصب نهر الڤولغا (أعلى الوسط)، ممَّا يدُل على وُجود كميَّةٍ من الطحالب. اللون الأزرق اللامع في القسم الشمالي الشرقي من البحر قد يكون تولَّد نتيجة اختلاط بعض النباتات بِالترسُبات، نظرًا لِأنَّ هذا الموقع هو أكثر المناطق ضُحولةً في البحر. English: This is a view from orbit of the Caspian Sea as imaged by the MODIS sensor on the Terra satellite. Caption: The original caption from NASA:&#160;::"The northern part of the Caspian Sea is plagued by a process called eutrophication, in which agricultural run-off rich in fertilizers stimulates rampant growth of algae in the water. The death and decay of these algae robs the water of oxygen, with obvious negative consequences for aquatic life. This image of the Caspian Sea shows swirls of green and blue near the mouth of the Volga River (top center), which indicate the presence of algae. The bright blue color of the northeastern part of the sea may be due to a mixture of plant life and sediment, for this is where the sea is most shallow. This image is from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite on June 11, 2003. Español: El Mar Caspio visto desde la órbita terrestre فارسی: تصویر ماهواره‌ای از دریای خزر‏ Тоҷикӣ: Тасвири Баҳр Каспӣ аз осмон
context_page_description: The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. It is an endorheic basin located between Europe and Asia, to the east of the Caucasus Mountains and to the west of the broad steppe of Central Asia. The sea has a surface area of 371,000 km² and a volume of 78,200 km³. It has a salinity of approximately 1.2%, about a third of the salinity of most seawater. 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 is home to a wide range of species and may be best known for its caviar and oil industries. Pollution from the oil industry and dams on rivers draining into the Caspian Sea have had negative effects on the organisms living in the sea.
  The wide and endorheic Caspian Sea has a north–south orientation and its main freshwater inflow, the Volga River, enters at the shallow north end. Two deep basins occupy its central and southern areas. These lead to horizontal differences in temperature, salinity, and ecology.
context_section_description: The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. It is an endorheic basin (a basin without outflows) located between Europe and Asia, to the east of the Caucasus Mountains and to the west of the broad steppe of Central Asia. The sea has a surface area of 371,000 km² (143,200 sq mi) (excluding the detached lagoon of Garabogazköl) and a volume of 78,200 km³ (18,800 cu mi). It has a salinity of approximately 1.2% (12 g/l), about a third of the salinity of most seawater.  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 is home to a wide range of species and may be best known for its caviar and oil industries. Pollution from the oil industry and dams on rivers draining into the Caspian Sea have had negative effects on the organisms living in the sea.
  The wide and endorheic Caspian Sea has a north–south orientation and its main freshwater inflow, the Volga River, enters at the shallow north end. Two deep basins occupy its central and southern areas. These lead to horizontal differences in temperature, salinity, and ecology. The Caspian Sea spreads out over nearly 1,200 kilometres (750 mi) from north to south, with an average width of 320 km (200 mi). It covers a region of around 386,400 km² (149,200 sq mi) and its surface is about 27 m (89 ft) below sea level. The sea bed in the southern part reaches as low as 1,023 m (3,356 ft) below sea level, which is the second lowest natural depression on Earth after Lake Baikal (−1,180 m or −3,870 ft). The ancient inhabitants of its coast perceived the Caspian Sea as an ocean, probably because of its saltiness and large size.
caption: The Caspian Sea as taken by the MODIS on the orbiting Terra satellite, June 2003
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