The Caspian Sea is called the most big lake on our planet. It is located between Europe and Asia and is called the sea for its size.

Caspian Sea

The water level is below the level of 28m. The water in the Caspian Sea has less salinity in the north in the delta. The highest salinity is observed in the southern regions.

The Caspian Sea covers an area of ​​371 thousand km2, the greatest depth is 1025 meters (South Caspian depression). Coastline estimated from 6500 to 6700 km, and if you take it together with the islands, then more than 7000 km.

The seashore is mostly low-lying and smooth. If you look northern part, then there are many islands, water channels, indented by the Volga and the Urals. In these places, the coast is swampy and covered with thickets. From the east, semi-desert and desert terrain with limestone shores approaches the sea. The area of ​​the Kazakh Bay, the Absheron Peninsula and the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay have winding shores.

Bottom relief

The bottom relief is divided into three main forms. Shelf in the northern part, average depth here from 4 to 9 m, the maximum is 24 m, which gradually increases and reaches 100 m. The continental slope in the middle part drops to 500 m. The Mangyshlak threshold separates the northern part from the middle part. Here one of the deepest places is the Derbent depression (788 m).

2. Heraz, Babol, Sefudrud, Gorgan, Polerud, Chalus, Tejen - https://site/russia/travel/po-dagestanu.html;

4. Atrek - Turkmenistan;

Samur is located on the border between Azerbaijan and Russia, Astarachay is on the border of Azerbaijan and Iran.

The Caspian Sea belongs to five states. From the west and northwest, the length of the coast of 695 km is the territory of Russia. Most of the coastline with a length of 2320 km belongs to Kazakhstan in the east and northeast. Turkmenistan has 1,200 km in the southeast, Iran has 724 km in the south, and Azerbaijan has 955 km of coastline in the southwest.

In addition to the five states that have access to the sea, the Caspian basin also includes Armenia, Turkey, and Georgia. The Volga (Volga-Baltic Way, White Sea-Baltic Canal) connects the sea with the World Ocean. There is a connection with the Azov and Black Seas through the Volga-Don Canal, with the Moscow River (the Moscow Canal).

The main ports are Baku in Azerbaijan; Makhachkala in ; Aktau in Kazakhstan; Olya in Russia; Nowshahr, Bander-Torkemen and Anzeli in Iran.

The largest bays of the Caspian Sea: Agrakhan, Kizlyar, Kaydak, Kazakh, Dead Kultuk, Mangyshlak, Hasan-kuli, Turkmenbashi, Kazakh, Gyzlar, Enzeli, Astrakhan, Gyzlar.

Until 1980, Kara-Bogaz-Gol was a bay-lagoon, which was connected to the sea by a narrow strait. Now it's salt Lake separated from the sea by a dam. After the construction of the dam, the water began to decrease sharply, and a culvert had to be built. Through it, up to 25 km3 of water enters the lake annually.

Water temperature

The greatest fluctuations in temperature are observed in winter. In shallow water, it reaches 100 in winter. The difference between summer and winter temperatures reaches 240. On the coast in winter, it is always 2 degrees lower than in the open sea. The optimum warming up of the water occurs in July-August, in shallow water the temperature reaches 320. But at this time, north-western winds raise cold layers of water (upwelling). This process begins already in June and reaches intensity in August. The temperature at the surface of the water drops. The temperature difference between the layers disappears by November.

The climate in the northern part of the sea is continental, in the middle part it is temperate, and in the southern part it is subtropical. On east coast the temperature is always higher than in the west. Once on the east coast recorded 44 degrees.

The composition of the Caspian waters

About salinity is 0.3%. This is a typical desalinated pool. But the farther south, the higher the salinity. In the southern part of the sea, it already reaches 13%, and in Kara-Bogaz-Gol more than 300%.

Storms are frequent in shallow water areas. They occur due to changes in atmospheric pressure. Waves can reach 4 meters.

The water balance of the sea depends on river flows and precipitation. Among them, the Volga makes up almost 80% of all other rivers.

In recent years, there has been a rapid pollution of water by oil products and phenols. Their level already exceeds the permissible level.

Minerals

Back in the 19th century, the beginning of hydrocarbon production was laid. These are the main natural resources. There are also mineral, balneological biological resources here. Today, in addition to gas and oil production, sea-type salts (Astrakhanite, mirabalite, halite), sand, limestone, and clay are mined on the shelf.

Animal and plant world

The fauna of the Caspian Sea is up to 1800 species. Of these, 415 are vertebrates, 101 species of fish, and there is a world stock of sturgeons. Freshwater fish such as carp, pike perch, and vobla also live here. They catch carp, salmon, pike, bream in the sea. The Caspian Sea is the habitat of one of the mammals - the seal.

From plants, blue-green algae, brown, red can be noted. Zostera and ruppia also grow, they are classified as flowering algae.

The plankton brought into the sea by birds begins to bloom in spring, the sea is literally covered with greenery, and rhizosolation during flowering paints most of the sea territory in yellow-green color. The accumulation of rhizosolenia is so dense that even waves can calm down. In some places near the coast, literally meadows of algae have grown.

On the coast you can see both local and migratory birds. In the south, geese, ducks winter, birds such as pelicans, herons, flamingos arrange nesting.

The Caspian Sea contains almost 90% of the world's sturgeon stocks. But recently, the environment has been deteriorating, you can often meet poachers who hunt sturgeon because of expensive caviar.

Governments are investing a lot of money to improve the situation. They purify sewage, build factories for breeding fish, despite these measures, it is necessary to limit the production of sturgeon.

, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran , Azerbaijan

Geographical position

Caspian Sea - view from space.

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 (36°34 "-47°13" N), from west to east - from 195 to 435 kilometers, on average 310-320 kilometers (46°-56° v. d.).

The Caspian Sea is conditionally divided according to physical and geographical conditions into 3 parts - the North Caspian, the Middle Caspian and the South Caspian. The conditional border between the North and Middle Caspian runs along the line of about. Chechnya - Cape Tyub-Karagansky, between the Middle and South Caspian - along the line of about. Residential - Cape Gan-Gulu. The area of ​​the Northern, Middle and Southern Caspian is 25, 36, 39 percent respectively.

Coast of the Caspian Sea

Coast of the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan

The territory adjacent to the Caspian Sea is called the Caspian Sea.

Peninsulas of the Caspian Sea

• Ashur-Ada
• Garasu
• Zyanbil
• Hara Zira
• Sengi-Mugan
• Chygyl

Bays of the Caspian Sea

• Russia (Dagestan, Kalmykia and Astrakhan region) - in the west and north-west, the length of the coastline is about 1930 kilometers
• Kazakhstan - in the north, northeast and east, the length of the coastline is about 2320 kilometers
• Turkmenistan - in the southeast, the length of the coastline is about 650 kilometers
• Iran - in the south, the length of the coastline is about 1000 kilometers
• Azerbaijan - in the southwest, the length of the coastline is about 800 kilometers

Cities on the coast of the Caspian Sea

On the Russian coast there are cities - Lagan, Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Izberbash and the most Southern City Russian Derbent. port city The Caspian Sea is also considered Astrakhan, which, however, is not located on the shores of the Caspian Sea, but in the Volga Delta, 60 kilometers from north coast Caspian Sea.

Physiography

Area, depth, volume of water

The area and volume of water in the Caspian Sea varies significantly depending on fluctuations in water levels. At a water level of -26.75 m, the area is approximately 371,000 square kilometers, the volume of water is 78,648 cubic kilometers, which is approximately 44% of the world's lake water reserves. The maximum depth of the Caspian Sea is in the South Caspian depression, 1025 meters from its surface level. In terms of maximum depth, the Caspian Sea is second only to Baikal (1620 m) and Tanganyika (1435 m). The average depth of the Caspian Sea, calculated from the bathygraphic curve, is 208 meters. At the same time, the northern part of the Caspian Sea is shallow, its maximum depth does not exceed 25 meters, and the average depth is 4 meters.

Water level fluctuations

Vegetable world

The flora of the Caspian Sea and its coast is represented by 728 species. Of the plants in the Caspian Sea, algae predominate - blue-green, diatoms, red, brown, char and others, of flowering - zoster and ruppia. By origin, the flora belongs mainly to the Neogene age, however, some plants were brought into the Caspian Sea by man either consciously or on the bottoms of ships.

History of the Caspian Sea

Origin of the Caspian Sea

Anthropological and cultural history of the Caspian Sea

Finds in Huto Cave south coast The Caspian Sea testifies that a person lived in these parts about 75 thousand years ago. The first mention of the Caspian Sea and the tribes living on its coast are found in Herodotus. Approximately in the V-II centuries. BC e. Saka tribes lived on the coast of the Caspian Sea. Later, during the period of the settlement of the Turks, in the period of the 4th-5th centuries. n. e. Talysh tribes (Talysh) lived here. According to ancient Armenian and Iranian manuscripts, the Russians sailed the Caspian Sea from the 9th-10th centuries.

Exploration of the Caspian Sea

The exploration of the Caspian Sea was started by Peter the Great, when, on his orders, an expedition was organized in 1714-1715 under the leadership of A. Bekovich-Cherkassky. In the 1720s, hydrographic studies were continued by the expedition of Karl von Werden and F.I. Soymonov, later by I.V. Tokmachev, M.I. Voinovich and other researchers. IN early XIX century, instrumental survey of the coast was carried out by I.F. Kolodkin, in the middle of the 19th century. - instrumental geographic survey under the guidance of N. A. Ivashintsev. Since 1866, for more than 50 years, expeditionary research on the hydrology and hydrobiology of the Caspian Sea has been carried out under the leadership of N. M. Knipovich. In 1897, the Astrakhan Research Station was founded. In the first decades of Soviet power in the Caspian Sea, geological research by I. M. Gubkin and other Soviet geologists was actively carried out, mainly aimed at finding oil, as well as research on the study of the water balance and fluctuations in the level of the Caspian Sea.

Economy of the Caspian Sea

Mining of oil and gas

Many oil and gas fields are being developed in the Caspian Sea. The proven oil resources in the 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 the Caspian Sea began in 1820, when the first oil well was drilled on the Absheron shelf near Baku. In the second half of the 19th century, oil production began on an industrial scale on the Absheron Peninsula, and then on other territories.

Shipping

Shipping is developed in the Caspian Sea. On the Caspian Sea ferry crossings, in particular, Baku - Turkmenbashi, Baku - Aktau, Makhachkala - Aktau. The Caspian Sea has a navigable connection with Sea of ​​Azov through the rivers Volga, Don and the Volga-Don Canal.

Fishing and seafood

Fishing (sturgeon, bream, carp, pike perch, sprat), caviar, and seal fishing. More than 90 percent of the world's sturgeon catch is carried out in the Caspian Sea. In addition to industrial production, illegal production of sturgeon and their caviar flourishes in the Caspian Sea.

Recreational resources

The natural environment of the Caspian coast with sandy beaches, mineral waters and therapeutic mud in the coastal zone creates good conditions for recreation and treatment. At the same time, in terms of the degree of development of resorts and the tourism industry, the Caspian coast noticeably loses to the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. At the same time, in recent years, the tourism industry has been actively developing on the coast of Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Russian Dagestan. Azerbaijan is actively developing resort area in the Baku region. At the moment, a world-class resort has been created in Amburan, another modern tourist complex is being built near the village of Nardaran, recreation in the sanatoriums of the villages of Bilgah and Zagulba is very popular. A resort area is also being developed in Nabran, in the north of Azerbaijan. However, high prices in general low level service and lack of advertising lead to the fact that on Caspian resorts almost not foreign tourists. The development of the tourism industry in Turkmenistan is hampered by a long policy of isolation, in Iran - by Sharia law, due to which the mass vacation of foreign tourists on the Caspian coast of Iran is impossible.

Ecological problems

The environmental problems of the Caspian Sea are 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 the Caspian Sea, the vital activity of coastal cities, as well as the flooding of individual objects due to the rise in the level of the Caspian Sea. Predatory harvesting of sturgeons and their caviar, rampant poaching lead to a decrease in the number of sturgeons and forced restrictions on their production and export.

International status of the Caspian Sea

Legal status of the Caspian Sea

After the collapse of the USSR, the division of the Caspian Sea has long been and still remains the subject of unsettled disagreements related to the division of the resources of the Caspian shelf - oil and gas, as well as biological resources. For a long time there were negotiations between the Caspian states on the status of the Caspian Sea - Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan insisted on dividing the Caspian along the median line, Iran - on dividing the Caspian along one fifth between all the Caspian states.

With regard to the Caspian Sea, the key is the physical and geographical circumstance that it is a closed inland water body that does not have a natural connection with the World Ocean. Accordingly, the norms and concepts of international maritime law, in particular, the provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of ​​1982, should not automatically apply to the Caspian Sea. Based on this, it would be unlawful to apply such concepts as “territorial sea”, “exclusive economic zone”, “continental shelf”, etc.

The current legal regime of the Caspian Sea was established by the Soviet-Iranian treaties of 1921 and 1940. These treaties provide for freedom of navigation throughout the sea, freedom of fishing, with the exception of ten-mile national fishing zones, and a ban on navigation in its waters of ships flying the flag of non-Caspian states.

Negotiations on the legal status of the Caspian are currently ongoing.

Delimitation of sections of the bottom of the Caspian Sea for the purpose of subsoil use

The Russian Federation concluded an agreement with Kazakhstan on the delimitation of the bottom of the northern part of the Caspian Sea in order to exercise sovereign rights to subsoil use (dated July 6, 1998 and the Protocol dated May 13, 2002), an agreement with Azerbaijan on the delimitation of adjacent sections of the bottom of the northern part of the Caspian Sea (dated September 23, 2002), as well as the trilateral Russian-Azerbaijani-Kazakhstan agreement on the junction of the demarcation lines of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea bottom (dated May 14, 2003), which established geographical coordinates dividing lines delimiting seabed areas within which the parties exercise their sovereign rights in the field of exploration and production of mineral resources.

Rest on the shore of the Caspian Sea- a great alternative for those who want to relax away from the hustle and bustle.

And also to gain new impressions and vitality, to improve the health of children, but does not have the financial means to travel to distant warm countries.

Cheap flights to Makhachkala

General information

The Caspian Sea, which is the largest lake in the world, stretches from North to South for about 1200 km. Its average width is up to 320 km. The water surface area is about 370 thousand km2. The level of the Caspian Sea is almost 28 meters below the ocean level.

The maximum depth was recorded in the South Caspian depression and is 1025 meters.

The unique sea-lake is rich in small islands, there are about 50 of them.

More than 100 rivers flow into the sea, including the Volga, Ural, Kura, Atrek, Terek and others.

The Caspian is famous for its unique flora and fauna.

In its warm waters, you can find more than 850 species of fish and animals, more than 500 species of plants. Many representatives of flora and fauna are listed in the Red Book.

The sea is rich in fish, including valuable sturgeon species. The Caspian seal lives in warm waters. There are no sharks and other fish that are predatory and dangerous to humans.

Nature lovers can visit the famous Astrakhan International Biosphere Reserve. This is a magnificent natural monument.

In spring and summer, people specially come here to admire the amazing beauty of the phenomenon: the fields of blooming lotus.

Russian resorts of the Caspian Sea

The length of the coast of the Russian part of the Caspian Sea is more than 600 kilometers.

Large sandy beaches, warm sea, pleasant weather - excellent prospects for organizing a quality summer holiday.

Best Russian resorts The Caspian Sea are located in Dagestan.

Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Izberbash, Lagan, Derbent, Dagestan Lights - famous sea resort towns.

Climate

The coast of the Astrakhan region has a temperate climate. Warm weather lasts from the first days of May to the first half of September.

During the season, clear warm weather prevails ( average temperature 24-25 0 С). Cloudy days and rain are rare.

The hottest month is July.

In summer, the water in the sea warms up to 23-28°С along the entire length of the Russian coastline.

Accommodation

There are more than 150 boarding houses and recreation centers on the Caspian coast of Russia.

Vacationers can buy a ticket in advance or arrange on the spot.

In Derbent and Kaspiysk, tourists will be warmly welcomed by the staff of large comfortable hotels.

Small cozy hotels are also at the service of vacationers. family vacation. You can find comfortable housing in the private sector. Prices are very affordable .

How to get there?

The Astrakhan coast of the Caspian Sea can be reached by the following route: by train or plane to the regional center, the city of Astrakhan, and then by bus, taxi or water transport to the destination.

The resorts of Dagestan can be reached by local transport(bus, taxi) from the capital of the Republic of Makhachkala, which can be reached by train or intercity bus.

Treatment

Those who wish can relax and undergo a course of treatment in the Caspian sanatorium, which is located on the seashore 40 km from Makhachkala.

This spa with healing mineral baths is equipped with modern diagnostic equipment.

The course of treatment is designed for 21 days, which gives a noticeable balneological effect.

Sanatorium "Lezzet"- climatic, sea, balneo-mud resort on the Caspian Sea. It is located 8 kilometers from Makhachkala Airport.

Profile areas: diseases of the nervous, musculoskeletal, genitourinary, digestive, cardiovascular systems, respiratory organs, gynecological problems and infertility.

The resort will help to combine the rest of the sea with treatment "Talgi". The health resort is located in Makhachkala.

Specialization - treatment and prevention of diseases of the joints, nervous and genitourinary systems. For treatment, unique sulfide waters with hydrogen sulfide are used.

Recreation and entertainment

In all resorts and health resorts of the Russian coast, infrastructure is developed, conditions for a good rest are created:

• athletic facilities;
• cafes, restaurants;
• various attractions;
• for those who wish to organize boat trips, fishing, thematic excursions.

Rest in the Astrakhan region

The city of Astrakhan is located in the Caspian lowland in the delta of the Volga River. This old City included in tourist tours and popular with travelers.

Guests are attracted by wonderful architectural ensembles, majestic churches, interesting museums.

At the end of summer and autumn, you can enjoy the famous Astrakhan watermelons and fragrant melons from the garden.

From regional center The Caspian Sea is only 60 km away.

The most common and affordable accommodation for vacationers and tourists in the Volga Delta and on the Caspian coast are recreation centers. As a rule, these are small cozy houses located in picturesque corners.

"Dardanelles", recreation center

The Astrakhan region is an excellent region for lovers of fishing and outdoor activities.

Fishermen have long chosen the recreation center "Dardanelles", located in the delta of the Volga River.

In the modern building, the rooms are equipped with air conditioning, refrigerators, and bathrooms.

Dardanelles

High-quality three meals a day are organized for vacationers.

In the restaurant of the base, you can prepare mouth-watering dishes from your own catch.

Sauna and billiards are at the guests' disposal. Guests are offered a variety of excursions, including to Astrakhan, boat trips along the sea and the Volga.

Address: s. Zaton, Kamyzyaksky district, Astrakhan region(base 9 km).

"Tortuga", fishing base

"Tortuga" in terms of cost of living is not very different from "Dardanelles".

The standard house has comfortable furniture, household appliances, necessary utensils, bathrooms. It is very comfortable to stay here for families with children.

Those who wish can stay in a floating house. Equipment needed for fishing can be rented on site.

Address: s. Tower, Limansky district, Astrakhan region

Mountain country - Dagestan- offers tourists the sandy beaches of the Caspian Sea, ski resorts, unique nature and culture, ancient monuments and wonderful national cuisine.

And although the idea of ​​​​rest in Dagestan is perceived ambiguously due to doubts about security, a lot of guests come to the republic. This mountainous region is very beautiful and original.

Resort complex "Chindirchero"

This popular place The resort welcomes guests all year round.

In summer, guests can enjoy relaxing by the sea.

For vacationers:

• windsurfing;
• kiting;
• rafting.

chindirchero

There are also all conditions for paragliding and rock climbing.

In winter, "Chindirchero" is a popular ski resort.

Address: s. Ginta, Akushinsky district, Makhachkala,

Derbent

Derbent, a city with a history of 5 thousand years, is one of the most attractive resorts for tourism on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

Derbent region is a subtropical paradise with the riot of nature and the abundance of the sun. The beauty of the sea coast is framed by picturesque mountains.

There are many ancient monuments and interesting sights in Derbent. Vacationers are waiting for exciting excursions, including helicopter ones. Both in the city and in its environs there are hotels, inns, tourist bases.

The most popular hotels in Derbent:

• Hotel Krasny Bak;
• Hotel Complex Evropa;
• Elite Hotel.

The resort can be reached by train or regular minibus from the bus station of Makhachkala or Kaspiysk. The Moscow-Baku train stops in Derbent.

Izberbash

This colorful city is located at the foothills of the Greater Caucasus, covered with picturesque forests.

Izberbash

Warm sea, extensive sandy beaches, amazing landscapes attract tourists.

The combination of sea and mountain air, the presence of healing mineral springs make it possible to improve health.

Turbaza "Priboy"

From the windows of the three-story building of the camp site, magnificent views open up. The living rooms have all the necessary amenities, there are air conditioners, TVs. At the disposal of vacationers is a clean, well-maintained beach.

Tasty, healthy meals, a cozy bar, and a guarded parking lot are organized at the camp site.

Address: pos. Primorsky, Izberbash.

Reviews

“We arrived for the first time from Orenburg. Nature is just amazing! Everything is so beautiful - I did not part with the camera. The base itself is a picturesque place. The perfect place for relax. It is a pity that we did not give full information, and came for a three-day tour.

Next time we will try to stay longer. Top notch service. Such hospitality and cordiality is rare to find. We left with great regret. We'll definitely be back."

“There are beaches in Derbent. But most of them are rented from private owners. City beaches usually quickly fill up with garbage and are poorly cleaned, and this fact does not soften even the charm of clear, beautiful, warm sea water.

Resorts of Kazakhstan on the Caspian Sea

The amazing nature and warm healing water of the sea make the rest on the Caspian Sea very attractive.

People come to Kazakhstan on the coast to relax and improve their health. It offers comfortable sandy beaches, natural mineral springs and healing mud.

Aktau is the only city near the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan.

On the Kazakh coast, the infrastructure is not yet very developed. However, there are already many pleasant places where tourists come with pleasure.

How to get there?

You can get to Aktau only by train or plane.

On road transport getting there is difficult not only because of the very long distance, but also because of the quality of local roads.

Climate

On the coast of the Caspian Sea, winters are mild, and summers are dry and warm.

During the summer day the air temperature rises to +30..+32 degrees, and at night it drops to +20 degrees.

The beach season lasts from May to September.

Accommodation

There will be no problems with accommodation in Aktau, even if you do not arrive on a tour. There are more than 20 modern comfortable hotels in the city.

The most popular of them:

• "Aktau";
• Chagala ;
• "Zheruyik".

Treatment

On the Kazakh coast of the Caspian Sea, two large health-improving complexes can be distinguished:

• "Kenderli" - 300 km from Aktau;
• Steegle, near the city.

The unique balneological clinic "Shagala" is located within the city.

Recreation and entertainment

"Kenderlik"

Near Aktau there is a sports and recreation complex. It attracts outdoor enthusiasts.

This modern complex complies with all international norms and standards.

Kenderly

Guests live in small cozy cottages located on the shore or in comfortable hotel rooms, in the building of which there is a sauna, indoor pool, solarium and winter garden.

At the service of vacationers billiard room, gyms, tennis courts, outdoor summer pool, football and volleyball courts, bowling hall, dance floor, bars and restaurant.

"Shagala", sanatorium

The sanatorium-preventorium "Shagala" ("Seagull") offers high-quality rest and improvement. This is a unique balneological clinic. It is located on the Caspian coast, within the city of Aktau.

Guests are offered single and double rooms with private facilities. The building of the sanatorium has a comfortable winter garden where you can relax and admire exotic plants.

Vacationers can visit Entertainment Center, casino, technopark, roller skating area.

New impressions will give excursion tours By historical places And natural monuments Mangyshlak.

Address: Aktau, m-n 1, coastal zone.

On the seashore, 18 kilometers from Aktau, there is a modern sports and recreational entertainment center "Stigl".

There are two hotels on the territory of the center. This complex is equipped in accordance with international standards.

On its territory there is a unique sea sauna, SPA-salon, fitness center, massage rooms, as well as cafes, restaurants, attractions.

The Caspian Sea is the largest lake on our planet, which is located in a depression on the earth's surface (the so-called Aral-Caspian lowland) on the territory of Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Iran. Although they consider it as a lake, because it is not connected with the World Ocean, but by the nature of the formation processes and the history of origin, in terms of its size, the Caspian Sea is a sea.

The area of ​​the Caspian Sea is about 371 thousand km2. The sea, stretched from north to south, has a length of about 1200 km and an average width of 320 km. The length of the coastline is about 7 thousand km. The Caspian Sea is located 28.5 m below the level of the World Ocean and its greatest depth is 1025 m. There are about 50 islands in the Caspian Sea, mostly small in area. Large islands include such islands as Tyuleniy, Kulaly, Zhiloy, Chechen, Artem, Ogurchinsky. There are also many bays in the sea, for example: Kizlyarsky, Komsomolets, Kazakh, Agrakhansky, etc.

The Caspian Sea is fed by more than 130 rivers. The largest number water (about 88% of the total flow) is brought by the Ural, Volga, Terek, Emba rivers, which flow into the northern part of the sea. About 7% of the runoff give major rivers Kura, Samur, Sulak and small ones flowing into the sea on west coast. The Heraz, Gorgan, Sefidrud rivers flow into the southern Iranian coast, which bring only 5% of the flow. IN eastern part no river flows into the sea. The water in the Caspian Sea is salty, its salinity ranges from 0.3‰ to 13‰.

The shores of the Caspian Sea

The shores have a different landscape. The shores of the northern part of the sea are low and gentle, surrounded by low semi-desert and somewhat elevated desert. In the south, the shores are partially low-lying, they are bordered by a coastal lowland of a small area, behind which the Elburs ridge runs along the coast, which in some places comes close to the coast. In the west, the ridges of the Greater Caucasus approach the coast. In the east there is an abrasion coast, worked out in limestones, semi-desert and desert plateaus approach it. The coastline is very variable due to periodic fluctuations in water levels.

The climate of the Caspian Sea is different:

Continental in the north;

Moderate in the middle

Subtropical in the south.

At the same time, severe frosts and snowstorms are raging on the northern coast, and fruit trees and magnolias bloom on the southern coast. In winter, strong storm winds rage on the sea.

On the coast of the Caspian Sea are located big cities, ports: Baku, Lankaran, Turkmenbashi, Lagan, Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Izberbash, Astrakhan, etc.

The fauna of the Caspian Sea is represented by 1809 animal species. More than 70 species of fish are found in the sea, including: herring, gobies, stellate sturgeon, sturgeon, beluga, white salmon, sterlet, pike perch, carp, bream, vobla, etc. Of the marine mammals in the lake, only the world's smallest Caspian seal is found, which not found in other seas. The Caspian lies on the main bird migration route between Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Every year, about 12 million birds fly over the Caspian during their migration period, and another 5 million usually winter here.

Vegetable world

The flora of the Caspian Sea and its coast is 728 species. Basically, algae inhabit the sea: diatoms, blue-green, red, char, brown and others, from flowering ones - rupee and zoster.

The Caspian Sea is rich in reserves natural resources, many oil and gas fields are being developed in it, in addition, limestone, salt, sand, stone and clay are also mined here. The Caspian Sea is connected by the Volga-Don Canal with the Sea of ​​Azov, shipping is well developed. A lot of different fish are caught in the reservoir, including more than 90% of the world's sturgeon catch.

The Caspian Sea is also a recreation area, on its shores there are rest houses, tourist bases and sanatoriums.

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On Sunday, August 12, in Kazakhstan's Aktau, the presidents of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan signed the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. Previously, its status was regulated by the Soviet-Iranian treaties, in which the Caspian Sea was defined as a closed (inland) sea, and each Caspian state had sovereign rights to a 10-mile zone and equal rights to the rest of the sea.

Now, according to the new convention, each country has its own territorial waters (zones 15 miles wide). In addition, the provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of ​​1982 will not apply to the Caspian Sea, the seabed will be delimited into sectors, as is done by neighbors on the seas, and sovereignty over the water column will be established on the basis of the principle that this is a lake.

Why is the Caspian considered neither a lake nor a sea?

To be considered a sea, the Caspian must have access to the ocean, this is one of the most important conditions for a body of water to be called a sea. But the Caspian has no access to the ocean, so it is considered a closed body of water, not connected to the oceans.

The second characteristic that distinguishes sea ​​waters from lacustrine, is their high salinity. The water in the Caspian Sea is indeed salty, but in terms of its salt composition it occupies an intermediate position between a river and an ocean. In addition, in the Caspian Sea, salinity increases towards the south. The Volga delta contains from 0.3‰ salts, and eastern regions In the South and Middle Caspian, salinity already reaches 13-14‰. And if we talk about the salinity of the World Ocean, then it averages 34.7 ‰.

Due to the specific geographical and hydrological characteristics, the reservoir received a special legal status. The summit participants decided that the Caspian Sea is an inland water body that has no direct connection with the World Ocean, and therefore cannot be considered a sea, and at the same time, due to its size, water composition and bottom features, it cannot be considered a lake.

What has been achieved since the signing of the Convention?

The new treaty expands the possibilities for cooperation between countries, and also involves limiting any military presence of third countries. According to political scientist, director of the Institute of Recent States Alexei Martynov, the main achievement of the last summit is that its participants managed to stop any talk about the possible construction of NATO military bases and infrastructure facilities in the Caspian Sea.

“The most important thing that has been achieved is to fix that the Caspian will be demilitarized for all the Caspian states. There will be no other military, except for those representing the countries that have signed the Caspian Agreement. This is fundamental and main question which was important to capture. Everything else, that is divided in proportion to the zone of influence, the zone of extraction of bioresources, the zone of extraction of shelf resources was not so important. As we remember, in the last twenty years, the military has been actively striving for the region. The USA even wanted to build their own military base", says Martynov.

In addition to the distribution of the shares of each country in the oil and gas fields of the Caspian basin, the Convention also provides for the construction of pipelines. As stated in the document, the rules for their laying provide for the consent of only neighboring countries, and not all countries of the Caspian Sea. After the signing of the agreement, Turkmenistan, in particular, stated that it was ready to lay pipelines along the bottom of the Caspian Sea, which would allow it to export its gas through Azerbaijan to Europe. The consent of Russia, which previously insisted that the project could only be implemented with the permission of all five Caspian states, is no longer required. The gas pipeline is planned to be connected in the future to the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline, through which natural gas will go through the territory of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey to Greece.

“Turkmenistan is not a foreign country to us, but our partner, a country that we consider very important for us in the post-Soviet space. We cannot be against them receiving an additional impetus for development through such pipeline projects. Gas has been coming from Turkmenistan and other countries through a different pipeline system for a long time, somewhere it even mixes with Russian gas, and there is nothing wrong with that. If this project works, then everyone will benefit, including Russia. In no case should the project be considered as a kind of competition. The European market is so big and insatiable, I mean the energy market, that there is enough space for everyone,” says Martynov.

Today, almost all Turkmen gas is supplied to China, where Russia also intends to supply natural gas. For this purpose, in particular, a large-scale project for the construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline is being implemented. Thus, the geography of gas supplies from both countries may expand - Turkmenistan will gain access to the European market, and Russia will be able to increase its gas supplies to China.