When the Caspian Sea became a lake. Caspian states: borders, map

The pearl of unique beauty and originality is the Caspian Sea. This is a unique, the only enclosed body of water in the world with a fragile and priceless ecosystem. Its uniqueness attracts worldwide attention. The Caspian is considered the largest inland water body in the world, located at the junction of Asia and Europe. amazing natural creation devoted a lot of their works to poets, philosophers, historians, geographers. Among them: Homer, Herodotus, Aristotle. The biological environment of the Caspian Sea is also unique. But first things first. We invite you to find out about the depth, level, location of this reservoir, which countries are washed by the Caspian Sea. Well, let's go...

Historical references

Many are interested in where the Caspian Sea is located, the history of its occurrence. But few people know that it is of oceanic origin. Thirteen million years ago, this place was the bottom of the ocean. As a result of natural disasters, the Alps arose and separated the Sarmatian Sea from the Mediterranean. 5 million years passed, and the Sarmatian Sea was divided into smaller water bodies, which included the Black and Caspian Seas. For a long time there were connections and separations of waters. And 2 million years ago the Caspian Sea was completely cut off from the World Ocean. This was the beginning of its formation. History confirms that during the period of formation, the depth and area of ​​the Caspian Sea changed several times.

Today, the Caspian is classified as the largest endorheic lake. Because of its huge size, it is commonly called the sea. And also due to the fact that it was formed on the earth's crust of the oceanic type.

Today the Caspian makes up 44% of the planet's lake waters. During its formation, different tribes and peoples gave the lake about 70 names. The Greeks called it the Hyrcanian (Dzhurdzhansky) lake from the name of the city of Gorgan and the province of Hyrkania. The ancient Russians called it the Khvalyn Sea, from the name of the Khvalis people who lived in the coastal area. Arabs, Persians, Azerbaijanis, Turks, Crimean Tatars called it the Khazar Sea. Once upon a time, in the delta of the Kura River, which flows into the reservoir, there was an island and a city, after which it was called the Abeskun Sea. Later this city was flooded. There was also the name Saray Lake. In honor of the city of Derbant (Dagestan), it was called the Derbent Sea. There was also the name Sihai and others.

Geographic location

Many people want to know where the Caspian Sea is located on the map. This place is located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. The physical and geographical conditions of the sea allow us to divide it into three parts:

1. The share of the Northern Caspian occupies 25% of the reservoir.
2. The Middle Caspian zone has 36%.
3. The component of the southern part of the lake is 39%.

The Northern and Middle Caspian separates the island of Chechnya from Cape Tyub-Karagan. The Middle and South Caspian divides Chilov Island with Cape Gan-Gulu.

The territory adjacent to the lake is called the Caspian Sea. The size of the Caspian Sea is amazing. The coastline stretches for approximately 6,500 to 6,700 kilometers. The shores have a low-lying and smooth structure. The northern part of the coastline is cut by water channels and islands of the Ural and Volga deltas. The shores are mostly low and swampy, covered with thickets. East Coast has a limestone structure. In the west, the coast is very winding.

Relief and depth, area of ​​the Caspian Sea

These figures fluctuate constantly. As a result, they affect the sea level. The Caspian Sea thus changes the area and volume of water. If its level is 26.75 km, then the area is 371,000 km 2. And what is the maximum and average depth of the Caspian Sea? In terms of maximum depth, it is second only to Baikal and Tanganyika. The maximum depth in the South Caspian depression is 1,025 m. The bathygraphic curve helps to calculate the average depth of the Caspian Sea, which indicates a depth of 208 m. In the north, the reservoir is shallower - 25 m. The Middle Caspian has many deep depressions, continental slopes, and shelves. Here, the average depth reaches 192 m. The Derbent depression has a depth of 788 m.

The length of the lake from north to south is 1,200 km, and the width of the Caspian Sea from west to east is up to 435 km. The relief of the northern part of the lake is flat, with accumulative islands and banks. The southern part of the Caspian shelf is rich in shell sands, deep water areas with silty sediments. Sometimes bedrocks come out here.

Peninsulas, islands and bays of the Caspian Sea

A number of large peninsulas are located on the area of ​​the Caspian Sea. On the west coast, near Azerbaijan, is the Absheron Peninsula. It is here that the cities of Baku and Sumgayit are located. On the eastern side (the territory of Kazakhstan) is the Mangyshlak Peninsula. The city of Aktau was built here. It is also worth noting the following large peninsulas: Miankale, Tyub-Karagan, Buzachi, Agrakhan Peninsula.

The total area of ​​large and medium-sized Caspian islands is 350 km2. There are about 50 such islands. The largest and most famous are: Ashur-Ada, Garasu, Chechen, Chigil, Gum, Dash-Zira, Ogurchinsky and others.

Such a huge body of water cannot exist without bays. Agrakhan, Kizlyar, Mangyshlak, Kazakh bays are known. It is also worth remembering Kaydak Bay, Kenderli, Turkmen, Astrakhan, Gasan-Kuli, Anzeli.

A special bay-lagoon of the Caspian Sea is considered salt Lake Kara-Bogaz-Gol. In 1980, a dam was built that separates this strait from the Caspian Sea. Every year, 8-10 km 3 of water enters Kara-Bogaz-Gol from the Caspian Sea.

What countries are washed by the Caspian Sea?

The Intergovernmental Economic Conference of the Caspian States has established that five coastal countries washes the Caspian Sea. What exactly? In the north, northeast and east it borders on Kazakhstan. The coastline is 2,320 km. Who borders the Caspian Sea in the south? This is Iran with a coastline of 724 km. In the southeast, Turkmenistan is located with a coastline of about 1,200 km. The northwest and west of the Caspian is occupied by Russia with a length of 695 km. Azerbaijan stretches for 955 km in the southwest. Here is such a kind of "Caspian Five".

Coastline and nearby cities

Many cities, ports and resorts are located on the Caspian Sea. In Russia, the largest objects are considered: Kaspiysk, Makhachkala, Izberbash, Lagan, Dagestan Lights, Derbent. Astrakhan is the largest port city of the Caspian Sea, located in the Volga delta (60 km from the northern coast).

Baku is considered the largest port city in Azerbaijan. Its location falls on the southern part of the Absheron Peninsula. The city is home to 2.5 million people. Sumgayit is located a little to the north. Lankaran is located near the southern border of Azerbaijan. In the south-east of the Absheron Peninsula there is a settlement of oil workers - Oil Rocks.

In Turkmenistan, on the northern shore of the Krasnovodsk Bay, there is the city of Turkmenbashi. A large resort of this country is Avaza.

In Kazakhstan, the port city of Aktau was built near the Caspian Sea. To the north, in the delta of the Ural River, Atyrau is located. In Iran, on south coast reservoir, located Bender-Anzeli.

Rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea

130 large and small rivers flow into the Caspian. Nine of them have a deltoid mouth. Among the largest rivers, we single out the Volga, Ural, Terek, Samur, Sulak, Emba, Kura, Atrek. The largest river flowing into the reservoir is the Volga. For a year, on average, 215-224 km 3 of water flows out of it. All of the above rivers replenish the annual water supply of the Caspian by 88-90%.

Currents, flora and fauna of the Caspian

For those who are interested in where the Caspian Sea flows into, the answer is already clear - it is a closed body of water. Water circulates in it thanks to winds and drains. Most of the water flows into the Northern Caspian, so the northern currents circulate there. These intense currents carry water to the western coast of the Absheron Peninsula. There, the current passes into two branches - one moves parallel to the western coast, the other - to the east.

The fauna of the Caspian basin is represented by 1810 animal species. 415 of them are representatives of vertebrates. About 100 species of fish swim in the Caspian Sea, and a large number of sturgeon live here. Freshwater fish are also found here, represented by pike perch, carp, and vobla. Also in the sea there are a lot of carp, mullet, sprat, kutum, bream, salmon, perch, pike. It is worth remembering another inhabitant - the Caspian seal.

The flora of the Caspian Sea and the coastal zone includes 730 species. It is important to note that the reservoir is overgrown with blue-green, diatoms, red, brown, chara algae. The most common are flowering algae - ruppia and zostera. The age of the Caspian flora refers to the Neogene period. Many plants came to the Caspian with the help of ships or conscious human actions.

Research work

Between 285 and 282 B.C. the Greek king Seleucus I ordered the geographer Patroclus the Macedonian to investigate Caspian lake. Later this work was continued by order of Peter the Great. For this, an expedition was specially organized, led by A. Bekovich-Cherkassky. Later, the research was continued by the expedition of Carl von Werden. Also, the following scientists were engaged in the study of the Caspian Sea: F.I. Simonov, I.V. Tokmachev, M.I. Voinovich.

At the end of the 19th century, I.F. Kolodkin, later - N.A. Ivashentsev. In the same period, N.M. studied the hydrology and hydrobiology of the Caspian Sea for 50 years. Knipovich. 1897 was marked by the founding of the Astrakhan research station. At the beginning of the Soviet era, the Caspian was studied by I.M. Gubkin and other geologists. They directed their work to the search for oil, the study of the aquatic environment, changes in the level of the Caspian Sea.

Economic sphere, shipping, fishing

Many deposits of gas and oil have been found in the Caspian. Scientists have proven that there are about 10 billion tons of oil resources here, and together with gas condensate - 20 billion tons. Since 1820, oil has been extracted on the Absheron shelf, near Baku. Then oil production on an industrial scale began to be engaged in other areas. Oil production from the bottom of the Caspian Sea began in 1949, at Neftyanye Rocks. The long-awaited oil well was drilled by Mikhail Kaverochkin. In addition to oil and gas, salt, limestone, stone, sand, and clay are mined in the Caspian.

Shipping is also given enough attention. Constantly working ferry crossings. The most famous destinations are: Baku - Aktau, Makhachkala - Aktau, Baku - Turkmenbashi. Through the Don, the Volga and the Volga-Don Canal, the Caspian Lake is connected to the Sea of ​​Azov.

Local residents catch sturgeon, bream, carp, pike perch, sprat in the waters of the sea. They are engaged in seal fishing and caviar production. Unfortunately, in this reservoir you can also encounter illegal sturgeon fishing and caviar extraction. The flounder caught here, mullet, different types shrimp. Sturgeons feed here on the Nereis worm, which was specially brought to the Caspian Sea. The "Five" countries of the Caspian Sea, washed by its waters, specially organize fish breeding and spawning farms.

Sturgeons are the most numerous in the northern shallow waters, especially near Russia. It is worth listing the sterlet, beluga, sturgeon, thorn, stellate sturgeon living there. Many people like to catch carp species: bream, roach, asp. A lot of catfish, grass carp, silver carp live here. There are more small inhabitants in the Caspian than large ones. In the south of the lake, herring winters and spawns. Fishing in the Caspian is allowed all year round, except April-May. They are allowed to use fishing rods, spinning rods, donks and other devices.

Most of all, the Astrakhan region is chosen for fishing in Russia. Catching some sturgeons is temporarily prohibited here, but you can catch pike, catfish, pike perch. In spring, sabrefish and rudd often peck here. In Kalmykia, industrial fishing is carried out in Lagan. Large specimens of carp are found here. Often fishermen have to spend the night right in the boats. The water in these areas is very clear, so spearfishing is used.

Rest on the Caspian Sea

Sandy beaches, mineral waters, healing mud The Caspian coast is a good support for treatment and recreation. tourism industry and the resorts here are not as developed as on the Black Sea, but there are many who want to relax. It is at a fairly popular level in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Russian Dagestan. Azerbaijan has developed a resort area near Baku. Only rest here, mostly locals, foreign tourists lacks sufficient level of service and good advertising.

The Russian coast is mainly located in Dagestan. Potential tourists are afraid to go here. But the beauty of the Caspian is simply mesmerizing! It is here that you can admire the waves with gray scallops, the bitter salinity of dark water, small shells on the shore. Rest on the Caspian Sea is often considered exotic. It's more like a lake...

The increased salinity of water in the Caspian increases its medicinal properties. The water in the reservoir warms up early, so you can safely come here in May. In September, you can have a great time, because the water is kept at around +21°C.

What are the conditions for recreation in Dagestan near the sea? Here the coast is covered with yellow velvety sea sand. The water of the Caspian Sea warms up faster than in the Black Sea, because the former is much shallower. The swimming season here begins in mid-May. The beauty of the Caspian coast is enhanced picturesque mountains which is not far from Derbent. Here you can admire the oldest marine fossils, which were raised by gas formation to a thousand-meter height. After that, many caves were formed here, about which there are various legends. Many locals come to these places to worship higher powers.

During the Soviet period, Dagestan was a holiday destination for tourists from different parts of the USSR. Holidays here are cheaper than on Black Sea coast, the sea is warmer and the sandy shore is more pleasant.

Caspian coast in Dagestan it has many kilometers of beaches: Makhachkala, Samur, Manas, Kayakent. On their territory there are recreation centers (150 units), boarding houses, sanatoriums, children's camps. You can book rooms not only in state hotels, boarding houses, but also in large and small private hotels. Renting a single room here costs from 500 to 1,000 rubles, a double room - 700-1,500 rubles, a luxury apartment - 1,500-2,000 rubles.

If you get tired of swimming in the sea, then in Dagestan you can go to the peaks covered with snow caps. Rafting enthusiasts can go to fast mountain rivers. Guides offer interesting excursions by historical places.

Not far from the Caspian coast, it is worth seeing the capital of Dagestan - Makhachkala. This beautiful and well-equipped city has a highly developed infrastructure. Residents of Makhachkala are trying to attract as many tourists as possible to their city and are building a resort area. Cote d'Azur". This building occupies 300 hectares of area.

The South Dagestan coast with the center in Derbent is the most attractive place for tourism. This area has a temperate continental climate, being in the subtropics. The territory is rich in citrus fruits, figs, pomegranates, almonds, walnuts, grapes and other crops.

Not less than colorful city Izberbash. Here beautiful nature with clean mountain-sea air, saturated with the aroma of forests that grow low on the foothills of the Greater Caucasus. Sand beach can be changed to a walk to mineral springs, among which there are geothermal, contributing to the restoration of health.

Rostourism has taken measures to develop cruise holidays in the Caspian. Thought out not only domestic routes, but also international ones. Often cruises on the sea are joined with the route along the Volga. For such events, very good vessels are needed, because there are often storms on the Caspian Sea.

Another area of ​​marine recreation in the Caspian Sea is health and medical. Many ailments help to overcome the local sea air. Many sanatoriums have been built on the seashore in Dagestan. People are getting better here. mineral waters, mud, curative climate. Not without health and sports tourism. Leisure quite popular today. For those who wish, extreme, skiing, ecological tourism is offered. You can be sure that the Caspian Sea and its coastal areas deserve to be visited.

The Caspian Sea is notable for the fact that its western coast belongs to Europe, and the eastern one is located on the territory of Asia. This is a huge body of salt water. It is called the sea, but, in fact, it is a lake, as it has no connection with the oceans. Therefore, it can be considered the most large lake in the world.

The area of ​​the water giant is 371 thousand square meters. km. As for the depth, the northern part of the sea is rather shallow, while the southern part is deep. The average depth is 208 meters, but it does not give any idea of ​​​​the thickness of the water mass. The entire reservoir is divided into three parts. These are the Northern, Middle and Southern Caspian. The northern one is the sea shelf. It accounts for only 1% of the total volume of water. This part ends behind the Kizlyar Bay near the island of Chechen. The average depth in these places is 5-6 meters.

In the Middle Caspian, the seabed noticeably decreases, and the average depth reaches 190 meters. The maximum is equal to 788 meters. This part of the sea contains 33% of the total volume of water. And the South Caspian is considered to be the deepest one. It absorbs 66% of the total water mass. The maximum depth was noted in the South Caspian depression. She is equal 1025 meters and is considered the official maximum sea depth to date. The Middle and South Caspian are approximately equal in area and occupy a total of 75% of the area of ​​the entire reservoir.

The maximum length is 1030 km and the corresponding width is 435 km. The minimum width is 195 km. The average figure corresponds to 317 km. That is, the reservoir has an impressive size and is rightfully called the sea. The length of the coastline, together with the islands, reaches almost 7 thousand km. As for the water level, it is 28 meters below the level of the World Ocean.

The most interesting thing is that the level of the Caspian Sea is subject to cyclicity. The water goes up and down. Water levels have been measured since 1837. According to experts, over the past thousand years, the level has fluctuated within 15 meters. This is a very big number. And they associate it with geological and anthropogenic (human impact on the environment) processes. However, it has been noted that since the beginning of the 21st century, the level of the huge reservoir has been steadily rising.

The Caspian Sea is surrounded by 5 countries. These are Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan. Moreover, Kazakhstan has the longest coastline. Russia is in 2nd place. But the length of the coastline of Azerbaijan reaches only 800 km, but in this place there is the largest port in the Caspian Sea. This is, of course, Baku. The city is home to 2 million people, and the population of the entire Absheron Peninsula is 2.5 million people.

"Oil Rocks" - a city in the sea
These are 200 platforms with a total length of 350 kilometers

Notable is the settlement of oil workers, which is called " Oil Stones". It is located 42 km east of Absheron in the sea and is a creation of human hands. All residential and industrial buildings are built on metal overpasses. People serve drilling rigs pumping oil from the bowels of the earth. Naturally, there are no permanent residents in this village.

In addition to Baku, along the banks of the salt reservoir, there are other big cities. At the southern tip is the Iranian city of Anzali with a population of 111 thousand people. This is the largest Iranian port in the Caspian. Kazakhstan owns the city of Aktau with a population of 178 thousand people. And in the northern part, directly on the Ural River, is the city of Atyrau. It is inhabited by 183 thousand people.

The Russian city of Astrakhan also has the status of a seaside city, although it is 60 km away from the coast and is located in the delta of the Volga River. This is a regional center with a population of over 500 thousand people. Directly on the seashore are such Russian cities like Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Derbent. The latter refers to ancient cities peace. People have been living in this place for more than 5 thousand years.

Many rivers flow into the Caspian Sea. There are about 130 of them. The largest of them are the Volga, Terek, Ural, Kura, Atrek, Emba, Sulak. It is the rivers, and not the precipitation, that feed the huge body of water. They give him up to 95% of water per year. The basin of the reservoir is 3.626 million square meters. km. These are all rivers with their tributaries flowing into the Caspian. The territory is huge, it includes bay Kara-Bogaz-Gol.

This bay is more correctly called a lagoon. It means a shallow body of water, separated from the sea by a sandy spit or reefs. There is such a spit in the Caspian. And the strait through which water flows from the sea is 200 km wide. True, people with their restless and ill-conceived activities almost destroyed Kara-Bogaz-Gol. They blocked off the lagoon with a dam, and its level dropped sharply. But after 12 years, the mistake was corrected and the strait was restored.

The Caspian has always been developed shipping. In the Middle Ages, merchants brought exotic spices and skins of snow leopards from Persia to Rus' by sea. Today, the reservoir connects the cities located on its banks. Ferry crossings are practiced. There is a water connection with the Black and by the Baltic Sea through rivers and canals.

Caspian Sea on the map

The reservoir is also important from the point of view fisheries, because sturgeon lives in it in large numbers and gives caviar. But today the number of sturgeons has significantly decreased. Ecologists propose to ban the capture of this valuable fish until the population recovers. But this issue has not yet been resolved. The number of tuna, bream, pike perch also decreased. Here it is necessary to take into account the fact that poaching is highly developed at sea. The reason for this is the difficult economic situation in the region.

And, of course, a few words must be said about oil. The extraction of "black gold" at sea began in 1873. The areas adjacent to Baku have become a real gold mine. There were more than 2 thousand wells here, and oil production and processing was carried out on an industrial scale. At the beginning of the 20th century it was the center of the international oil industry. In 1920, Azerbaijan was occupied by the Bolsheviks. Oil wells and factories were requisitioned. The entire oil industry came under the control of the USSR. In 1941, Azerbaijan supplied 72% of all oil produced in the socialist state.

In 1994, the "Contract of the Century" was signed. It marked the beginning of the international development of the Baku oil fields. The main Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline allows Azerbaijani oil to flow directly to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. It was put into operation in 2006. To date, oil reserves are estimated at 12 trillion. US dollars.

Thus, it is clear that the Caspian Sea is one of the most important economic regions of the world. The political situation in the Caspian region is rather complicated. For a long time there were disputes about maritime borders between Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran. There were many inconsistencies and disagreements, which negatively affected the development of the region.

This ended on August 12, 2018. On this day, the states of the "Caspian Five" signed the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. This document demarcated the bottom and subsoil, and each of the five countries (Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan) received its share in the Caspian basin. The rules for the implementation of navigation, fishing, scientific research, and the laying of pipelines were also approved. The boundaries of territorial waters received the status of state.

Yuri Syromyatnikov

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 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 the west coast. The Heraz, Gorgan, Sefidrud rivers flow into the southern Iranian coast, which bring only 5% of the flow. AT 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.

Large cities and ports are located on the coast of the Caspian Sea: 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 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:

Is it correct to call the Caspian a sea?

It is known that the sea is part of the oceans. From this geographically correct point of view, the Caspian cannot be considered a sea, because it is separated from the ocean by huge land masses. The shortest distance from the Caspian to the Black Sea, the closest of the seas included in the system of the World Ocean, is 500 kilometers. Therefore, it would be more correct to speak of the Caspian as a lake. This is the world's largest lake, often referred to simply as the Caspian or lake-sea.

The Caspian has a number of features of the sea: its water is salty (however, there are other salt lakes), the area is not much inferior to the area of ​​such seas as the Black, Baltic, Red, North, and even exceeds the area of ​​Azov and some others (however, the Canadian Lake Superior also has a huge area like three Seas of Azov). In the Caspian, fierce storm winds and huge waves are frequent (and this is not uncommon in Baikal).

So, after all, the Caspian Sea is a lake? That's Wikipedia says it Yes, and the Great Soviet Encyclopedia answers that no one has yet been able to give an exact definition of this issue - "A generally accepted classification does not exist."

Do you know why this is very important and fundamental? And here's why...

The lake belongs to internal waters - the sovereign territories of coastal states, to which the international regime does not apply (the principle of non-intervention of the UN in the internal affairs of states). But the water area of ​​the sea is divided differently, and the rights of coastal states are completely different here.

In my own way geographic location The Caspian itself, in contrast to the land territories surrounding it, has not been the object of any targeted attention on the part of the coastal states for many centuries. Only at the beginning of the XIX century. between Russia and Persia, the first treaties were concluded: Gulistan (1813) 4 and Turkmanchay (1828), summing up the Russian- Persian War, as a result of which Russia annexed a number of Transcaucasian territories and received the exclusive right to maintain a navy in the Caspian Sea. Russian and Persian merchants were allowed to freely trade on the territory of both states and use the Caspian Sea to transport goods. The Turkmanchay Treaty confirmed all these provisions and became the basis for maintaining international relations between the parties until 1917.

After the October Revolution of 1917, in a note of the new Russian government that came to power on January 14, 1918, it renounced its exclusive military presence in the Caspian Sea. The agreement between the RSFSR and Persia of February 26, 1921 declared invalid all agreements concluded before it by the tsarist government. The Caspian Sea became a body of water for common use by the parties: both states were granted equal rights of free navigation, except in cases where the crews of Iranian ships could include citizens of third countries using the service for unfriendly purposes (Article 7). Treaty of 1921 maritime border between the parties did not provide.

In August 1935, the following treaty was signed, the parties to which were new subjects of international law - the Soviet Union and Iran, which acted under the new name. The parties reaffirmed the provisions of the 1921 agreement, but introduced into the agreement a new concept for the Caspian - a 10-mile fishing zone, which limited the spatial limits for its participants to conduct this fishery. This was done in order to control and conserve the living resources of the reservoir.

In the context of the outbreak of World War II, unleashed by Germany, an urgent need arose to conclude a new treaty between the USSR and Iran on trade and navigation in the Caspian. The reason for this was the concern of the Soviet side, caused by Germany's interest in intensifying its trade relations with Iran and the danger of using the Caspian Sea as one of the stages of the transit route. The treaty signed between the USSR and Iran in 1940 10 protected the Caspian Sea from such a prospect: it repeated the main provisions of the previous agreements, which provided for the stay in its waters of ships of only these two Caspian states. It also included a provision for its indefinite validity.

The collapse of the Soviet Union radically changed the regional situation in the former Soviet space, in particular in the Caspian region. Among the large number of new problems, the problem of the Caspian Sea has also arisen. Instead of two states - the USSR and Iran, which previously bilaterally resolved all emerging issues of maritime navigation, fishing and the use of its other living and non-living resources, now there are five of them. Of the former, only Iran remained, Russia took the place of the USSR on the rights of succession, the remaining three are new states: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan. They used to have access to the Caspian, but only as republics of the USSR, and not as independent states. Now, having become independent and sovereign, they have the opportunity to participate on an equal footing with Russia and Iran in the discussion and decision-making in the consideration of all the above issues. This was also reflected in the attitude of these states to the Caspian, since all five states that had access to it showed equal interest in the use of its living and non-living resources. And this is logical, and most importantly, justified: the Caspian Sea is rich in natural resources, both fish stocks and black gold - oil and blue fuel - gas. Exploration and production of the last two resources have long been the subject of the most heated and protracted negotiations. But not only them.

In addition to the presence of rich mineral resources, about 120 species and subspecies of fish live in the waters of the Caspian Sea, here is the world gene pool of sturgeons, the extraction of which, until recently, accounted for 90% of their total world catch.

Due to its location, the Caspian has traditionally and long been widely used for navigation, acting as a kind of transport artery between the peoples of the coastal states. Along its banks are such large seaports, as the Russian Astrakhan, the capital of Azerbaijan Baku, the Turkmen Turkmenbashi, the Iranian Anzeli and the Kazakh Aktau, between which trade, cargo and passenger sea transport routes have long been laid.

And yet, the main object of attention of the Caspian states is its mineral resources - oil and natural gas, to which each of them can lay claim within the boundaries that should be determined by them collectively on the basis of international law. And for this, they will have to divide between themselves both the Caspian Sea and its bottom, in the bowels of which its oil and gas are hidden, and develop rules for their extraction with minimal damage to a very fragile environment, primarily the marine environment and its living inhabitants.

The main obstacle in resolving the issue of the beginning of a wide extraction of the mineral resources of the Caspian Sea for the Caspian states continues to be its international legal status: should it be considered a sea or a lake? The complexity of the issue lies in the fact that these states themselves must solve it, and so far no agreement has been observed in their ranks. But at the same time, each of them seeks to start extracting Caspian oil and natural gas as soon as possible and make their sale abroad a permanent source of funds to form their budget.

Therefore, the oil companies of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, without waiting for the end of the settlement of existing disagreements on the territorial division of the Caspian Sea, have already begun active production of its oil, in the hope of ceasing to be dependent on Russia, turning their countries into oil producers and, in this capacity, begin to build their own long-term trading relations with neighbors.

However, the issue of the status of the Caspian Sea remains unresolved. Regardless of whether the Caspian states agree to consider it a “sea” or a “lake”, they will have to apply the principles corresponding to the choice made or develop their own in this case to the territorial division of its water area and bottom.

Kazakhstan was in favor of recognizing the Caspian as a sea. Such recognition will make it possible to apply to the division of the Caspian the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on Internal Waters, the Territorial Sea, the Exclusive Economic Zone, and the Continental Shelf. This would allow the coastal states to gain sovereignty over the subsoil of the territorial sea (Article 2) and exclusive rights to explore and develop the resources of the continental shelf (Article 77). But the Caspian cannot be called a sea from the position of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of ​​1982, since this body of water is closed and has no natural connection with the oceans.

In this case, the option of sharing its water area and bottom resources is also excluded.

In the treaties between the USSR and Iran, the Caspian Sea was considered as a border lake. With the legal status of a "lake" given to the Caspian Sea, it is supposed to be divided into sectors, as is done with respect to border lakes. But in international law there is no rule obliging states to do just that: division into sectors is an established practice.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly made statements that the Caspian is a lake, and its waters and subsoil are the common property of the coastal states. Iran also considers the Caspian Sea as a lake from the position fixed in the treaties with the USSR. The country's government believes that this status implies the creation of a consortium for the unified management of production and use of its resources by the Caspian states. Some authors also share this opinion, for example, R. Mammadov believes that with such a status, the extraction of hydrocarbon resources in the Caspian Sea by these states should be carried out jointly.

In the literature, there has been a proposal to give the Caspian Sea the status of a “sui generis” lake, and in this case we are talking about a special international legal status of such a lake and its special treatment. Under the regime is assumed the joint development by states of their own rules for the use of its resources.

Thus, the recognition of the Caspian Sea as a lake does not require its mandatory division into sectors - each coastal state has its own part. In addition, there are no norms in international law on the division of lakes between states: this is their good will, behind which certain internal interests may be hidden.

At present, all the Caspian states recognize that the modern legal regime was established by the established practice of its use, but now the Caspian is in actual common use not by two, but by five states. Even at the meeting of foreign ministers held in Ashgabat on November 12, 1996, the Caspian states confirmed that the status of the Caspian Sea could be changed only with the consent of all five coastal states. Later, this was also confirmed by Russia and Azerbaijan in a joint statement dated January 9, 2001 on the principles of cooperation, as well as in the Declaration on cooperation in the Caspian Sea signed between Kazakhstan and Russia dated October 9, 2000.

But in the course of numerous Caspian negotiations, conferences and four summits of the Caspian states (Ashgabat summit on April 23-24, 2002, the Tehran summit on October 16, 2007, the Baku summit on November 18, 2010 and Astrakhan on September 29, 2014), the consent of the Caspian countries it has not been possible to achieve.

More productive so far is cooperation at the bilateral and trilateral levels. Back in May 2003, Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the junction of the lines of delimitation of adjacent sections of the bottom of the Caspian Sea, which was based on previous bilateral agreements. In the current situation, Russia, by its participation in these agreements, seemed to confirm that the agreements between the USSR and Iran are outdated and do not correspond to existing realities.

In the Agreement of July 6, 1998 between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan on the delimitation of the bottom of the northern part of the Caspian Sea in order to exercise sovereign rights to subsoil use, the delimitation of the sea bottom between adjacent and opposite sides along a modified median line was announced on the basis of the principle of justice and agreement of the parties. At the bottom of the section, the states have sovereign rights, but their common use of the water surface is preserved.

Iran perceived this agreement as separate and violating the previous Treaties with the USSR of 1921 and 1940. However, it should be noted that in the preamble of the 1998 agreement, to which Russia and Kazakhstan were parties, the agreement was considered as a temporary measure pending the signing of the convention by all the Caspian states.

Later, on July 19 of the same year, Iran and Russia made a joint statement in which they proposed three possible scenarios for the delimitation of the Caspian Sea. First: the sea should be shared on the basis of the condominium principle. The second scenario boils down to dividing the water area, waters, bottom and subsoil into national sectors. The third scenario, which is a compromise between the first and second options, assumes that only the bottom will be divided between the coastal states, and water surface be considered common and open to all riparian countries.

The existing options for the delimitation of the Caspian Sea, including those mentioned above, are possible only if there is good political will on the part of the parties. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have clearly expressed their position from the very beginning of the process of multilateral consultations. Azerbaijan considers the Caspian Sea to be a lake and, therefore, it should be divided. Kazakhstan proposes to consider the Caspian as a closed sea, referring to the 1982 UN Convention (Articles 122, 123), and, accordingly, stands for its division in the spirit of the Convention. Turkmenistan has long supported the idea of ​​joint management and use of the Caspian, but foreign companies already developing resources off the coast of Turkmenistan have influenced the policy of its president, who began to object to the establishment of a condominium regime, supporting the position of dividing the sea.

Azerbaijan was the first of the Caspian states to start using the hydrocarbon resources of the Caspian under the new conditions. After the signing of the "Deal of the Century" in September 1994, Baku expressed a desire to declare the sector adjacent to it an integral part of its territory. This provision was also enshrined in the Constitution of Azerbaijan, adopted in order to exercise sovereign rights to subsoil use, Moscow, July 6, 1998 at a referendum on November 12, 1995 (Article 11). But such a radical position from the very beginning did not correspond to the interests of all other coastal states, especially Russia, which expresses fears that this will open access to the Caspian Sea to countries in other regions. Azerbaijan agreed to a compromise. In the Agreement between the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan on the delimitation of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea in 2002, a provision was fixed in which the division of the bottom was carried out using the median line, and the water area of ​​the reservoir remained in joint use.

Unlike Azerbaijan, which expressed a desire to completely divide the Caspian, Iran proposes to leave its bowels and water for joint use, but does not object to the option of dividing the Caspian into 5 equal parts. Accordingly, each member of the Caspian five would be allocated 20 percent of the total territory of the reservoir.

Russia's point of view was changing. For a long time Moscow insisted on the establishment of a condominium, but wanting to build a long-term policy with neighbors who did not benefit from considering the Caspian as the property of five coastal states, it changed its position. This then prompted the states to start a new stage of negotiations, at the end of which, in 1998, the above Agreement was signed, where Russia declared that it was “ripe” for the division of the Caspian Sea. Its main principle was the position "the water is common - we divide the bottom."

Taking into account the fact that some of the Caspian states, namely Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia, have reached agreements on the conditional delimitation of spaces in the Caspian, it can be concluded that they are actually satisfied with the already established regime with the division of its bottom along a modified median line and the joint use of the surface reservoir for navigation and fishing.

However, the lack of complete clarity and unity in the position of all countries of the coast prevents the Caspian states themselves from developing oil production. And oil is of key importance to them. There are no unequivocal data regarding their reserves in the Caspian Sea. According to the US Energy Information Agency in 2003, the Caspian was ranked second in oil reserves and third in gas reserves. The data of the Russian side is different: they speak of an artificial overestimation by Western experts of the energy resources of the Caspian Sea. Differences in assessments are due to the political and economic interests of regional and external players. The data distortion factor was the geopolitical significance of the region, with which the foreign policy plans of the US and the EU are connected. Zbigniew Brzezinski back in 1997 expressed the opinion that this region is the "Eurasian Balkans".

The Caspian Sea is located in different geographical areas. It plays a big role in world history, is an important economic region and a source of resources. The Caspian Sea is a unique body of water.

Short description

This sea has big sizes. The bottom is covered with oceanic bark. These factors make it possible to classify it as a sea.

It is a closed reservoir, has no drains and is not connected with the waters of the oceans. Therefore, it can also be attributed to the category of lakes. In this case, it will be the most big lake on the planet.

The approximate area of ​​the Caspian Sea is about 370 thousand square kilometers. The volume of the sea changes depending on the various fluctuations in the water level. The average value is 80 thousand cubic kilometers. The depth varies in its parts: the southern one has a greater depth than the northern one. The average depth is 208 meters, the highest value in the southern part exceeds 1000 meters.

The Caspian Sea plays an important role in the development of trade relations between the countries. The resources mined in it, as well as other trade items, were transported to different countries since the development of navigation at sea. Since the Middle Ages, merchants have delivered exotic goods, spices and furs. Today, in addition to transporting resources, ferries between cities are carried out by sea. The Caspian Sea is also connected by a navigable canal through the rivers with the Sea of ​​Azov.

Geographic characteristics

The Caspian Sea is located between two continents - Europe and Asia. Washes the territory of several countries. These are Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.

It has more than 50 islands, both large and small in size. For example, the islands of Ashur-Ada, Tyuleniy, Chigil, Gum, Zenbil. As well as the peninsulas, the most significant - Absheron, Mangyshlak, Agrakhan and others.

Main tributary water resources The Caspian Sea receives from the rivers flowing into it. In total, there are 130 tributaries of this reservoir. The largest is the Volga River, which brings the bulk of the water. The Kheras, Ural, Terek, Astarchay, Kura, Sulak and many others rivers also flow into it.

The waters of this sea form many bays. Among the largest are: Agrakhansky, Kizlyarsky, Turkmenbashi, Girkan Bay. In the eastern part there is a bay-lake called Kara-Bogaz-Gol. It communicates with the sea by a small strait.

Climate

The climate is characterized by the geographical location of the sea, therefore it has several types: from continental in the northern region to subtropical in the south. This affects the air and water temperatures, which have great contrasts depending on the part of the sea, especially in the cold season.

in winter average temperature air in the northern region is about -10 degrees, water reaches a value of -1 degree.

In the southern region, the temperature of air and water in winter warms up to an average of +10 degrees.

AT summer time The air temperature in the northern zone reaches +25 degrees. Much hotter in the south. The maximum recorded value here is + 44 degrees.

Resources

The natural resources of the Caspian Sea contain large reserves of various deposits.

One of the most valuable resources of the Caspian Sea is oil. Mining has been carried out since about 1820. Springs were opened on the territory of the seabed and its coast. By the beginning of the new century, the Caspian was at the forefront in obtaining this valuable product. During this time, thousands of wells were opened, which made it possible to extract oil on a huge industrial scale.

The Caspian Sea and the territory adjacent to it also have rich deposits of natural gas, mineral salts, sand, lime, several types of natural clay and rocks.

Inhabitants and fisheries

The biological resources of the Caspian Sea are very diverse and highly productive. It contains more than 1500 species of inhabitants, rich in commercial fish species. The population depends on climatic conditions in different parts of the sea.

In the northern part of the sea, pike perch, bream, catfish, asp, pike and other species are more common. Gobies, mullet, bream, herring live in the western and eastern. Southern waters are rich in various representatives. One of the many are sturgeons. According to their content, this sea occupies a leading place among other reservoirs.

Among the wide variety, tuna, beluga, stellate sturgeon, sprat and many others are also caught. In addition, there are mollusks, crayfish, echinoderms and jellyfish.

The mammal Caspian seal lives in the Caspian Sea, or This animal is unique and lives only in these waters.

The sea is also characterized by a high content of various algae, for example, blue-green, red, brown; sea ​​grass and phytoplankton.

Ecology

The extraction and transportation of oil has a huge negative impact on the ecological situation of the sea. The ingress of oil products into water is almost inevitable. Oil stains cause irreparable damage to marine habitats.

The main inflow of water resources to the Caspian Sea is provided by rivers. Unfortunately, most of them have a high level of pollution, which degrades the quality of the water in the sea.

Industrial and domestic effluents from the surrounding cities are poured into the sea in large quantities, which also damages the environment.

Poaching causes great damage to the marine habitat. Sturgeon species are the main target for illegal catching. This significantly reduces the number of sturgeon and threatens the entire population of this type.

The above information will help to assess the resources of the Caspian Sea, to briefly study the characteristics and ecological situation of this unique reservoir.