Caspian Sea Ocean. Interesting facts about the Caspian Sea: depth, relief, coastline, resources

Is it correct to call the Caspian Sea?

It is known that the sea is part of the World Ocean. 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 World Ocean system, is 500 kilometers. Therefore, it would be more correct to speak of the Caspian as a lake. This largest lake in the world is often referred to simply as the Caspian or the sea-lake.

The Caspian has a number of signs 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 ​​the Azov and some others (however, the Canadian Lake Superior also has a huge area , like the three seas of Azov). Fierce storm winds and huge waves are frequent in the Caspian (and this is not uncommon on Lake Baikal).

So the Caspian Sea is a lake after all? That's in Wikipedia it is written And the Great Soviet Encyclopedia answers that no one has yet been able to give an exact definition of this issue - "There is no generally accepted classification."

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

The lake belongs to inland waters - sovereign territories of coastal states, which are not subject to the international regime (the principle of UN non-interference in the internal affairs of states). But the sea area is divided in a different way, and the rights of coastal states are completely different here.

In their own way geographic location the Caspian itself, in contrast to the surrounding land territories, for many centuries has not been the object of any targeted attention from the coastal states. Only at the beginning of the 19th century. the first treaties were concluded between Russia and Persia: Gulistan (1813) 4 and Turkmanchay (1828), summing up the results of the Russian Persian War, as a result of which Russia annexed a number of Transcaucasian territories and received the exclusive right to maintain a military fleet in the Caspian Sea. Russian and Persian merchants were allowed to trade freely on the territory of both states and use the Caspian for the transport of goods. The Turkmanchay agreement confirmed all these provisions and became the basis for the maintenance of international relations between the parties until 1917.

After the October Revolution of 1917, in a note from the new government of Russia that came to power on January 14, 1918, it renounced its exclusive military presence in the Caspian Sea. The treaty 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 reservoir for the common use of the parties: both states were granted equal rights of free navigation, except for cases when the crews of Iranian ships could include citizens of third countries using the service for unfriendly purposes (Article 7). The 1921 treaty did not provide for the maritime border between the parties.

In August 1935, the following treaty was signed, the parties to which were new subjects of international law - the Soviet Union and Iran, which came under the new name. The parties confirmed the provisions of the 1921 treaty, but introduced into the agreement a new concept for the Caspian - a 10-mile fishing zone, which limited the spatial limits of this fishery for its participants. This was done in order to control and preserve 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 on trade and navigation in the Caspian Sea between the USSR and Iran. 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 between the USSR and Iran, signed 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 the ships of only these two Caspian states. It also included a norm about 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 arisen. Instead of two states - the USSR and Iran, which previously bilaterally resolved all emerging issues of maritime navigation, fishing and the use of other living and nonliving resources, now there are five of them. Of the former, only Iran remained, the place of the USSR as succession was taken by Russia, the other three are new states: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan. They had access to the Caspian before, 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 reflected in the attitude of these states towards the Caspian, since all five states that had access to it showed the same interest in the use of its living and nonliving 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 they are not the only ones.

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

Due to its location, the Caspian has traditionally and for a long time been widely used for shipping, acting as a kind of transport artery between the peoples of the coastal states. Such large seaports like the Russian Astrakhan, the capital of Azerbaijan Baku, the Turkmen Turkmenbashi, the Iranian Anzeli and the Kazakhstani Aktau, between which routes for the movement of trade, cargo and passenger sea transport have long been laid.

And yet, the main object of attention of the Caspian states is its mineral resources - oil and natural gas, which each of them can claim within the boundaries that must be determined by them collectively on the basis of international law. And to do this, they will have to divide between themselves the Caspian Sea and its bottom, in the depths 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 widespread extraction of the Caspian mineral resources 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 there is no agreement in their ranks so far. But at the same time, each of them seeks to start the production of Caspian oil and natural gas as soon as possible and make their sale abroad a permanent source of funds for the formation of their budget.

Therefore, the oil companies of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, without waiting for the end of the settlement of the existing differences on the territorial division of the Caspian, have already begun active production of its oil, hoping to stop being dependent on Russia, turn their countries into oil-producing countries and, in this capacity, begin to build their own long-term trade relations with neighbors.

However, the question 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 to the territorial division of its water area and the bottom, or develop their own in this case.

Kazakhstan was in favor of recognizing the Caspian by the sea. Such recognition will make it possible to apply the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on internal waters, territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, continental shelf to the division of the Caspian Sea. This would allow the coastal states to acquire sovereignty over the bowels of the territorial sea (Art. 2) and exclusive rights to explore and develop the resources of the continental shelf (Art. 77). But the Caspian cannot be called a sea from the perspective of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, since this body of water is closed and has no natural connection with the world's oceans.

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

In the USSR treaties with Iran, the Caspian Sea was considered as a border lake. With the granting of the legal status of a “lake” to the Caspian Sea, it is supposed to be divided into sectors, as is done in relation to border lakes. But in international law there is no rule obliging the state 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 coastal states. Iran also considers the Caspian Sea as a lake from the position enshrined in treaties with the USSR. The government of the country believes that this status implies the creation of a consortium for the unified management of production and the use of its resources. Caspian states... This opinion is also expressed by some authors, for example, R. Mammadov believes that with this status, the extraction of hydrocarbon resources in the Caspian 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 lake "sui generis", and in this case we are talking about a special international legal status of such a lake and its special regime... Under the regime, states are supposed to jointly develop their own rules for the use of its resources.

Thus, the recognition of the Caspian by a lake does not require its obligatory division into sectors - each coastal state has its own part. In addition, in international law, there are no norms at all 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 of two, but of five states. Back at the meeting of foreign ministers held in Ashgabat on November 12, 1996, the Caspian states confirmed that the status of the Caspian Sea can be changed only with the consent of all five coastal states. Later, this was also confirmed by Russia and Azerbaijan in a joint statement of 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 of 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, Tehran summit on October 16, 2007, Baku summit on November 18, 2010 and Astrakhan summit on September 29, 2014) it was never achieved.

Cooperation at the bilateral and trilateral levels is still more productive. Back in May 2003, Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the junction point of the delimitation lines of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea bottom, which was based on previous bilateral agreements. In the current situation, by its participation in these agreements, Russia, as it were, confirmed that the agreements between the USSR and Iran are outdated and do not correspond to the 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, it was announced about the delimitation of the sea bottom between adjacent and opposing parties along a modified median line based on the principle of justice and agreement of the parties. The states have sovereign rights to the bottom of the plot, but at the same time their common use of the water surface is preserved.

Iran perceived this agreement as a separate one and in violation of the previous Treaties with the USSR in 1921 and 1940. However, it should be noted that in the preamble to the 1998 agreement, to which Russia and Kazakhstan were parties, the agreement was viewed 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. 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, involves sharing only the seabed between the coastal states, and water surface considered common and open to all coastal countries.

The existing options for the delimitation of the Caspian, including those mentioned above, are possible only if there is a good political will of the parties. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have clearly expressed their position from the very beginning of the multilateral consultation process. Azerbaijan considers the Caspian Sea to be a lake and, therefore, it should be divided. Kazakhstan proposes to consider the Caspian an enclosed sea, referring to the 1982 UN Convention (Articles 122, 123), and, accordingly, advocates 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 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 conclusion of the "Deal of the Century" in September 1994, Baku expressed a desire to declare the adjacent sector 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 for countries in other regions. Azerbaijan agreed to a compromise. In the Agreement between the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan on the delimitation of adjacent areas of the Caspian Sea in 2002, a provision was fixed in which the seabed was divided using the median line, and the water area remained in joint use.

Unlike Azerbaijan, which has expressed a desire to completely divide the Caspian Sea, Iran proposes to leave its subsoil and water in 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 area of ​​the reservoir.

Russia's point of view was changing. For a long time Moscow insisted on the establishment of a condominium, but wishing to build a long-term policy with neighbors who did not find it profitable to consider the Caspian as the property of the five coastal states, changed its position. This then pushed the states to start a new stage of negotiations, upon completion of which the above Agreement was signed in 1998, where Russia declared that it was “ripe” for the division of the Caspian. Its main principle was the position “common water - 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, we can conclude that they are actually satisfied with the already established regime with the division of its bottom along the modified median line and the joint use of the surface reservoir for shipping and fishing.

However, the lack of complete clarity and unity in the position of all coastal countries prevents the Caspian states themselves from developing oil production. And oil is of key importance to them. There are no unambiguous 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 are different: they speak of artificial overstatement by Western experts of the energy resources of the Caspian Sea. The discrepancies in assessments are due to the political and economic interests of regional and external players. The factor of data distortion was the geopolitical significance of the region, with which the foreign policy plans of the United States and the EU are connected. Back in 1997, Zbigniew Brzezinski expressed the opinion that this region is the “Eurasian Balkans”.

The Caspian Sea is located in different geographic areas... It plays an important 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 crust. These factors make it possible to classify it as a sea.

It is a closed body of water, has no drains and is not connected with the waters of the World Ocean. 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 with different fluctuations in the water level. The average value is 80 thousand cubic kilometers. The depth differs in its parts: the southern one is deeper than the northern one. The average depth is 208 meters, the highest in the southern part is over 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 shipping at sea. Since the Middle Ages, merchants have been delivering exotic goods, spices and furs. Today, in addition to the transportation of resources, by sea are carried out ferry crossings between cities. Also, the Caspian Sea is 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 peninsulas, the most significant are Apsheronsky, Mangyshlak, Agrakhansky and others.

The Caspian Sea receives the main inflow of water resources 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 rivers Kheras, Ural, Terek, Astarchay, Kura, Sulak and many others also flow into it.

The waters of this sea form many bays. Among the largest: Agrakhan, Kizlyar, 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 geographic location sea, therefore it has several types: from continental in the northern region to subtropical in the southern. 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 -1 degrees.

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

V summer time the air temperature in the northern zone reaches +25 degrees. It's much hotter in the south. The maximum value recorded 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. Extraction has been carried out since about 1820. The springs were discovered on the territory of the seabed and its coast. By the beginning of the new century, the Caspian was at the forefront of 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 adjacent territory also have rich deposits of natural gas, mineral salts, sand, lime, several types of natural clay and rocks.

Inhabitants and fishing

The biological resources of the Caspian Sea are distinguished by great diversity and good productivity. It contains more than 1500 species of inhabitants, rich in commercial fish species. 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 parts. The southern waters are rich in various representatives. One of the many are sturgeon. According to their content, this sea occupies a leading place among other bodies of water.

Among the wide variety, tuna, beluga, stellate sturgeon, tulka and many others are also caught. In addition, molluscs, crayfish, echinoderms and jellyfish are found.

In the Caspian Sea, the Caspian seal mammal lives, 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

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

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

Industrial and domestic wastewater from surrounding cities is discharged into the sea in huge quantities, which also damages the environment.

Poaching is causing great damage to the marine environment. The main target for illegal fishing is sturgeon fish species. This significantly reduces the number of sturgeon and threatens the entire population of this type.

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

The Caspian Sea is located between Asia and Europe. This is the largest salt sea-lake located in Kazakhstan, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan. At present, its level is 28 meters below the level of the World Ocean. The depth of the Caspian Sea is quite large. The area of ​​the reservoir is 371 thousand square kilometers.

History

About five million years ago, the sea split into small bodies of water, including the Black and Caspian Seas. After these events, they joined and separated. About two million years ago, the Caspian Lake was cut off from the World Ocean. This period is considered the beginning of its formation. Throughout history, the reservoir has changed its contours several times, and the depth of the Caspian Sea has also changed.

Now the Caspian is the largest inland water body, containing about 44% of the planet's lake waters. Despite the ongoing changes, the depth of the Caspian Sea has not changed very much.

Once it was called the Khvali and Khazar, and the tribes of horse breeders gave it another name - the Caspian. This is the name of the tribe living on the southwestern shore of the reservoir. In total, during its existence, the lake had more than seventy names, here are some of them:

1. Abeskunskoe.
2. Derbent.
3. Saraiskoe.
4. Sihai.
5. Dzhurdzhanskoe.
6. Girkanskoe.

Depth and relief

The relief and features of the hydrological regime divide the sea-lake into northern, middle and southern parts. Over the entire area of ​​the Caspian Sea, the average depth is 180-200 m, but the relief in different parts is different.

The northern part of the reservoir is shallow. Here the depth of the Caspian Sea-lake is approximately 25 meters. In the middle part of the Caspian there are very deep depressions, continental slopes, and shelves. Here the average depth is 192 meters, and in the Derbent depression - about 788 meters.

The greatest depth of the Caspian Sea is in the South Caspian depression (1025 meters). Its bottom is flat, and there are several ridges in the northern part of the depression. It is here that the maximum depth of the Caspian Sea is marked.

Features of the coastline

Its length is seven thousand kilometers. The northern part of the coastline is lowland, the southern and western are mountains, and the eastern is highlands. The spurs of Elbrus and the Caucasus Mountains approach the shores of the sea.

The Caspian has large bays: Kazakh, Kizlyar, Mangyshlak, Kara-Bogaz-Gol, Krasnovodsky.

If you go on a cruise from north to south, the route will be 1200 kilometers long. In this direction, the reservoir has an elongated shape, and from west to east the width of the sea is different. At its narrowest point, it is 195 kilometers, and at its widest - 435 kilometers. The average width of the reservoir is 315 km.

The sea has several peninsulas: Mangyshlak, Buzachi, Miankale and others. There are also several islands here. The largest are Chygyl, Kur-Dashi, Gum, Dash, and Seal Islands.

Reservoir nutrition

About one hundred and thirty rivers flow into the Caspian. Most of them flow in the north and west. The main river flowing into the sea is the Volga. Three large rivers account for about ninety percent of the runoff: the Volga (80%), the Kura (6%) and the Ural (5%). Five percent - to Terek, Sulak and Samur, and the remaining four are brought by small rivers and streams of Iran.

Caspian resources

The reservoir has amazing beauty, a variety of ecosystems and a rich supply of natural resources. When there are frosts in its northern part, magnolias and apricots bloom in the south.

The relict flora and fauna have been preserved in the Caspian Sea, including the largest flock of sturgeon fish. As it evolved, the marine flora changed more than once, adjusting to salinization and desalination. As a result, there are many freshwater species in these waters, but few marine ones.

After the Volga-Don Canal was built, new types of algae appeared in the reservoir, which were previously found in the Black and Azov Seas. Now in the Caspian there are 854 animal species, of which 79 are vertebrates, and over 500 plant species. This unique sea-lake provides up to 80% of all sturgeon catch in the world and about 95% of black caviar catch.

There are five sturgeon species in the Caspian: stellate sturgeon, thorn, sterlet, beluga and sturgeon. Beluga is the largest member of the species. Its weight can reach a ton, and its length is five meters. In addition to sturgeon, herring, salmon, kutum, roach, asp and other types of fish are caught in the sea.

Of the mammals in the Caspian Sea, only the local seal is found, which is not found in other water bodies of the world. It is considered the smallest on the planet. Its weight is about a hundred kilograms, and its length is 160 centimeters. The Caspian region is the main migration route for birds between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Each year, approximately 12 million birds fly over the sea during their migration (in the spring to the south, and in the fall to the north). In addition, another 5 million remain in these places for wintering.

The greatest wealth of the Caspian Sea is its huge reserves of oil and gas. Geological exploration in the region has discovered large deposits of these minerals. Their potential puts the local reserves in second place in the world after

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 28m below the level. The water in the Caspian Sea has a lower 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). The coastline is estimated from 6500 to 6700 km, and if we take it together with the islands, then more than 7000 km.

The seashore is mostly low and smooth. If you look at the northern part, there are many islands, water channels, cut by the Volga and the Urals. In these places, the coast is swampy and covered with thickets. From the east, a semi-desert and desert area 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. The shelf is in the northern part, the average depth here is from 4 to 9 m, the maximum depth is 24 m, which gradually increases and reaches 100 m. The continental slope in the middle part drops to 500 m. The Mangyshlak sill separates the northern part from the middle. Here is one of the most deep places 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 on the border of Azerbaijan and Iran.

The Caspian Sea belongs to five states. From the west and north-west, the length of the coast of 695 km is the territory of Russia. Most of the 2,320 km long coastline belongs to Kazakhstan in the east and northeast. Turkmenistan has 1,200 km in the southeastern part, Iran owns 724 km in the south and Azerbaijan owns 955 km of the coastline on the southwest side.

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

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

The largest bays of the Caspian Sea: Agrakhan, Kizlyar, Kaidak, Kazakh, Dead Kultuk, Mangyshlak, Hasan-Kuli, Turkmenbashi, Kazakh, Gyzlar, Anzeli, Astrakhan, Gyzlar.

Until 1980, Kara-Bogaz-Gol was a lagoon bay, which was connected to the sea by a narrow strait. Now it is salt Lake separated from the sea by a dam. After the construction of the dam, the water was old and sharply decreasing, so a culvert had to be built. Through it, up to 25 km3 of water gets into the lake annually.

Water temperature

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

The climate in the northern part of the sea is continental, in the middle part - temperate, in the south - subtropical. Temperatures are always higher on the east coast than on the west. Once on the east coast, 44 degrees were recorded.

The composition of the Caspian waters

The salinity is about 0.3%. This is a typical desalinated pool. But the further south you go, 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 areas. They arise 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 accounts for almost 80% of all other rivers.

V last years there is a rapid pollution of water with oil products and phenols. Their level has already exceeded the permissible level.

Minerals

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

Fauna and flora

The fauna of the Caspian Sea is up to 1800 species. Of these, 415 are vertebrates, 101 are fish species, there is a world stock of sturgeon. Freshwater fish such as carp, pike perch, roach 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.

Of the plants, blue-green algae, brown, red, can be noted. Zostera and ruppia also grow, they are referred to as flowering algae.

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

Both local and migratory birds can be seen on the coast. In the south, geese and ducks winter, birds such as pelicans, herons, and flamingos arrange nesting grounds.

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

States are investing a lot of money to improve the situation. They purify wastewater, build fish breeding plants, 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 about 1200 kilometers (36 ° 34 "-47 ° 13" N), from west to east - from 195 to 435 kilometers, on average 310-320 kilometers (46 ° -56 ° c. d.).

The Caspian Sea is conventionally divided by 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 about. Chechnya - Cape Tyub-Karagan, between the Middle and South Caspian - along the line about. Residential - Cape Gan-Gulu. The area of ​​the North, Middle and South Caspian is 25, 36, 39 percent, respectively.

Caspian Sea coast

Coast of the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan

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

Peninsulas of the Caspian Sea

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

Bays of the Caspian Sea

• Russia (Dagestan, Kalmykia and the Astrakhan region) - in the west and north-west, the length of the coastline is about 1930 kilometers
• Kazakhstan - in the north, north-east 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 south-west, 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 Russia Derbent. Astrakhan is also considered a port city of the Caspian Sea, which, however, is not located on the shores of the Caspian Sea, but in the Volga delta, 60 kilometers from the northern coast of the Caspian Sea.

Physiography

Area, depth, volume of water

The area and volume of water in the Caspian Sea varies significantly depending on the fluctuations in the water level. With 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. 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 according to the bathygraphic curve, is 208 meters. At the same time, the northern part of the Caspian 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, charovy and others, of flowering plants - zostera and ruppia. By origin, the flora belongs mainly to the Neogene age, however, some plants were introduced into the Caspian Sea by humans deliberately 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 the Huto y cave south coast The Caspian Sea testifies that people lived in these parts about 75 thousand years ago. The first mentions of the Caspian Sea and tribes living on its coast are found at Herodotus. Approximately in the V-II centuries. BC NS. the tribes of the Saks lived on the coast of the Caspian. Later, during the period of the settlement of the Turks, during the IV-V centuries. n. NS. Talysh tribes (Talysh) lived here. According to ancient Armenian and Iranian manuscripts, Russians sailed in 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 order, in 1714-1715, an expedition was organized under the leadership of A. Bekovich-Cherkassky. In the 1720s, hydrographic research was continued by the expedition of Karl von Verden and F.I.Soimonov, and later by I.V. Tokmachev, M.I.Voinovich and other researchers. At the beginning of the 19th century, instrumental survey of the banks was carried out by I.F.Kolodkin, in the middle of the 19th century. - instrumental geographic survey under the direction of N. A. Ivashintsev. Since 1866, for more than 50 years, expeditionary studies on the hydrology and hydrobiology of the Caspian have been conducted 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 oil and gas condensate resources 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 in industrial volumes on the Absheron Peninsula, then in other territories.

Shipping

Shipping is well developed in the Caspian Sea. Ferry services operate on the Caspian Sea, in particular, Baku - Turkmenbashi, Baku - Aktau, Makhachkala - Aktau. The Caspian Sea has a navigable connection with the Sea of ​​Azov through the Volga, Don and Volga-Don Canal.

Fishing and seafood production

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 is flourishing in the Caspian Sea.

Recreational resources

The natural environment of the Caspian coast with sandy beaches, mineral waters and curative mud in the coastal area creates good conditions for relaxation and treatment. At the same time, according to the degree of development of resorts and tourism industry 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. A resort area in the Baku region is actively developing in Azerbaijan. At the moment, a world-class resort has been created in Amburan, another modern tourist complex is being built in the area of ​​the village of Nardaran, recreation in the sanatoriums of the villages of Bilgah and Zagulba is very popular. A resort area is also developing in Nabran, in the north of Azerbaijan. but high prices, in general, the low level of service and the lack of advertising lead to the fact that there are almost no 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 mass rest foreign tourists on the Caspian coast of Iran is impossible.

Ecological problems

Environmental problems of the Caspian Sea are associated with water pollution as a result of oil production and transportation on the continental shelf, the influx of pollutants from the Volga and other rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea, the vital activity of coastal cities, as well as flooding of certain objects due to the rise in the level of the Caspian Sea. Predatory hunting of sturgeon and their caviar, rampant poaching lead to a decrease in the number of sturgeons and to 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 for a long time was and still remains the subject of unresolved disagreements related to the division of the resources of the Caspian shelf - oil and gas, as well as biological resources. For a long time, negotiations were going on 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 Sea by one fifth between all the Caspian states.

With regard to the Caspian, 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 should not be automatically applied to the Caspian Sea, in particular, the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. 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 ships flying the flag of non-Caspian states in its waters.

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

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

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