Caspian Sea

Subject – IR

Context – Lukoil boasts production milestone at Caspian Sea field

Concept –

Sea	Location	Bordering Countries
Caspian Sea	Lies at the junction of Europe and Asia West – Caucasus Mountains East – steppes of Central Asia	Russia to the northwest, Azerbaijan to the west, Iran to the south, Turkmenistan to the southeast Kazakhstan to the northeast.

Features

The Caspian Sea is the Earth’s largest inland body of water, when measured by surface area.
The Caspian Sea is rich with oil and natural gas, making access to it a high-stakes proposition.
The Caspian Depression, a flat, lowland region encompassing the northern area of the Caspian Sea, is one of the lowest points on Earth.
It is variously classed as the world’s largest lake or a full-fledged sea.
It is an endorheic basin, meaning it has no natural outlets.
The primary tributary is the Volga River in the north, which provides about 80 percent of the inflowing water.
The Ural River, also in the north, and the Kura River in the west, are also significant tributaries.

Is the Caspian Sea a sea?

The Caspian has been called a sea since its discovery and first description in ancient times. The bordering states – Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan – call it a sea in their respective languages.
Yet the Caspian Sea has some unique features that make its identity problematic. It is an inland sea that can only be accessed through Russia’s Volga River and the canals connecting it to the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Sea of Azov. It is supplied by freshwater sources and has no salt-water connection to the open seas of the world.
The determinations of the U.N. Group of Experts on Geographical Names have no legal status.