Location of the Caspian Sea. Rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea: list, description, characteristics
I was resting somehow in the camp. It's no secret that almost every day competitions are held there to entertain children and youth. So here it is. Was with us quiz. Question: “Which lake is the largest?” One guy of about fifteen was the first to raise his hand and answer: “Baikal.” The strangest thing was that his answer was counted as correct! How so? Isn't the Caspian Sea the most big lake? Now I will explain to you.
How to distinguish a sea from a lake
I'll list several signs by which a body of water is identified as a sea.
1. Rivers can flow into the sea.
2. The outer sea has direct access to the ocean.
3. If the sea is internal, then it is connected by straits with other seas or directly with the ocean.
Does the Caspian Sea fit sea parameters?
Need to check does the Caspian Sea have signs of a sea. into it really rivers flow in, but they flow into many bodies of water: seas, lakes, oceans, and other rivers. The Caspian Sea is surrounded from all sides by land. Is this really inland sea? Then it must connect with Black or Seas of Azov somehow strait. Strait Same No. Exactly due to the lack of access to the World Ocean, the Caspian Sea is considered a lake.
“But why was it called the sea then, if it is a lake?”- you ask. Answer very simple: because of his large size and salinity. In fact, The Caspian Sea is several times larger than the Azov Sea and almost equal in size to the Baltic Sea.
Great! The problem with the quiz has been resolved. Judge to hell!!!
Well then, I told, that the Caspian Sea In fact - lake. Now I want to you provide small selection interesting facts about this lake.
1. The Caspian Sea is below sea level (-28 m), which once again proves that this is a lake.
2. BC near the lake area lived nomadic Caspian tribes,in honor of which he was nicknamed Caspian.
3. This the deepest enclosed body of water on the planet.
4. Many people think that the name of the group “Caspian Cargo” is related to the Caspian Sea. In some ways they are right ( No). In fact the expression “Caspian cargo” can mean any illegal cargo.
5.Caspian Sea Fine suitable for tourism. During the USSR it was built here large number sanatoriums. Today same here you can see many hotels, water parks and beaches.
The territory of Russia is washed by twelve seas belonging to the basins three oceans. But one of these seas - the Caspian - is often called a lake, which sometimes confuses people who have little understanding of geography.
Meanwhile, it is really more correct to call the Caspian a lake rather than a sea. Why? Let's figure it out.
A little geography. Where is the Caspian Sea located?
Occupying an area that exceeds 370,000 square kilometers, the Caspian Sea stretches from north to south, dividing the spaces of Europe and Asia with its water surface. His coastline belongs to five different countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran. Geographers conventionally divide its water area into three parts: the Northern (25% of the area), the Middle (36% of the area) and the Southern Caspian (39% of the area), which differ in climate, geological conditions and natural features. The coastline is predominantly flat, indented by river channels, covered with vegetation, and in the northern part, where the Volga flows into the Caspian Sea, it is also swampy.
The Caspian Sea has about 50 large and small islands, about one and a half dozen bays and six large peninsulas. In addition to the Volga, approximately 130 rivers flow into it, and nine rivers form fairly wide and branched deltas. The annual drainage of the Volga is about 120 cubic kilometers. Together with other large rivers - Terek, Ural, Emba and Sulak - this accounts for up to 90% of the total annual flow into the Caspian Sea.
Why is the Caspian called a lake?
The main feature of any sea is the presence of straits connecting it to the ocean. The Caspian Sea is a closed or drainless body of water that receives river water, but is not connected to any ocean. 
Its water contains a very small amount of salt compared to other seas (about 0.05%) and is considered slightly salty. Due to the absence of at least one strait connecting to the ocean, the Caspian Sea is often called the largest lake in the world, since the lake is a completely enclosed body of water that is fed only by river water.
The waters of the Caspian Sea are not subject to international maritime laws, and its waters are divided between all countries that are adjacent to it, in proportion to the coastline.
Why is the Caspian called a sea?
Despite all of the above, most often in geography, as well as in international and internal documents, the name “Caspian Sea” is used, and not “ Caspian lake" First of all, this is explained by the size of the reservoir, which is much more characteristic of the sea than of the lake. Even, which is much smaller in area than the Caspian Sea, local residents often called the sea. There are no other lakes in the world whose shores belong simultaneously to five different countries.
In addition, you should pay attention to the structure of the bottom, which near the Caspian Sea has a pronounced oceanic type. Once upon a time, the Caspian Sea most likely connected with the Mediterranean, but tectonic processes and drying out separated it from the World Ocean. There are more than fifty islands in the Caspian Sea, and the area of some of them is quite large, even by international standards they are considered large. All this allows us to call the Caspian a sea, and not a lake.
Origin of the name
Why is this sea (or lake) called the Caspian? The origin of any name is often associated with ancient history terrain. Different peoples who lived on the shores of the Caspian called it differently. More than seventy names of this reservoir have been preserved in history - it was called the Hyrcanian, Derbent, Sarai Sea, etc. 
Iranians and Azerbaijanis still call it the Khazar Sea. It began to be called Caspian after the name of the ancient tribe of nomadic horse breeders who lived in the steppes adjacent to its coast - the numerous Caspian tribe. They gave it its name large lake on our planet - the Caspian Sea.
Caspian Sea- the largest lake on Earth, located at the junction of Europe and Asia, called the sea because of its size. Caspian Sea is a closed lake, and the water in it is salty, from 0.05% near the mouth of the Volga to 11-13% in the southeast.
The water level is subject to fluctuations, currently approximately 28 m below sea level.
Square Caspian Sea currently - approximately 371,000 km2, maximum depth - 1025 m.
Length of coastline Caspian Sea is estimated at approximately 6,500 - 6,700 kilometers, with islands - up to 7,000 kilometers. Shores Caspian Sea Most of its territory is low-lying and smooth. In the northern part, the coastline is indented by water channels and islands of the Volga and Ural deltas, the banks are low and swampy, and the water surface in many places is covered with thickets. On east coast Limestone coasts predominate, adjacent to semi-deserts and deserts. The most winding shores are on the western coast in the area of the Absheron Peninsula and on the eastern coast in the area of the Kazakh Gulf and Kara-Bogaz-Gol.
IN Caspian Sea 130 rivers flow in, of which 9 rivers have a delta-shaped mouth. Large rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea are the Volga, Terek (Russia), Ural, Emba (Kazakhstan), Kura (Azerbaijan), Samur (Russian border with Azerbaijan), Atrek (Turkmenistan) and others.
Map of the Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea washes the shores of five coastal states:
Russia (Dagestan, Kalmykia and Astrakhan region) - in the west and northwest, the length of the coastline is 695 kilometers
Kazakhstan - in the north, northeast and east, the length of the coastline is 2320 kilometers
Turkmenistan - in the southeast, the length of the coastline is 1200 kilometers
Iran - in the south, coastline length - 724 kilometers
Azerbaijan - in the southwest, the length of the coastline is 955 kilometers
Water temperature
is subject to significant latitudinal changes, most clearly expressed in winter, when the temperature varies from 0 - 0.5 °C at the ice edge in the north of the sea to 10 - 11 °C in the south, that is, the difference in water temperature is about 10 °C. For shallow water areas with depths less than 25 m, the annual amplitude can reach 25 - 26 °C. On average the water temperature is west coast 1 - 2 °C higher than in the east, and in the open sea the water temperature is 2 - 4 °C higher than near the coasts.
Climate of the Caspian Sea- continental in the northern part, temperate in the middle part and subtropical in the southern part. In winter average monthly temperature The Caspian Sea varies from?8 ?10 in the northern part to +8 - +10 in the southern part, in summer period- from +24 - +25 in the northern part to +26 - +27 in the southern part. The maximum temperature recorded on the east coast was 44 degrees.
Animal world
The fauna of the Caspian Sea is represented by 1809 species, of which 415 are vertebrates. IN Caspian Sea 101 species of fish are registered, it also contains the majority of the world's sturgeon stocks, as well as such freshwater fish, like roach, carp, pike perch. Caspian Sea- habitat for fish such as carp, mullet, sprat, kutum, bream, salmon, perch, pike. IN Caspian Sea also inhabited by a marine mammal - the Caspian seal.
Flora
Flora Caspian Sea and its coastline is represented by 728 species. From plants to Caspian Sea The predominant algae are blue-green, diatoms, red, brown, characeae and others, and flowering algae include zoster and ruppia. In origin, the flora belongs mainly to the Neogene age, however, some plants were brought in Caspian Sea by a person knowingly or on the bottoms of ships.
Oil and gas production
IN Caspian Sea Many oil and gas fields are being developed. Proven oil resources in Caspian Sea are about 10 billion tons, the total resources of oil and gas condensate are estimated at 18 - 20 billion tons.
Oil production in Caspian Sea began in 1820, when the first oil well was drilled on the Absheron shelf. In the second half of the 19th century, oil production began on an industrial scale on the Absheron Peninsula, and then in other territories.
In addition to oil and gas production, on the coast Caspian Sea Salt, limestone, stone, sand, and clay are also mined on the Caspian shelf.
Environmental issues
Environmental issues Caspian Sea associated with water pollution as a result of oil production and transportation on the continental shelf, the flow of pollutants from the Volga and other rivers flowing into Caspian Sea, the life activity of coastal cities, as well as the flooding of individual objects due to rising levels Caspian Sea. Predatory production of sturgeon and their caviar, rampant poaching lead to a decrease in the number of sturgeon and to forced restrictions on their production and export.
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on planet Earth, located on the continent of Eurasia - in the border territory of the states of Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan. In fact, it is a giant lake left after the disappearance of the ancient Tethys Ocean. Nevertheless, there is every reason to consider it as an independent sea (this is indicated by its salinity, large area and considerable depth, a bottom made of oceanic crust and other signs). In terms of maximum depth, it is the third among closed reservoirs - after lakes Baikal and Tanganyika. In the northern part of the Caspian Sea (several kilometers from the northern shore - parallel to it) there is a geographical border between Europe and Asia.
Toponymy
- Other names: Throughout the history of mankind, the Caspian Sea has had about 70 different names among different peoples. The most famous of them: Khvalynskoe or Khvalisskoe (took place during the times of Ancient Rus', arose from the name of the people praises, who lived in the Northern Caspian region and traded with the Russians), Hyrcanian or Djurdzhanian (descended from alternative names the city of Gorgan, located in Iran), Khazarskoye, Abeskunskoye (after the name of the island and city in the Kura delta - now flooded), Saraiskoye, Derbentskoye, Sikhay.
- Origin of the name: According to one hypothesis, the Caspian Sea received its modern and most ancient name from a tribe of nomadic horse breeders Caspian Sea who lived in 1st millennium BC on the southwest coast.
Morphometry
- Catchment area: 3,626,000 km².
- Mirror area: 371,000 km².
- Coastline length: 7,000 km.
- Volume: 78,200 km³.
- Average depth: 208 m.
- Maximum depth: 1,025 m.
Hydrology
- Availability of permanent flow: no, drainless.
- Tributaries:, Ural, Emba, Atrek, Gorgan, Kheraz, Sefidrud, Astarchay, Kura, Pirsagat, Kusarchay, Samur, Rubas, Darvagchay, Ulluchay, Shuraozen, Sulak, Terek, Kuma.
- Bottom: very diverse. Common at shallow depths sandy soil with an admixture of shells, in deep-sea places - silty. In the coastal strip there may be pebbly and rocky places (especially where mountain ranges adjoin the sea). In the estuarine areas, the underwater soil consists of river sediments. The Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay is notable for the fact that its bottom is a thick layer of mineral salts.
Chemical composition
- Water: salty.
- Salinity: 13 g/l.
- Transparency: 15 m.
Geography
Rice. 1. Map of the Caspian Sea basin.
- Coordinates: 41°59′02″ n. latitude, 51°03′52″ e. d.
- Altitude:-28 m.
- Coastal landscape: Due to the fact that the coastline of the Caspian Sea is very long, and it itself is located in different geographical zones, the coastal landscape is diverse. In the northern part of the reservoir, the banks are low, swampy, and in the deltas of large rivers, they are cut by numerous channels. The eastern shores are mostly limestone - desert or semi-desert. Western and southern shore adjacent to mountain ranges. The greatest ruggedness of the coastline is observed in the west, in the area of the Absheron Peninsula, and also in the east, in the area of the Kazakh and Kara-Bogaz-Gol bays.
- Settlements on the banks:
- Russia: Astrakhan, Derbent, Kaspiysk, Makhachkala, Olya.
- Kazakhstan: Aktau, Atyrau, Kuryk, Sogandyk, Bautino.
- Turkmenistan: Ekerem, Karabogaz, Turkmenbashi, Khazar.
- Iran: Astara, Balboser, Bender-Torkemen, Bender-Anzeli, Neka, Chalus.
- Azerbaijan: Alyat, Astara, Baku, Dubendi, Lankaran, Sangachali, Sumgayit.
Interactive map
Ecology
The ecological situation in the Caspian Sea is far from ideal. Almost all large rivers flowing into it are polluted by wastewater from industrial enterprises located upstream. This could not but affect the presence of pollutants in the waters and bottom sediments of the Caspian Sea - over the past half century, their concentration has increased markedly, and the content of some heavy metals has already exceeded permissible standards.
In addition, the waters of the Caspian Sea are constantly polluted by domestic wastewater from coastal cities, as well as during oil production on the continental shelf, and during its transportation.
Fishing on the Caspian Sea
- Types of fish:
- Artificial settlement: not all of the above fish species in the Caspian Sea are native. About 4 dozen species arrived by accident (for example, through canals from the basins of the Black and Baltic Seas), or were intentionally populated by humans. As an example, it is worth citing mullets. Three Black Sea species of these fish - mullet, sharpnose and singil - were released in the first half of the 20th century. The mullet did not take root, but the sharpnose and the singil successfully acclimatized, and by now have settled virtually throughout the entire Caspian waters, forming several commercial herds. At the same time, the fish fatten up faster than in the Black Sea and reach larger sizes. In the second half of the last century (starting from 1962), attempts were also made to introduce such Far Eastern salmon fish as pink salmon and chum salmon into the Caspian Sea. In total, several billion fry of these fish were released into the sea over the course of 5 years. Pink salmon did not survive in the new habitat, chum salmon, on the contrary, successfully took root and even began to enter the rivers flowing into the sea to spawn. However, it was unable to reproduce in sufficient quantities and gradually disappeared. There are still no favorable conditions for its full natural reproduction (there are very few places where spawning and development of fry could successfully occur). To provide them, river reclamation is necessary, otherwise, without human help (artificial collection of eggs and their incubation), the fish will not be able to maintain their numbers.
Fishing spots
In fact, fishing is possible anywhere on the Caspian Sea coast, which can be reached by land or water. What types of fish will be caught depends on local conditions, but to a greater extent on whether the rivers flow here. As a rule, in places where estuaries and deltas are located (especially large watercourses), the water in the sea is greatly desalinated, so freshwater fish (carp, catfish, bream, etc.) usually predominate in the catches; species characteristic of the flowing rivers may also be found. rivers (usachi, shemaya). Of the marine species in desalinated areas, those for which salinity does not matter (mullet, some gobies) are caught. At certain periods of the year, semi-anadromous and anadromous species can be found here, feeding in the sea and entering rivers to spawn (sturgeon, some herrings, Caspian salmon). In places where there are no flowing rivers, freshwater species are found in slightly smaller numbers, but marine fish also appear, usually avoiding desalinated areas (for example, sea pike perch). Far from the coast, fish are caught that prefer salt water, and deep-sea species.
Conventionally, we can distinguish 9 places or areas that are interesting in terms of fishing:
- North Shore (RF)- this site is located on the northern coast of the Russian Federation (from the Volga delta to the Kizlyar Bay). Its main features are low salinity of water (the lowest in the Caspian Sea), shallow depth, the presence of multiple shoals, islands, and highly developed aquatic vegetation. In addition to the Volga delta with its numerous channels, bays and eriks, it also includes the estuary coastal area, called the Caspian Peaks. These places are popular among Russian fishermen, and for good reason: the conditions for fish here are very favorable, and there is also a good food supply. The ichthyofauna in these parts may not shine with a wealth of species, but it is distinguished by its abundance, and some of its representatives reach quite considerable sizes. Typically, the bulk of the catches are freshwater fish typical of the Volga basin. Most often caught: perch, pike perch, roach (more precisely, its varieties called roach and ram), rudd, asp, sabrefish, bream, silver carp, carp, catfish, pike. Somewhat less common are black bream, silver bream, white-eye, and bluegill. Representatives of sturgeons (sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, beluga, etc.) and salmonids (nelma, brown trout - Caspian salmon) are also found in these places, but their fishing is prohibited.
- Northwestern coast (RF)- this area covers the west coast Russian Federation(from Kizlyar Bay to Makhachkala). The rivers Kuma, Terek and Sulak flow here - they carry their waters both through natural channels and artificial canals. There are bays in this area, some of which are quite large (Kizlyarsky, Agrakhansky). The sea in these places is shallow. Freshwater fish predominate in the catches: pike, perch, carp, catfish, rudd, bream, barbel, etc., and marine species are also caught here, for example, herring (blackback, bellyfish).
- West Bank (RF)- from Makhachkala to the border of the Russian Federation with Azerbaijan. An area where mountain ranges adjoin the sea. The salinity of the water here is slightly higher than in previous places, so marine species are more common in fishermen's catches (sea pike perch, mullet, herring). However, freshwater fish are by no means rare.
- West Bank (Azerbaijan)- from the border of the Russian Federation with Azerbaijan along the Absheron Peninsula. Continuation of the area where mountain ranges adjoin the sea. Fishing here is even more similar to typical offshore fishing, with fish such as razorback and mullet and several species of gobies also caught here. In addition to them, there are kutum, herring, and some typically freshwater species, for example, carp.
- Southwestern coast (Azerbaijan)- from the Absheron Peninsula to the border of Azerbaijan with Iran. Most of this area is occupied by the Kura River delta. The same types of fish that were listed in the previous paragraph are caught here, but freshwater ones are somewhat more common.
- Northern coast (Kazakhstan)- this section covers the northern coast of Kazakhstan. The Ural delta and the Akzhaiyk state reserve are located here, so fishing directly in the river delta and in some adjacent water areas is prohibited. Fishing can only be done outside the reserve - upstream from the delta, or in the sea - at some distance from it. Fishing near the Ural delta has much in common with fishing at the confluence of the Volga - almost the same species of fish are found here.
- Northeast coast (Kazakhstan)- from the mouth of the Emba to Cape Tyub-Karagan. Unlike the northern part of the sea, where the water is greatly diluted by large rivers flowing in, its salinity here is slightly increased, so those species of fish appear that avoid desalinated areas, for example, sea pike perch, which is fished in Dead Kultuk Bay. Also, other representatives of marine fauna are often found in the catches.
- Eastern coast (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan)- from Cape Tyub-Karagan to the border of Turkmenistan and Iran. It is distinguished by the almost complete absence of flowing rivers. The salinity of the water here is at its maximum. Of the fish in these places, marine species predominate; the bulk of the catches are mullet, sea pike perch and gobies.
- South Bank (Iran)- covers the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. Along the entire length of this section, the sea is adjacent to mountain range Elborz. Many rivers flow here, most of which are small streams, there are also several medium-sized and one large river. Of the fish, in addition to marine species, there are also some freshwater, as well as semi-anadromous and anadromous species, for example, sturgeon.
Fishing Features
The most popular and catchy amateur gear used on the Caspian coast is a heavy spinning rod, converted into a “sea bottom”. It is usually equipped with a durable reel on which a fairly thick fishing line (0.3 mm or more) is wound. The thickness of the fishing line is determined not so much by the size of the fish, but by the mass of a fairly heavy sinker, which is necessary for ultra-long casting (in the Caspian Sea it is widely believed that the farther from the shore the casting point is, the better). After the sinker comes a thinner line - with several leashes. The bait used is shrimp and amphipods that live in coastal algae thickets - if you plan to catch sea fish, or ordinary bait like a worm, chafer larvae and others - if there are freshwater species in the fishing area.
At the mouths of inflowing rivers, other gear can be used, such as a float rod, feeder and traditional spinning rod.
kasparova2 majorov2006 g2gg2g-61 .
Photo 8. Sunset in Aktau.
The Caspian Sea is the largest endorheic lake on Earth, located at the junction of Europe and Asia, called a sea due to the fact that its bed is composed of oceanic-type crust. The Caspian Sea is an endorheic lake, and the water in it is salty, from 0.05 ‰ near the mouth of the Volga to 11-13 ‰ in the southeast. The water level is subject to fluctuations, according to 2009 data it was 27.16 m below sea level. The Caspian Sea is located at the junction of two parts of the Eurasian continent - Europe and Asia. The length of the Caspian Sea from north to south is approximately 1200 kilometers, from west to east - from 195 to 435 kilometers, on average 310-320 kilometers. The Caspian Sea is conventionally divided according to physical and geographical conditions into 3 parts - the Northern Caspian, the Middle Caspian and the Southern Caspian. The conditional border between the Northern and Middle Caspian runs along the line of the island. Chechen - Cape Tyub-Karagansky, between the Middle and Southern Caspian Sea - along the line of the island. Residential - Cape Gan-Gulu. The area of the Northern, Middle and Southern Caspian Sea is 25, 36, 39 percent, respectively.
The length of the coastline of the Caspian Sea is estimated at approximately 6500-6700 kilometers, with islands - up to 7000 kilometers. The shores of the Caspian Sea in most of its territory are low-lying and smooth. In the northern part, the coastline is indented by water channels and islands of the Volga and Ural deltas, the banks are low and swampy, and the water surface in many places is covered with thickets. The east coast is dominated by limestone shores adjacent to semi-deserts and deserts. The most winding shores are on the western coast in the area of the Absheron Peninsula and on the eastern coast in the area of the Kazakh Gulf and Kara-Bogaz-Gol. The territory adjacent to the Caspian Sea is called the Caspian region.
