Caspian Sea
As captured by the MODIS on the orbiting Terra satellite
Coordinates	41°40′N 50°40′E / 41.667°N 50.667°E / 41.667; 50.667
Type	Endorheic, Saline, Permanent, Natural
Primary inflows	Volga River, Ural River, Kura River, Terek River
Primary outflows	Evaporation
Catchment area	3,626,000 km2 (1,400,000 sq mi)[1]
Basin countries	Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan
Max. length	1,030 km (640 mi)
Max. width	435 km (270 mi)
Surface area	371,000 km2 (143,200 sq mi)
Average depth	187 m (610 ft)
Max. depth	1,025 m (3,360 ft)
Water volume	69,400 km3 (16,600 cu mi)
Residence time	250 years
Shore length1	7,000 km (4,300 mi)
Surface elevation	−28 m (−92 ft)
Islands	26+
Settlements	Baku (Azerbaijan), Rasht (Iran), Aktau (Kazakhstan), Makhachkala (Russia), Türkmenbaşy (Turkmenistan)
References	[1]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

The Caspian Sea is the largest lake on Earth by both area and volume. It has a surface area of 371,000 square kilometres (143,000 square miles). Its volume is 78,200 cubic kilometres (18,800 cubic miles). The Caspian has for 40 to 44% of the total lake waters of the world.^[2]

The Caspian sea is an endorheic body of water. It is bordered by Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. It has a maximum depth of about 1,025 metres (3,363 ft). It is called a sea because when the Romans first arrived there, they tasted the water and found it to be salty. It has a salinity of approximately 1.2%, about a third the salinity of sea water.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Caspian Sea.

• Caspian Sea Region
• Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (2003)
• Target: Caspian Sea Oil Archived 2009-08-28 at the Wayback Machine John Robb, 2004

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