Lake · Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world, even though it is called a sea. It lies between Europe and Asia, has no link to the ocean and its water is slightly salty.
Picture credit: Asif Masimov (masimovasif.net) (CC BY-SA 4.0) · S.OST87 (CC0) · Lizafoka (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Caspian Sea?
Countries on its shores: Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan.
Largest lake of: Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan.
Middle of the lake: 42.00° N, 50.50° E
The story behind it
The Caspian Sea stretches about 1 200 km from north to south, and five countries share its shores: Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan. For all five it is the largest lake – even the part along Russia's coast is bigger than the whole of Lake Baikal. The Volga, Europe's longest river, brings about 80 percent of its water. No river flows out again, so water only leaves by evaporating into the air. Because of this the water level rises and falls over the years, and so does the area. In the north the water is almost fresh and usually freezes in winter; further south it gets saltier. Caspian seals live here and nowhere else on Earth, and several kinds of sturgeon swim in the water, among them the huge beluga. Busy port cities like Baku stand on the shore.
Find it on the globe
Caspian Sea is there as a small blue dot with its name, right on the water. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
It sits at its real coordinates, not near them — the same numbers listed in the facts above. Switch off the layer for this kind of place and it disappears again; the buttons for that are down the right-hand edge.
Questions children ask
How big is the Caspian Sea?
The Caspian Sea covers about 371 000 km², which makes it the largest lake on Earth. Its exact size changes a little, because the water level rises and falls over the years.
Is the Caspian Sea a lake or a sea?
It is surrounded by land on all sides and has no link to the ocean, so it is often counted as a lake. It is called a sea because it is so huge and salty, although its water is only about a third as salty as the ocean.
For which countries is the Caspian Sea the largest lake?
It is the largest lake of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. Even the part along Russia's coast is bigger than the whole of Lake Baikal.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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