Until now, there are disputes about the status of the Caspian Sea. The fact is that, despite its common name, it is still the largest endorheic lake in the world. It was called the sea because of the features that the structure of the bottom has. It is formed by oceanic crust. In addition, the water in the Caspian Sea is salty. As at sea, storms and strong winds are often observed here, raising high waves.
Geography
The Caspian Sea is located at the crossroads of Asia and Europe. In its shape, it resembles one of the letters of the Latin alphabet - S. From south to north, the sea stretches for 1200 km, and from east to west - from 195 to 435 km.
The territory of the Caspian Sea is heterogeneous in terms of its physical and geographical conditions. In this regard, it is conventionally divided into 3 parts. These include the Northern and Middle, as well as the Southern Caspian.
coastal countries
Which countries are washed by the Caspian Sea? There are only five of them:
- Russia, located in the northwest and west. The length of the coastline of this state along the Caspian Sea is 695 km. Kalmykia, Dagestan and the Astrakhan region, which are part of Russia, are located here.
- Kazakhstan. This is a country on the shores of the Caspian Sea, located in the east and northeast. The length of its coastline is 2320 km.
- Turkmenistan. A map of the Caspian states indicates that this country is located in the southeast water basin. The length of the line along the coast is 1200 km.
- Azerbaijan. This state, stretching along the Caspian for 955 km, washes its shores in the southwest.
- Iran. The map of the Caspian states indicates that this country is located near southern shores drainless lake. However, its length maritime borders is 724 km.
Caspian sea?
Until now, the dispute about how to name this unique reservoir has not been resolved. And it is important to answer this question. The fact is that all countries on the Caspian Sea have this region own interests. However, the question of how to divide this huge body of water, the governments of the five states have not been able to decide for a long time. The main dispute revolved around the name. Is the Caspian still a sea or a lake? Moreover, the answer to this question is more of interest to non-geographers. First of all, politicians need it. This is due to the application of international law.
Caspian states such as Kazakhstan and Russia believe that their borders in this region are washed by the sea. In this regard, representatives of the two indicated countries insist on the application of the UN Convention, adopted in 1982. It concerns the law of the sea. The provisions of this document state that the coastal states are assigned a twelve-mile water zone along it. In addition, the country is granted the right to an economic maritime territory. It is located at a distance of two hundred miles. The coastal state also has the right to, however, even the widest part of the Caspian Sea is narrower than the distance specified in the international document. In such a case, the principle of the median line can be applied. At the same time, the Caspian states, which have the greatest extent coastal boundaries, will get a large sea area.
Iran has a different opinion on this matter. Its representatives believe that the Caspian should be divided fairly. In this case, all countries will get twenty percent of the sea area. One can understand the position of official Tehran. With such a solution to the problem, the state will control a larger zone than when dividing the sea along the median line.
However, the Caspian from year to year significantly changes its water level. This does not allow determining its median line and dividing the territory between states. Countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia have signed an agreement among themselves defining those bottom zones on which the parties will exercise their economic rights. Thus, a certain legal truce has been achieved in the northern territories of the sea. Southern countries The Caspian Sea has not yet come to a unified decision. At the same time, they do not recognize the agreements reached by their northern neighbors.
The Caspian is a lake?
Adherents of this point of view proceed from the fact that the reservoir, located at the junction of Asia and Europe, is closed. In this case, it is impossible to apply the document on the norms of international maritime law to it. Supporters of this theory are convinced that they are right, referring to the fact that the Caspian Sea has no natural connection with the waters of the World Ocean. But here another difficulty arises. If the lake is the Caspian Sea, according to what international standards should the borders of states be defined in its water spaces? Unfortunately, such documents have not yet been developed. The fact is that the issues of the international lake were not discussed anywhere and by anyone.
Is the Caspian a unique body of water?
In addition to those listed above, there is another, third point of view on the ownership of this amazing reservoir. Its supporters are of the opinion that the Caspian should be recognized as an international water basin, belonging equally to all countries bordering on it. In their opinion, the resources of the region are subject to joint exploitation by the countries bordering the reservoir.
Solving Security Issues
The Caspian states are doing everything possible to eliminate all existing differences. And there are positive developments in this regard. One of the steps towards solving problems related to the Caspian region was an agreement signed on November 18, 2010 between all five countries. It concerns issues of cooperation in the field of security. In this document, the countries agreed on joint activities to eliminate terrorism, drug trafficking, smuggling, poaching, money laundering, etc. in the region.
environmental protection
Particular attention is paid to solving environmental issues. The territory on which the Caspian states and Eurasia are located is a region under the threat of industrial pollution. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are dumping waste from exploration and production of energy carriers into the waters of the Caspian Sea. Moreover, it is in these countries that a large number of abandoned oil wells that are not operated due to their unprofitability, but nevertheless continue to have an adverse impact on the environmental situation. As for Iran, it drops into sea waters agricultural waste and runoff. Russia threatens the ecology of the region with industrial pollution. This is due to the economic activity that has unfolded in the Volga region.
The countries on the Caspian Sea have made some progress in solving environmental problems. Thus, since August 12, 2007, the Framework Convection has been in force in the region, which sets itself the goal of protecting the Caspian Sea. This document developed provisions on the protection of bioresources and the regulation of anthropogenic factors affecting the aquatic environment. According to this convection, the parties must cooperate in carrying out activities to improve the environmental situation in the Caspian.
In 2011 and 2012, all five countries also signed other documents significant for the protection of the marine environment. Among them:
- Protocol on Cooperation, Response and Regional Preparedness for Oil Pollution Events.
- Protocol concerning the protection of the region against pollution from land-based sources.
Development of the gas pipeline construction
To date, another problem is unresolved in the Caspian region. It concerns the laying This idea is an important strategic task of the West and the United States, which continue to look for sources of energy resources alternative to Russian ones. That is why, when resolving this issue, the parties do not turn to such countries as Kazakhstan, Iran and, of course, the Russian Federation. Brussels and Washington supported the statement made in Baku on November 18, 2010 at the summit of the heads of the Caspian countries. He expressed the official position of Ashgabat regarding the laying of the pipeline. The Turkmen authorities believe that the project should be carried out. At the same time, only those states, on the territories of the bottom of which it will be located, must give their consent to the construction of the pipeline. These are Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. Iran and Russia opposed this position and the project itself. At the same time, they were guided by the issues of protecting the Caspian ecosystem. To date, the construction of the pipeline is not carried out due to disagreement between the project participants.
Hosting the first summit
The countries on the Caspian Sea are constantly looking for ways to solve the problems that have matured in this Eurasian region. For this, special meetings of their representatives are organized. Thus, the first summit of the heads of the Caspian states took place in April 2002. Ashgabat became its venue. However, the results of this meeting did not meet expectations. The summit was considered unsuccessful due to Iran's demands for the division of the sea into 5 equal parts. This was strongly opposed by other countries. Their representatives defended their own point of view that the size of national water areas should correspond to the length that coastline states.
The failure of the summit was also provoked by a dispute between Ashgabat and Baku over the ownership of three oil fields located in the center of the Caspian Sea. As a result, the heads of the five states did not develop a unanimous opinion on any of all the issues raised. However, at the same time, an agreement was reached to hold a second summit. It was supposed to take place in 2003 in Baku.
Second Caspian Summit
Despite the existing agreements, the scheduled meeting was postponed every year. The heads of the Caspian littoral states gathered for the second summit only on October 16, 2007. The venue was Tehran. At the meeting, topical issues related to determining the legal status of a unique reservoir, which is the Caspian Sea, were discussed. The borders of the states within the framework of the division of the water area were preliminarily agreed during the development of the draft of the new convention. The problems of security, ecology, economy and cooperation of coastal countries were also raised. In addition, the results of the work that the states have carried out since the first summit were summed up. In Tehran, representatives of the five states also outlined ways for further cooperation in the region.
Meeting at the third summit
Once again, the heads of the Caspian countries met in Baku on November 18, 2010. The result of this summit was the signing of an agreement on expanding cooperation regarding security issues. During the meeting, it was pointed out that which countries werehes the Caspian Sea, only those should ensure the fight against terrorism, transnational crime, weapons proliferation, etc.
Fourth summit
Once again, the Caspian states raised their problems in Astrakhan on September 29, 2014. At this meeting, the presidents of the five countries signed another statement.
In it, the parties fixed the exclusive right of the coastal countries to deploy armed forces in the Caspian. But even at this meeting, the status of the Caspian was not finally settled.
, 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 northwest, 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 average depth- 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 relaxation 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 extraction of mineral resources.
The Caspian Sea is the most big lake 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 amount of water (about 88% of the total flow) is brought by the Ural, Volga, Terek, Emba rivers, which flow into northern part seas. About 7% of the runoff is provided by the large rivers Kura, Samur, Sulak and small rivers flowing into the sea on the western 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, there are rest houses on its shores, tourist bases and sanatoriums.
Related content:
The Caspian Sea is the largest drainless lake on Earth, located at the junction of Europe and Asia, called the sea due to the fact that its bed is composed of oceanic-type earth's crust. The Caspian Sea is a drainless 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 about 1200 kilometers, from west to east - from 195 to 435 kilometers, an average of 310-320 kilometers. The Caspian Sea is conditionally 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 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.
The length of the coastline of the Caspian Sea is estimated at about 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 shores are low and swampy, and the water surface is covered with thickets in many places. On east coast limestone coasts adjoining semi-deserts and deserts predominate. The most winding coasts are on the west coast in the area of the Apsheron Peninsula and on the east coast in the area of the Kazakh Gulf and Kara-Bogaz-Gol. The territory adjacent to the Caspian Sea is called 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 drainless 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, at present - about 28 m below the level of the World Ocean.
Square Caspian Sea currently - approximately 371,000 sq. km, maximum depth - 1025 m.
coastline length Caspian Sea estimated at about 6500 - 6700 kilometers, with the islands - up to 7000 kilometers. coast Caspian Sea in most of its territory - low-lying and smooth. In the northern part, the coastline is indented by water channels and islands of the Volga and Ural deltas, the shores are low and swampy, and the water surface is covered with thickets in many places. The east coast is dominated by limestone shores adjacent to semi-deserts and deserts. The most winding coasts are on the west coast in the area of the Apsheron Peninsula and on the east coast in the area of the Kazakh Gulf and Kara-Bogaz-Gol.
IN Caspian Sea 130 rivers flow into it, of which 9 rivers have a mouth in the form of a delta. major rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea - 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 north-west, 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, the length of the coastline - 724 kilometers
Azerbaijan - in the southwest, the length of the coastline is 955 kilometers
Water temperature
is subject to significant latitudinal changes, most pronounced 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 water temperature difference 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 near the western coast is 1 - 2 °C higher than that of the eastern coast, 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, the average monthly temperature of the Caspian varies from -8 -10 in the northern part to +8 - +10 in the southern part, in summer - from +24 - +25 in the northern part to +26 - +27 in the southern part. The maximum temperature recorded on the east coast is 44 degrees.
Animal world
The fauna of the Caspian is represented by 1809 species, of which 415 are vertebrates. IN Caspian Sea 101 species of fish have been registered, and most of the world's sturgeon stocks are concentrated in it, as well as such freshwater fish as 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.
Vegetable world
Vegetable world Caspian Sea and its coast is represented by 728 species. From plants to Caspian Sea algae predominate - blue-green, diatoms, red, brown, char and others, from flowering ones - zoster and ruppia. By origin, the flora belongs mainly to the Neogene age, however, some plants were brought into Caspian Sea by a person consciously or on the bottoms of ships.
Mining of oil and gas
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 on other territories.
In addition to oil and gas production, on the coast Caspian Sea and the Caspian shelf, salt, limestone, stone, sand, and clay are also being mined.
Ecological problems
Ecological problems 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 vital activity of coastal cities, as well as the flooding of individual facilities due to an increase in the level 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.
