South Caspian Sea. Caspian Sea lake. Rest in the Caspian resorts

, 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 of 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 southernmost city of 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 fluctuations in water level. At a water level of -26.75 m, the area is approximately 371,000 square kilometers, the volume of water is 78,648 cubic kilometers, which is approximately 44% of the world's lake water reserves. The maximum depth of the Caspian Sea is in the South Caspian depression, 1025 meters above 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

The finds in the Khuto cave off the southern coast of the Caspian Sea indicate 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 e. 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. e. 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 studies were 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, 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, were actively carried out.

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 recreation and treatment. At the same time, in terms of development of resorts and tourism industry, the Caspian coast is noticeably inferior to the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. At the same time, in recent years, the tourism industry has been actively developing on the coasts 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. However, high prices, generally low level of service and lack of advertising lead to the fact that there are almost no foreign tourists in the Caspian resorts. The development of the tourism industry in Turkmenistan is hampered by a long-term policy of isolation, in Iran - by Sharia law, because of which mass recreation of foreign tourists on the Caspian coast of Iran is impossible.

Environmental 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 one fifth of each between all 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 seabed of the Caspian Sea (dated May 14, 2003), which established the geographic coordinates of the dividing lines delimiting the sections of the seabed, within which the parties exercise their sovereign rights in the field of exploration and production of mineral resources.

The Caspian Lake is one of the most unique places on Earth. It keeps many secrets related to the history of the development of our planet.

Position on the physical map

The Caspian Sea is an internal drainless salt lake. The geographical position of the Caspian Lake is the continent of Eurasia at the junction of parts of the world (Europe and Asia).

The length of the lake shore line is from 6500 km to 6700 km. Taking into account the islands, the length increases to 7000 km.

The coastal areas of the Caspian Lake are mostly low-lying. Their northern part is cut by the channels of the Volga and the Urals. The river delta is rich in islands. The surface of the water in these areas is covered with thickets. Swampiness of large areas of land is noted.

The eastern coast of the Caspian Sea is adjacent to. On the shores of the lake there are significant deposits of limestone. The western and part of the eastern coast is characterized by a winding coastline.

The Caspian Lake on the map is represented by a significant size. The entire territory adjacent to it was named the Caspian Sea region.

Some characteristics

The Caspian Lake in terms of its area and volume of water in it has no equal on Earth. It stretches from north to south for 1,049 kilometers, and its greatest length from west to east is 435 kilometers.

If we take into account the depth of reservoirs, their area and volume of water, then the lake is comparable to the Yellow, Baltic and Black seas. By the same parameters, the Caspian Sea surpasses the Tyrrhenian, Aegean, Adriatic and other seas.

The volume of water available in the Caspian Lake is 44% of the total lake water supply of the planet.

Lake or sea?

Why is the Caspian lake called the sea? Is it really the imposing size of the reservoir that became the reason for the assignment of such a "status"? More precisely, this was one of such reasons.

Others include a huge mass of water in the lake, the presence of a large wave during stormy winds. All this is typical for real seas. It becomes clear why the Caspian Lake is called the sea.

But one of the basic conditions is not named here, which must necessarily exist for geographers to classify a body of water as a sea. We are talking about a direct connection between the lake and the World Ocean. The Caspian does not meet this very condition.

Where the Caspian Lake is located, a depression was formed in the earth's crust several tens of thousands of years ago. Today it is filled with the waters of the Caspian. According to scientists, at the end of the 20th century, the water level in the Caspian Sea was 28 meters below the level of the World Ocean. The direct connection of the waters of the lake and the ocean ceased to exist about 6 millennia ago. The conclusion from the above is that the Caspian Sea is a lake.

There is one more feature that distinguishes the Caspian from the sea - the salinity of the water in it is almost 3 times lower than the salinity of the World Ocean. The explanation for this is that about 130 large and small rivers carry fresh water to the Caspian Sea. The Volga makes the most significant contribution to this work - it is she who "gives" up to 80% of all water to the lake.

The river played another important role in the life of the Caspian. It is she who will help find the answer to the question of why the Caspian Lake is called the sea. Now that many canals have been built by man, it has become a fact that the Volga connects the lake with the World Ocean.

The history of the lake

The modern appearance and geographical position of the Caspian Lake are due to continuous processes taking place on the surface of the Earth and in its depths. There were times when the Caspian was connected with the Sea of ​​Azov, and through it with the Mediterranean and Black. That is, tens of thousands of years ago, the Caspian Lake was part of the World Ocean.

As a result of the processes associated with the raising and lowering of the earth's crust, mountains appeared on the site of the modern Caucasus. They isolated a body of water that was part of a huge ancient ocean. Several tens of thousands of years passed before the basins of the Black and Caspian Seas separated. But for a long time, the connection between their waters was carried out through the strait, which was on the site of the Kumo-Manych depression.

Periodically, the narrow strait was drained and then re-filled with water. This was due to fluctuations in the level of the World Ocean and changes in the appearance of the land.

In short, the origin of the Caspian Lake is closely related to the general history of the formation of the Earth's surface.

The lake got its modern name because of the Caspian tribes inhabiting the eastern parts of the Caucasus and the steppe zones of the Caspian territories. Throughout its history, the lake has had 70 different names.

Territorial division of the lake-sea

The depth of the Caspian Lake in different places is very different. Based on this, the entire water area of ​​the lake-sea was conditionally divided into three parts: the North Caspian, the Middle and the South.

Shallow water is the northern part of the lake. The average depth of these places is 4.4 meters. The highest indicator is 27 meters. And on 20% of the entire area of ​​the Northern Caspian, the depth is only about a meter. It is clear that this part of the lake is not very suitable for navigation.

The Middle Caspian Sea has the greatest depth at 788 meters. The deep-water part is occupied by lakes. The average depth here is 345 meters, and the greatest is 1026 meters.

Seasonal changes at sea

Due to the large length of the reservoir from north to south, the climatic conditions on the coast of the lake are not the same. Seasonal changes in the territories adjacent to the reservoir also depend on this.

In winter, on the southern coast of the lake in Iran, the water temperature does not drop below 13 degrees. During the same period, in the northern part of the lake off the coast of Russia, the water temperature does not exceed 0 degrees. The North Caspian is frozen in ice for 2-3 months a year.

In summer, almost everywhere, the Caspian Lake warms up to 25-30 degrees. Warm water, excellent sandy beaches, sunny weather create excellent conditions for people to relax.

Caspian on the political map of the world

Five states are located on the shores of the Caspian Lake - Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

The western regions of the North and Middle Caspian belong to the territory of Russia. Iran is located on the southern shores of the sea, it owns 15% of the entire length of the coastline. The eastern coastline is divided by Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Azerbaijan is located in the southwestern territories of the Caspian Sea.

The issue of dividing the water area of ​​the lake between the Caspian states has been the most acute for many years. The heads of the five states are trying to find a solution that would satisfy the needs and requirements of everyone.

Natural resources of the lake

Since ancient times, the Caspian Sea has served as a waterway for local residents.

The lake is famous for its valuable fish species, in particular sturgeon. Their reserves account for up to 80% of the world's resources. The issue of preserving the sturgeon population is of international importance, it is resolved at the level of the government of the Caspian states.

The Caspian seal is another mystery of the unique sea-lake. Scientists have not yet fully unraveled the mystery of the appearance of this animal in the waters of the Caspian, as well as other species of animals in northern latitudes.

In total, 1809 species of various groups of animals live in the Caspian Sea. There are 728 species of plants. Most of them are the "indigenous inhabitants" of the lake. But there is a small group of plants that were intentionally introduced by humans.

Of the minerals, the main wealth of the Caspian is oil and gas. Some information sources compare the oil reserves of the Caspian Lake deposits with Kuwait. Commercial offshore mining of black gold has been carried out on the lake since the end of the 19th century. The first well appeared on the Absheron shelf in 1820.

Today, governments unanimously believe that the region should not be viewed as a source of oil and gas, while ignoring the ecology of the Caspian.

In addition to oil fields, in the Caspian region there are deposits of salt, stone, limestone, clay and sand. Their extraction, too, could not but affect the ecological situation in the region.

Sea level fluctuations

The water level in the Caspian Lake is not constant. This is evidenced by evidence dating back to the 4th century BC. The ancient Greeks, who explored the sea, discovered a large bay at the confluence of the Volga. The existence of a shallow strait between the Caspian and the Sea of ​​Azov was also discovered by them.

There are other data on the water level in the Caspian Lake. The facts show that the level was much lower than it is now. The proof is the ancient architectural structures found on the seabed. The buildings date back to the 7th-13th centuries. Now the depth of their flooding is from 2 to 7 meters.

In 1930, the water level in the lake began to drop catastrophically. The process went on for almost fifty years. This caused great concern among people, since all economic activities of the Caspian region are adapted to the previously established water level.

Since 1978, the level has started to rise again. Today it has become more than 2 meters taller. This is also an undesirable phenomenon for people living on the coast of the lake-sea.

Climate change is said to be the main cause of fluctuations in the lake. This entails an increase in the volume of river water entering the Caspian, the amount of atmospheric precipitation, and a decrease in the intensity of water evaporation.

However, it cannot be said that this is the only opinion explaining the fluctuation of the water level in the Caspian Lake. There are others, no less plausible.

Human activities and environmental issues

The catchment area of ​​the Caspian Lake is 10 times larger than the surface of the water area of ​​the reservoir itself. Therefore, all the changes taking place in such a vast territory in one way or another affect the ecology of the Caspian.

Human activities play an important role in changing the ecological situation in the region of the Caspian Lake. For example, pollution of a reservoir with harmful and hazardous substances occurs along with the influx of fresh water. This is directly related to industrial production, the extraction of mineral resources and other human economic activities in the catchment area.

The state of the environment of the Caspian and adjacent territories is a common concern of the governments of the countries located here. Therefore, the discussion of measures aimed at preserving the unique lake, its flora and fauna has become traditional.

Each state has an understanding that only joint efforts can improve the ecology of the Caspian.

The Black, Azov and Caspian Seas are all that remains of the ancient Tethys Ocean. The Black Sea coast is the world's northernmost subtropics, where nature is amazing in beauty, healing climate, warm sea and mineral springs. The Caspian is sturgeon and oil. It was there that the film “White Sun of the Desert” was filmed.

Black Sea

The Black Sea is the Mediterranean Sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean, it is located between Europe and Asia Minor. The sea washes the shores of Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. In the northeast, the Black Sea is connected by the Kerch Strait with the Sea of ​​Azov, in the southwest by the Bosphorus Strait - with the Sea of ​​Marmara and further through the Dardanelles Strait with the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. The length of the Black Sea is 1150 km, the width at the narrowest point is 265 km, the area is 420.3 thousand km2, the volume of water is 547 thousand km3, the average depth is 1300 m.The rivers Danube, Dniester, Southern Bug, Dnieper, Rioni flow into the Black Sea and etc.

The shores of the Black Sea are scarcely indented; the only large peninsula is Crimean. The total length of the coastline is 3400 km. Some parts of the coast have their own names, the southern coast of the Crimea, the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, in Turkey - the Rumeli coast, the Anatolian coast. In the west and northwest, the shores are low, in places steep, estuary. The northern shores of the Crimean peninsula are low, the southern ones are mountainous. In the east and south, the mountains of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus and the Pontic Mountains come close to the sea: small areas of low-lying shores are formed here by river deltas protruding into the sea near the capes of Pitsunda and Kodor in Georgia, Jiva and Bafra in Eastern Anatolia. The largest bays: Karkinitsky, Kalamitsky, Dnepro-Bugsky, Dnestrovsky, Varnensky, Burgas near the north-western and western shores, Sinopsky and Samsunsky - near the southern ones. There are few islands; the most significant are Berezan and Zmeiny.

The formation of the Black Sea depression is associated with the residual basin of the ancient Tethys Ocean. The contours of the modern depression were outlined in the Oligocene, when uplifts in Asia Minor gradually separated it and the Caspian Sea from the ocean. In the return Miocene, the Black Sea was part of the chain of desalinated seas-lakes, the so-called Sarmatian basin. After a short-term connection with the Mediterranean Sea, the desalinated Pontic Lake was formed. In Plizon, the Black Sea separated from the Caspian Sea. During the Middle and Upper Pliocene, it was probably a freshened flowing lake. In the middle of the Pleistocene, for a short time, the Black Sea was twice connected with the Mediterranean and had saltier waters. During the last glaciation, the highly desalinated Novoevksinskoe lake-sea was formed, which 6-7 thousand years ago connected with the Mediterranean Sea through the straits, giving rise to the modern Black Sea. Tectonic activity in this area is manifested in earthquakes, the epicenters of which are located at the edges of the depression and in the adjacent areas. In the coastal zone, coarse-detrital deposits predominate: jackdaws, gravel, sands; as they move away from the coast, they are replaced by fine-grained sands.

During the year, the Black Sea is influenced mainly by continental polar and marine polar and tropical air masses. In winter, air masses carry strong northerly and northeasterly winds, lower temperatures and net precipitation; especially strong these winds reach in the region of Novorossiysk, where they are called bora.

K Aspian and Azov seas

The Caspian Sea is the world's largest enclosed body of water, located on the territory of Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Iran.

The Caspian is sometimes incorrectly called a lake, but in terms of its size, the nature of the processes and the history of development, it is a sea. The sea got its name from the ancient tribes of the Caspians who lived in the eastern part of the Caucasus. Other historical names - Girkanskoe, Khvalynskoe, Khazarskoe - are also named after the ancient peoples who lived on its shores. The Caspian Sea stretches from north to south for almost 1200 km, with an average width of 320 km. The area is about 371 thousand km2; the level is 28.5 m below the level of the Peaceful Ocean. There are about 50 islands in the sea area, including Tyuleniy, Artem and Zhiloy. The Volga, Emba, Ural flow into the northern part of the sea. The rivers of the Iranian coast give a small runoff.

By the nature of the relief and hydrological features, the Caspian Sea is usually subdivided into the North, Middle and South Caspian. The Northern Caspian Sea is the most accumulative water area with a series of banks and islands. The so-called Mangyshlak sill separates the North Caspian from the Middle.

The weather over the Caspian Sea is determined by Asian (in winter) and Azores (in summer) air masses. The characteristic features of the climate are: significant continentality, the predominance of anticyclones, dry winds, severe frosty winters, sharp temperature changes throughout the year, poor precipitation (except for the southwest).

The Azov Sea is the Mediterranean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean basin, connected by the Kerch Strait to the Black Sea. The ancient Greek name of the sea is Lake Meotian, the Old Russian name is the Surozh Sea. The area is 38 thousand km2, the average depth is 8 m, the maximum depth is 14 m. The shores are mainly low-lying, composed of sandy-shell deposits, only in the south are precipitous. A characteristic feature of the shores of the Sea of ​​Azov are alluvial sand spits (Arabatskaya Strelka, Fedotova, Berdyanskaya, Yeiskaya, etc.), separating a number of shallow bays (Sivish, Obitochny, etc.) and estuaries from the sea.

The climate in the region of the Sea of ​​Azov is continental. Winters are cold, relatively dry, with strong northeasterly and easterly winds. The average winter temperature is up to -6 celsius. Summers are hot, relatively humid, with westerly winds, the average temperature in July is 24.5 degrees. Precipitation falls up to 500 mm per year. The Sea of ​​Azov is distinguished by exceptional biological productivity.

A bit of history

In the XV century. The Black and Azov seas were completely taken over by the Ottoman Turkey. In the Northern Black Sea region, the vassal state of the Ottomans - the Crimean Khanate - was established. The Russian tsars tried repeatedly to “recapture” these territories. But it is interesting that these attempts found a warm response among ordinary Cossacks. One of the most striking episodes of Russian history was the Azov sitting. In 1637 the Cossacks (formally they were not Russian subjects) took the Turkish fortress of Azov, the “key” to the ancient Meotida, as the Greeks called these places.

The Cossacks did not receive the support of the tsar, since Moscow did not want to quarrel with Turkey at that time, and it did not have the opportunity. In 1641 the Cossacks withstood the siege of Azov, but in the summer of 1642 they were forced to leave it, destroying the fortifications. This unprecedented event was immortalized in the form of a poetic report to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich - "The Story of the Azov Siege of the Don Cossacks."

Black, Caspian and Azov seas updated: May 21, 2017 by the author: website

The Caspian Sea is located at the junction of two parts of the Eurasian continent - Europe and Asia. The Caspian Sea is similar in shape to the Latin letter S, 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 ° E).

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 Sea we pass along the Chechen line (Island)- Tyub-Karagan Cape, between the Middle and South Caspian - along the Zhilaya line (Island)- Gan-Gulu (cape)... The area of ​​the North, Middle and South Caspian is 25, 36, 39 percent, respectively.

According to one hypothesis, the Caspian Sea got its name in honor of the ancient tribes of horse breeders - the Caspians, who lived on the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea before our era. Throughout the history of its existence, the Caspian Sea had about 70 names among different tribes and peoples: the Hyrcanian Sea; Khvalynskoe Sea or Khvalisskoe Sea is an ancient Russian name derived from the name of the inhabitants of Khorezm who traded in the Caspian Sea - khvalis; Khazar Sea - name in Arabic (Bahr al-Khazar), Persian (Daria-e Khazar), Turkish and Azerbaijani (Khazar denizi) languages; Abeskun Sea; Sarayskoe Sea; Derbent Sea; Sihai and other names. In Iran, the Caspian Sea is still called the Khazar or Mazenderan Sea. (by the name of the people inhabiting the coastal province of Iran of the same name).

The coastline of the Caspian Sea is estimated at about 6500 - 6700 kilometers, with islands up to 7000 kilometers. The shores of the Caspian Sea in most of its territory are low and smooth. In the northern part, the coastline is cut by water streams and islands in the Volga and Ural deltas, the shores are low and swampy, and the water surface is covered with thickets in many places. The eastern coast is dominated by limestone shores adjacent to semi-deserts and deserts. The most winding shores are on the western coast in the area of ​​the Absheron Peninsula and on the eastern coast in the area of ​​the Kazakh Bay and Kara-Bogaz-Gol.

Large peninsulas of the Caspian Sea: Agrakhan Peninsula, Absheron Peninsula, Buzachi, Mangyshlak, Miankale, Tub-Karagan.

There are about 50 large and medium-sized islands in the Caspian Sea with a total area of ​​about 350 square kilometers. The largest islands: Ashur-Ada, Garasu, Gum, Dash, Zira (Island), Zyanbil, Kur Dasha, Khara-Zira, Sengi-Mugan, Chechen (Island), Chygyl.

Large bays of the Caspian Sea: Agrakhan Bay, Komsomolets (bay) (formerly Dead Kultuk, formerly the Gulf of Tsarevich), Kaidak, Mangyshlak, Kazakh (bay), Turkmenbashi (bay) (formerly Krasnovodsk), Turkmen (bay), Gyzylagach, Astrakhan (bay), Gyzlar, Girkan (formerly Astarabad) and Anzeli (formerly Pahlavi).

Near the eastern coast is the salt lake Kara Bogaz Gol, which until 1980 was a lagoon-bay of the Caspian Sea, connected to it by a narrow strait. In 1980, a dam was built, separating Kara-Bogaz-Gol from the Caspian Sea, in 1984 a culvert was built, after which the level of Kara-Bogaz-Gol dropped by several meters. In 1992, the strait was restored, along it the water leaves the Caspian Sea to Kara-Bogaz-Gol and evaporates there. Every year, 8-10 cubic kilometers of water flow from the Caspian Sea to Kara-Bogaz-Gol (according to other sources - 25 thousand kilometers) and about 150 thousand tons of salt.

130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, 9 of which have delta-shaped estuaries. Large rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea - Volga, Terek (Russia), Ural, Emba (Kazakhstan), Kura (Azerbaijan), Samur (border of Russia with Azerbaijan), Atrek (Turkmenistan) and others. The largest river flowing into the Caspian Sea is the Volga, its average annual runoff is 215-224 cubic kilometers. The Volga, Ural, Terek and Emba provide up to 88 - 90% of the annual runoff of the Caspian Sea.

The area of ​​the Caspian Sea basin is approximately 3.1 - 3.5 million square kilometers, which is approximately 10 percent of the world's territory of enclosed water basins. The length of the Caspian Sea basin from north to south is about 2500 kilometers, from west to east - about 1000 kilometers. The Caspian Sea basin covers 9 states - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan.

The Caspian Sea washes the shores of five coastal states:

• Of Russia (Dagestan, Kalmykia and Astrakhan region)- in the west and north-west, the length of the coastline is 695 kilometers
• Kazakhstan - in the north, north-east and east, the length of the coastline is 2320 kilometers
• Turkmenistan - in the southeast, the length of the coastline is 1200 kilometers
• Iran - in the south, the length of the coastline is 724 kilometers
• Azerbaijan - in the southwest, the length of the coastline is 955 kilometers

The largest city - port on the Caspian Sea - Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which is located in the southern part of the Absheron Peninsula and employs 2,070 thousand people (2003) ... Other large Azerbaijani Caspian cities are Sumgait, which is located in the northern part of the Absheron Peninsula, and Lankaran, which is located near the southern border of Azerbaijan. To the South-East of the Absheron Peninsula, there is a village of oil workers Neftyanye Kamni, whose structures are located on artificial islands, overpasses and technological sites.

Large Russian cities - the capital of Dagestan Makhachkala and the southernmost city of Russia Derbent - are located on the western coast of the Caspian Sea. Astrakhan is also considered the 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.

On the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea is the Kazakh city - the port of Aktau, in the north in the Ural delta, 20 km from the sea, the city of Atyrau is located, south of Kara-Bogaz-Gol on the northern coast of the Krasnovodsk Bay - the Turkmen city of Turkmenbashi, formerly Krasnovodsk. Several Caspian cities are located in the southern (Iranian) coast, the largest of them is Anzali.

The area and volume of water in the Caspian Sea varies significantly depending on water level fluctuations. With a water level of -26.75 m, the area was approximately 392,600 square kilometers, the volume of water was 78,648 cubic kilometers, which is approximately 44 percent of the world's lake water reserves. The maximum depth of the Caspian Sea is in the South Caspian depression, 1025 meters above 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 using 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.

The water level in the Caspian Sea is subject to significant fluctuations. According to modern science, over the past 3 thousand years the amplitude of changes in the water level of the Caspian Sea was 15 meters. Instrumental measurement of the level of the Caspian Sea and systematic observations of its fluctuation have been conducted since 1837, during which time the highest water level was recorded in 1882 (-25.2 m.), the lowest - in 1977 (-29.0 m.), since 1978 the water level has been rising and in 1995 reached the level of -26.7 m, since 1996 there has been a downward trend again. Scientists associate the reasons for the change in the water level of the Caspian Sea with climatic, geological and anthropogenic factors.

Water temperature is subject to significant latitudinal changes, most pronounced in winter, when the temperature varies from 0 - 0.5 ° C at the ice edge in the north of the sea to 10 - 11 ° C in the south, that is, the difference in water temperature is about 10 ° C. For shallow areas with depths less than 25 m, the annual amplitude can reach 25 - 26 ° C. On average, the water temperature near the western coast is 1 - 2 ° C higher than that of the eastern one, and in the open sea the water temperature is 2 - 4 ° C higher than that of the coasts. By the nature of the horizontal structure of the temperature field in the annual cycle of variability, three time intervals can be distinguished in the upper 2-m layer. From October to March, the water temperature increases in the southern and eastern, which is especially well traced in the Middle Caspian. Two stable quasi-latitude zones can be distinguished, where temperature gradients are increased. This is, firstly, the border between the North and Middle Caspian, and, secondly, between the Middle and South. At the ice edge, in the northern frontal zone, the temperature in February-March increases from 0 to 5 ° C, in the southern frontal zone, in the area of ​​the Absheron sill, from 7 to 10 ° C. During this period, the least cooled waters are in the center of the South Caspian, which form a quasi-stationary core. In April-May, the area of ​​minimum temperatures moves to the Middle Caspian, which is associated with a faster warming up of waters in the shallow northern part of the sea. True, at the beginning of the season in the northern part of the sea, a large amount of heat is spent on ice melting, but already in May the temperature here rises to 16 - 17 ° C. In the middle part, the temperature at this time is 13 - 15 ° C, and in the south it increases to 17 - 18 ° C. Spring water warming evens out the horizontal gradients, and the temperature difference between the coastal areas and the open sea does not exceed 0.5 ° C. The heating of the surface layer, which begins in March, disturbs the uniformity in the temperature distribution with depth. In June-September, there is horizontal uniformity in the temperature distribution in the surface layer. In August, which is the month of greatest warming, the water temperature throughout the sea is 24 - 26 ° C, and in the southern regions it rises to 28 ° C. In August, the water temperature in shallow bays, for example, in Krasnovodsk, can reach 32 ° C. The main feature of the water temperature field at this time is upwelling. It is observed annually along the entire eastern coast of the Middle Caspian and partially penetrates even into the South Caspian. The rise of cold deep waters occurs with varying intensity as a result of the influence of the northwestern winds prevailing in the summer season. The wind in this direction causes the outflow of warm surface waters from the coast and the rise of colder waters from the intermediate layers. The upwelling begins in June, but it reaches its highest intensity in July-August. As a result, a decrease in temperature is observed on the water surface (7 - 15 ° C)... Horizontal temperature gradients reach 2.3 ° C at the surface and 4.2 ° C at a depth of 20 m. The upwelling focus is gradually shifting from 41 - 42 ° N. in June to 43 - 45 ° N in September. Summer upwelling is of great importance for the Caspian Sea, radically changing the dynamic processes in the deep water area. In the open areas of the sea in late May - early June, a layer of temperature jump begins, which is most pronounced in August. Most often, it is located between the horizons of 20 and 30 m in the middle part of the sea and 30 and 40 m in the southern part. Vertical temperature gradients in the jump layer are very significant and can reach several degrees per meter. In the middle part of the sea, as a result of the drive off the eastern coast, the shock layer rises close to the surface. Since in the Caspian Sea there is no stable baroclinic layer with a large supply of potential energy, similar to the main thermocline of the World Ocean, then with the termination of the prevailing winds causing upwelling and with the onset of autumn-winter convection in October-November, a rapid restructuring of the temperature fields to the winter regime occurs. In the open sea, the water temperature in the surface layer drops in the middle to 12-13 ° C, in the southern part to 16-17 ° C. In the vertical structure, the shock layer is eroded due to convective mixing and disappears by the end of November.

The salt composition of the waters of the enclosed Caspian Sea differs from that of the ocean. There are significant differences in the ratios of the concentrations of salt-forming ions, especially for the waters of areas under the direct influence of continental runoff. The process of metamorphization of sea waters under the influence of continental runoff leads to a decrease in the relative content of chlorides in the total amount of salts of sea waters, an increase in the relative amount of carbonates, sulfates, calcium, which are the main components in the chemical composition of river waters. The most conservative ions are potassium, sodium, chlorine and magnesium. The least conservative are calcium and bicarbonate ions. In the Caspian, the content of calcium and magnesium cations is almost two times higher than in the Sea of ​​Azov, and the content of sulfate anions is three times higher. The salinity of water changes especially sharply in the northern part of the sea: from 0.1 units. psu in the mouth areas of the Volga and the Urals up to 10 - 11 units. psu on the border with the Middle Caspian. Mineralization in shallow salty bays-kultuk can reach 60 - 100 g / kg. In the Northern Caspian, during the entire ice-free period from April to November, a salinity front of a quasi-latitude location is observed. The greatest desalination associated with the spread of river runoff over the sea area is observed in June. The formation of the salinity field in the North Caspian is greatly influenced by the wind field. In the middle and southern parts of the sea, salinity fluctuations are small. Basically, it is 11.2 - 12.8 units. psu, increasing in a southerly and easterly direction. Salinity increases slightly with depth. (by 0.1 - 0.2 psu units)... In the deep-water part of the Caspian Sea, in the vertical salinity profile, there are characteristic isohaline troughs and local extrema in the region of the eastern continental slope, which indicate the processes of bottom sliding of waters salinizing in the eastern shallow waters of the South Caspian. Salinity is also highly dependent on sea level and (what is interconnected) on the volume of continental runoff.

The relief of the northern part of the Caspian is a shallow undulating plain with banks and accumulative islands, the average depth of the North Caspian is about 4 - 8 meters, the maximum depth does not exceed 25 meters. The Mangyshlak sill separates the North Caspian from the Middle. The Middle Caspian is deep enough, the depth of water in the Derbent depression reaches 788 meters. The Absheron sill separates the Middle and South Caspian. The South Caspian is considered to be deep-water, the depth of water in the South Caspian depression reaches 1025 meters from the surface of the Caspian Sea. Shell sands are widespread on the Caspian shelf, deep-water areas are covered with silty sediments, in some areas there is an outcrop of bedrocks.

The climate of the Caspian Sea is continental in the northern part, temperate in the middle and subtropical in the southern part. In winter, the average monthly temperature of the Caspian Sea varies from −8 −10 in the northern part to +8 - +10 in the southern part, in summer - from +24 - +25 in the northern part to +26 - +27 in the southern part. The highest temperature recorded on the east coast is 44 degrees.

Average annual rainfall is 200 millimeters per year, from 90-100 millimeters in the arid eastern part to 1,700 millimeters off the southwestern subtropical coast. Evaporation of water from the surface of the Caspian Sea - about 1000 millimeters per year, the most intense evaporation in the area of ​​the Absheron Peninsula and in the eastern part of the South Caspian - up to 1400 millimeters per year.

Winds often blow on the territory of the Caspian Sea, their average annual speed is 3-7 meters per second, northern winds prevail in the wind rose. In the autumn and winter months, the winds intensify, the speed of the winds often reaches 35-40 meters per second. The most windy areas are the Apsheron Peninsula and the vicinity of Makhachkala - Derbent, where the highest wave was recorded - 11 meters.

The circulation of water in the Caspian Sea is associated with runoff and winds. Since most of the runoff is in the North Caspian, northern currents prevail. The intense northern current carries water from the North Caspian along the western coast to the Absheron Peninsula, where the current splits into two branches, one of which moves further along the western coast, the other goes to the Eastern Caspian.

The fauna of the Caspian is represented by 1810 species, of which 415 are vertebrates. There are 101 species of fish registered in the Caspian world, and most of the world's sturgeon stocks, as well as freshwater fish such as roach, carp, and pike perch, are concentrated in the Caspian world. The Caspian Sea is a habitat for such fish as carp, mullet, sprat, kutum, bream, salmon, perch, pike. The Caspian Sea is also home to a marine mammal - the Caspian seal. Since March 31, 2008, 363 dead seals have been found on the coast of the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan.

The flora of the Caspian Sea and its coast is represented by 728 species. Among the plants in the Caspian Sea, algae predominate - blue-green, diatoms, red, brown, charovy and others, and among 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.

The Caspian Sea is one of the most amazing enclosed bodies of water on Earth.

Over the centuries, the sea has changed more than 70 names. The modern came from the Caspians - tribes inhabiting the central and southeastern part of Transcaucasia 2 thousand years BC.

Geography of the Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is located at the junction of Europe with Asia and is geographically divided into the South, North and Middle Caspian. The middle and northern part of the sea belongs to Russia, the southern part belongs to Iran, the eastern part belongs to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, the south-western part belongs to Azerbaijan. For many years, the Caspian states have been dividing the Caspian waters among themselves, and quite sharply at that.

Lake or sea?

In fact, the Caspian Sea is the world's largest lake, but it has a number of marine features. These include: large body of water, severe storms with high waves, ebbs and flows. But the Caspian does not have a natural connection with the World Ocean, which makes it impossible to call it a sea. At the same time, thanks to the Volga and artificially created channels, such a connection appeared. The salinity of the Caspian Sea is 3 times lower than the usual sea, which does not allow attributing the reservoir to the seas.

There were times when the Caspian Sea was indeed part of the World Ocean. Several tens of thousands of years ago, the Caspian was connected with the Sea of ​​Azov, and through it with the Black and Mediterranean. As a result of long-term processes taking place in the earth's crust, the Caucasus Mountains were formed, which isolated the reservoir. For a long time, the connection between the Caspian and Black Seas was carried out through the strait (Kumo-Manych depression) and gradually ceased.

Physical quantities

Area, volume, depth

The area, volume and depth of the Caspian Sea are not constant and directly depend on the water level. On average, the area of ​​the reservoir is 371,000 km², the volume is 78 648 km³ (44% of all world reserves of lake waters).

(Depth of the Caspian Sea in comparison with lakes Baikal and Tanganyika)

The average depth of the Caspian Sea is 208 m, the northern part of the sea is considered to be the shallowest. The maximum depth is 1025 m, noted in the South Caspian depression. In terms of depth, the Caspian is second only to Baikal and Tanganyika.

The length of the lake from north to south is about 1200 km, from west to east on average 315 km. The length of the coastline is 6600 km, with the islands - about 7 thousand km.

The shores

Basically, the coast of the Caspian Sea is low and smooth. In the northern part, it is heavily indented by the river channels of the Urals and Volga. The swampy local shores are very low. The eastern shores are adjacent to semi-desert zones and deserts, covered with limestone deposits. The most winding shores are in the west in the region of the Absheron Peninsula, and in the east in the area of ​​the Kazakh Bay and Kara-Bogaz-Gol.

Sea water temperature

(The temperature of the Caspian Sea at different times of the year)

The average water temperature in the Caspian in winter ranges from 0 ° С in the northern part to + 10 ° С in the south. In the water area of ​​Iran, the temperature does not drop below +13 ° С. With the onset of cold weather, the shallow northern part of the lake is covered with ice, which lasts for 2-3 months. The thickness of the ice cover is 25-60 cm, at especially low temperatures it can reach 130 cm. In late autumn and winter, drifting ice floes can be observed in the north.

In summer, the average sea surface temperature is + 24 ° C. Most of the sea warms up to +25 ° C ... + 30 ° C. Warm water and beautiful sandy, occasionally shell and pebble beaches create excellent conditions for a good beach holiday. In the eastern part of the Caspian Sea near the city of Begdash, anomalously low water temperature remains in the summer months.

The nature of the Caspian Sea

Islands, peninsulas, bays, rivers

The Caspian Sea includes about 50 large and medium-sized islands with a total area of ​​350 km ². The largest of them are Ashur-Ada, Garasu, Gum, Dash and Boyuk-Zira. The largest peninsulas are: Agrakhansky, Apsheronsky, Buzachi, Mangyshlak, Miankale and Tyub-Karagan.

(Tyuleniy Island in the Caspian Sea, part of the Dagestan Reserve)

The largest bays of the Caspian include: Agrakhanskiy, Kazakhskiy, Kizlyarskiy, Dead Kultuk and Mangyshlakskiy. To the east is the salt lake Kara-Bogaz-Gol, which was previously a lagoon connected to the sea by a strait. In 1980, a dam was built on it, through which water from the Caspian goes to Kara-Bogaz-Gol, where it then evaporates.

130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, located mainly in its northern part. The largest of them are: Volga, Terek, Sulak, Samur and Ural. The average annual runoff of the Volga is 220 km³. 9 rivers have delta-shaped mouths.

Flora and fauna

The Caspian Sea is home to about 450 species of phytoplankton, including algae, aquatic and flowering plants. Of the 400 species of invertebrates, worms, crustaceans and molluscs predominate. There are many small shrimps in the sea, which are the object of the fishery.

More than 120 fish species live in the Caspian and the delta. The objects of fishing are sprat ("Kilkin fleet"), catfish, pike, bream, pike perch, kutum, mullet, roach, rudd, herring, white fish, pike perch, goby, grass carp, burbot, asp and pike perch. Stocks of sturgeon and salmon are depleted today, but the sea is the largest supplier of black caviar in the world.

Fishing in the Caspian Sea is allowed all year round, except for the period from late April to late June. There are many fishing bases along the coast with all the amenities. Fishing in the Caspian Sea is a great pleasure. In any part of it, including in large cities, the catch is unusually rich.

The lake is famous for a wide variety of waterfowl. Geese, ducks, loons, gulls, waders, eagles, geese, swans and many others arrive in the Caspian during migration or nesting. The largest number of birds - over 600 thousand individuals - is observed in the mouths of the Volga and Urals, in the bays of Turkmenbashi and Kyzylagach. During the hunting season, a huge number of fishermen come here not only from Russia, but also from countries of near and far abroad.

The only mammal lives in the Caspian Sea. This is the Caspian seal or seal. Until recently, seals swam close to the beaches, everyone could admire the amazing animal with round black eyes, the seals behaved very friendly. Now the seal is on the verge of extinction.

Cities on the Caspian Sea

The largest city on the coast of the Caspian Sea is Baku. The population of one of the most beautiful cities in the world is over 2.5 million people. Baku is located on the picturesque Absheron Peninsula and is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the warm and oil-rich Caspian Sea. Smaller cities: the capital of Dagestan - Makhachkala, Kazakh Aktau, Turkmen Turkmenbashi and Iranian Bender-Anzeli.

(Baku Bay, Baku - a city on the Caspian Sea)

Interesting Facts

Scientists are still debating whether to call a body of water a sea or a lake. The level of the Caspian Sea is gradually decreasing. The Volga delivers most of the water to the Caspian. 90% of black caviar is mined in the Caspian Sea. Among them, the most expensive is the albino beluga caviar "Almas" ($ 2,000 per 100 g).

Companies from 21 countries are taking part in the development of oil fields in the Caspian Sea. According to Russian estimates, offshore hydrocarbon reserves amount to 12 billion tons. American scientists claim that one-fifth of the world's hydrocarbon reserves are concentrated in the depths of the Caspian. This is more than the combined reserves of oil producing countries such as Kuwait and Iraq.