How many rivers flow from the Caspian Sea. Mangyshlak is located on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, on the territory of Kazakhstan, on its territory is the city of Aktau. Absheron Peninsula, located on the western coast of the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan

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

Story

Approximately five million years ago, the sea divided into small bodies of water, including the Black and Caspian Seas. After these events, they united and separated. About two million years ago Caspian lake was cut off from the oceans. 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 body of water containing about 44% of the lake waters of the planet. Despite the ongoing changes, the depth of the Caspian Sea did not change very much.

Once it was called Khvali and Khazar, and the tribes of horse breeders gave it another name - the Caspian. That was 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. Abeskun.
2. Derbent.
3. Saray.
4. Sihai.
5. Dzhurdzhanskoe.
6. Hyrcanian.

Depth and relief

The relief and features of the hydrological regime divide the sea-lake into the northern, middle and southern parts. Throughout 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, shelves. Here 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 noted.

Coastline features

Its length is seven thousand kilometers. Northern part coastline is a lowland, mountains are on the south and west, and hills are on the east. 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, Krasnovodsk.

If you go on a cruise from north to south, then the length of the route will be 1200 kilometers. In this direction, the reservoir has an elongated shape, and from west to east, the width of the sea is different. It is 195 kilometers at its narrowest point and 435 kilometers at its widest. On average, the 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, Kyur-Dashi, Gum, Dash, 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. Approximately ninety percent of the volume of runoff falls on three large rivers: the Volga (80%), the Kura (6%) and the Urals (5%). Five percent - to the Terek, Sulak and Samur, and the remaining four bring small rivers and streams of Iran.

Caspian resources

The pond has amazing beauty, the diversity of ecosystems and the richest reserves natural resources. When there are frosts in its northern part, magnolias and apricots bloom in the south.

Relic flora and fauna have been preserved in the Caspian Sea, including the largest flock of sturgeons. As the marine flora evolved, it 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 there are 854 animal species in the Caspian Sea, of which 79 are vertebrates, and over 500 plant species. This unique sea-lake provides up to 80% of the world's sturgeon catch and about 95% of black caviar.

Five species of sturgeon are found in the Caspian Sea: stellate sturgeon, spike, sterlet, beluga and sturgeon. Beluga is the largest representative of the species. Its weight can reach a ton, and its length can reach five meters. In addition to sturgeon, herring, salmon, kutuma, vobla, 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. Every year approximately 12 million birds fly over the sea during their migration (south in spring and north in autumn). In addition, another 5 million remain in these places for wintering.

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

The Caspian Sea is a residual (relic) reservoir of the much larger Khvalyn Sea, which once occupied the entire Caspian lowland. In the era of the Khvalynsk transgression, when the level of the Caspian Sea was much higher than the present, it was connected to the Black Sea through a strait that passed on the site of the Kumo-Manych lowland. The modern Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world, only for its size it is ranked among the seas. The area of ​​its water surface is 424,000 km2. Sea level after ice age decreased and currently lies 28 m below sea level.

Geographic location of the Caspian Sea. Extended map

The huge basin of the Caspian Sea is morphologically divided into three parts:
1) northern- shallow water (less than 10 m), separated from the middle part by a line passing from the mouth of the Terek to the Mangyshlak peninsula,
2) middle- with an average depth of 200 m and a maximum depth of 790 m and
3) southern- the deepest greatest depth up to 980 m and with an average of 325 m.
Deep depressions in the middle and southern parts of the sea are separated by an underwater sill running from the Apsheron Peninsula to Krasnovodsk.

Water balance of the Caspian Sea

The bays of the Caspian Sea - Kaydak, Komsomolets and Kara-Bogaz-Gol - are shallow. The first two have now dried up and turned into litter due to the lowering of the sea level. The Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay, in essence, is a huge shallow (up to 10 m deep) independent lake, with an area equal to Lake Ladoga. The salinity of the waters of the Caspian Sea is relatively low, on average about 12.6°/oo, which is about 3 times less than the salinity of the waters of the world ocean.

A large number of tributaries flow into the Caspian Sea: the Volga, Ural, Terek, Kura, etc. The Volga is of primary importance for it, delivering about 80% of the total annual inflow into the sea, equal to approximately 325 km 3. All this huge mass of water entering the sea evaporates from its surface into the atmosphere. The Caspian Sea is considered drainless, but this is not entirely true. In fact, it has a constant flow into the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay, the level of which is 0.5-1.0 m lower than the level of the Caspian Sea. Kara-Bogaz-Gol is separated from the sea by a narrow sandy spit, leaving a strait up to 200 m wide in places. Through this strait, water flows from the Caspian Sea to the bay (an average of more than 20 / km 3 per year), which, therefore, plays the role of a giant evaporator. The water in the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay reaches exceptionally high salinity (169°/oo).

Kara-Bogaz-Gol has great importance for the chemical industry. This is literally an inexhaustible source for the extraction of mirabilite. In relation to the Caspian Sea, Kara-Bogaz-Gol plays an important role as a kind of watermaker. If there were no runoff from the sea to Kara-Bogaz-Gol, its salinity would increase. In table. 1 shows the water balance of the Caspian Sea according to B. D. Zaikov.

Table 1. Water balance of the Caspian Sea

The rivers carry a huge amount of sandy-silty sediments into the Caspian Sea. The Volga, Terek and Kura annually bring about 88 million tons of sediment. Approximately the same amount (71 million tons) comes in the form of a runoff of chemically dissolved substances.

In the Caspian Sea, there are more or less constant currents with a general counterclockwise direction. IN summer time the waters of the Caspian Sea are very warm, and the water temperature near the surface reaches 25-27 ° (see Fig. 84). In winter, the sea cools slowly and for the most part maintains a positive temperature (1 °). Only its shallow water freezes Northern part, where they appear annually floating ice and the ice cover is established. There are no ice phenomena in the middle and southern parts of the sea.

The Caspian Sea is one of the seas that do not have tidal currents. Fluctuations in water level are relatively small. If we take into account historical data, then the long-term amplitude of level fluctuations can be taken equal to 5 m. The low standing of the sea level in the past is evidenced by the ruins of a caravanserai under water in the region of Baku, as well as a number of other historical data.

Lowering of the level of the Caspian Sea

At the very beginning of the 19th century, the sea level was very high and reached 700 cm. Then, starting from 1930. In 15 years (from 1930 to 1945), the sea level fell by almost 2 m, As a result, the area of ​​\u200b\u200bits water surface decreased almost 20,000 km2. The shallow bays of Kaydak and Komsomolets have dried up and turned into sores, and in some places the modern sea has receded by 10 km or more. The lowering of the level caused great difficulties in the work of the ports of the Caspian coast and sharply worsened the conditions of navigation, especially in the Northern Caspian. In this regard, the problem of the level of the Caspian Sea in the 20th century attracted much attention.

There are two points of view on the issue of the reasons for the decrease in the level of the Caspian Sea. According to one of them, the lowering of the level is explained by geological factors, i.e., the ongoing slow sinking of the coast and the entire basin. In favor of this view, the well-known facts of the lowering of the sea coast in the region of Baku and in other places are given. Proponents of another, hydrometeorological point of view (B. A. Apollon, B. D. Zaikov, and others) see the main reason for the decrease in sea level in a change in the ratio of elements of the water balance. As B. D. Zaikov showed, the drop in the level of the Caspian Sea is connected and explained by the exceptionally low water content of the Volga in 1930-1945; its flow was significantly below the norm. As for the influence of epeirogenic fluctuations on the level of the Caspian Sea, their role is apparently very insignificant, since the magnitude of the ongoing lowering of the coast and the bottom of the sea is calculated in millimeters.

CaspAndmOre(Caspian) - the largest enclosed body of water on Earth. In size, the Caspian Sea is much larger than such lakes as the Upper, Victoria, Huron, Michigan, Baikal. According to formal features, the Caspian Sea is an endorheic lake. However, given its large size, brackish waters and sea-like regime, this body of water is called the sea.

According to one of the hypotheses, the Caspian Sea (among the ancient Slavs - the Khvalyn Sea) got its name in honor of the tribes of the Caspians who lived before our era in its southeast. west coast.

The Caspian Sea washes the shores of five states: Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.

The Caspian Sea is elongated in the meridional direction and is located between 36°33' and 47°07' N latitude. and 45°43΄ and 54°03΄ E (without Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay). The length of the sea along the meridian is about 1200 km; the average width is 310 km. The northern coast of the Caspian Sea is bordered by the Caspian lowland, the eastern coast by the deserts of Central Asia; in the west, the mountains of the Caucasus approach the sea, in the south, near the coast, the Elburz ridge stretches.

The surface of the Caspian Sea is much lower than the level of the World Ocean. Its current level fluctuates around -27 ... -28 m. These levels correspond to the sea surface area of ​​​​390 and 380 thousand km 2 (without the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay), the volume of water is 74.15 and 73.75 thousand km 3, average depth is about 190 m.

The Caspian Sea is traditionally divided into three large parts: the North (24% of the sea area), the Middle (36%) and the South Caspian (40%), which differ significantly in morphology and regime, as well as the large and isolated Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay. The northern, shelf part of the sea is shallow: its average depth is 5–6 m, maximum depths are 15–25 m, and the volume is less than 1% of the total water mass of the sea. The Middle Caspian is a separate basin with the area of ​​maximum depths in the Derbent depression (788 m); its average depth is about 190 m. In the South Caspian, the average and maximum depths are 345 and 1025 m (in the South Caspian depression); 65% of the water mass of the sea is concentrated here.

There are about 50 islands in the Caspian Sea with total area approximately 400 km 2 ; the main ones are Tyuleniy, Chechen, Zyudev, Konevsky, Dzhambaysky, Durneva, Ogurchinsky, Apsheronsky. The length of the coastline is approximately 6.8 thousand km, with islands - up to 7.5 thousand km. The shores of the Caspian Sea are diverse. In the northern and eastern parts, they are quite strongly indented. There are large bays Kizlyarsky, Komsomolets, Mangyshlaksky, Kazakhsky, Kara-Bogaz-Gol, Krasnovodsky and Turkmensky, many bays; off the western coast - Kyzylagach. The largest peninsulas are Agrakhansky, Buzachi, Tyub-Karagan, Mangyshlak, Krasnovodsky, Cheleken and Apsheronsky. The most common banks are accumulative; areas with abrasion shores are found along the contour of the Middle and South Caspian.

More than 130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, the largest of which is the Volga. , Ural, Terek, Sulak, Samur, Kura, Sefidrud, Atrek, Emba (its runoff enters the sea only in high-water years). Nine rivers have deltas; the largest are located at the mouths of the Volga and Terek.

The main feature of the Caspian Sea, as a drainless reservoir, is instability and a wide range of long-term fluctuations in its level. This most important hydrological feature of the Caspian Sea has a significant impact on all its other hydrological characteristics, as well as on the structure and regime of river mouths, on coastal zones. In the Caspian Sea level varied in the range of ~200 m: from -140 to +50 m BS; in from -34 to -20 m BS. From the first third of the 19th century and until 1977, sea level dropped by about 3.8 m - to the lowest point in the last 400 years (-29.01 m BS). In 1978–1995 The level of the Caspian Sea rose by 2.35 m and reached -26.66 m BS. Since 1995, a certain downward trend has dominated - to -27.69 m BS in 2013.

During major north coast the Caspian shifted to Samarskaya Luka on the Volga, and perhaps even further. At maximum transgressions, the Caspian turned into a sewage lake: excess water flowed through the Kuma-Manych depression into the Sea of ​​Azov and further into the Black Sea. In extreme regressions South coast The Caspian was shifted to the Apsheron threshold.

Long-term fluctuations in the level of the Caspian are explained by changes in the structure of the water balance of the Caspian Sea. The sea level rises when the incoming part of the water balance (primarily river runoff) increases and exceeds the outgoing part, and decreases if the inflow river waters is shrinking. The total water flow of all rivers averages 300 km 3 /year; while the five largest rivers account for almost 95% (the Volga provides 83%). During the period of the lowest sea level, in 1942–1977, the river flow was 275.3 km 3 / year (of which 234.6 km 3 / year is the flow of the Volga), precipitation - 70.9, underground flow - 4 km 3 /year, and evaporation and outflow to the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay - 354.79 and 9.8 km 3 /year. During the period of intensive sea level rise, in 1978-1995, respectively, 315 (Volga - 274.1), 86.1, 4, 348.79 and 8.7 km 3 / year; V modern period- 287.4 (Volga - 248.2), 75.3, 4, 378.3 and 16.3 km 3 / year.

The intra-annual changes in the level of the Caspian Sea are characterized by a maximum in June–July and a minimum in February; the range of intra-annual level fluctuations is 30–40 cm. Surge-surge level fluctuations are manifested throughout the sea, but they are most significant in the northern part, where, with maximum surges, the level can rise by 2–4.5 m and the edge “retreat” by several tens of kilometers inland, and in case of surges - to drop by 1–2.5 m. Seiche and tidal level fluctuations do not exceed 0.1–0.2 m.

Despite the relatively small size of the reservoir in the Caspian Sea, there is strong excitement. highest heights waves in the South Caspian can reach 10–11 m. Wave heights decrease in the direction from south to north. Storm waves can develop at any time of the year, but more often and more dangerously in the cold half of the year.

The Caspian Sea is generally dominated by wind currents; nevertheless, runoff currents play an appreciable role on the estuarine coasts of large rivers. Cyclonic water circulation prevails in the Middle Caspian, and anticyclonic circulation in the South Caspian. In the northern part of the sea, the patterns of wind currents are more irregular and depend on the characteristics and variability of the wind, bottom topography and coastlines, river runoff and aquatic vegetation.

The water temperature is subject to significant latitudinal and seasonal changes. IN winter period it varies from 0–0.5 o C at the ice edge in the north of the sea to 10–11 o C in the south. In summer, the water temperature in the sea averages 23–28 o C, and in shallow coastal waters in the Northern Caspian it can reach 35–40 o C. At depths, a constant temperature is maintained: deeper than 100 m it is 4–7 o C.

In winter, only the northern part of the Caspian Sea freezes; V harsh winter- the entire Northern Caspian and coastal zones of the Middle Caspian. Freezing in the Northern Caspian lasts from November to March.

The salinity of water changes especially sharply in the northern part of the sea: from 0.1‰ on the estuarine coasts of the Volga and Urals to 10–12‰ on the border with the Middle Caspian. In the Northern Caspian, the temporal variability of water salinity is also great. In the middle and southern parts of the sea, salinity fluctuations are small: it is mainly 12.5–13.5‰, increasing from north to south and from west to east. The highest water salinity is in the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay (up to 300‰). With depth, the salinity of water increases slightly (by 0.1–0.3‰). The average salinity of the sea is about 12.5‰.

More than a hundred species of fish live in the Caspian Sea and the mouths of the rivers flowing into it. There are Mediterranean and Arctic invaders. The object of fishing is goby, herring, salmon, carp, mullet and sturgeon fish. The latter number five species: sturgeon, beluga, stellate sturgeon, spike and sterlet. The sea is capable of producing up to 500-550 thousand tons of fish annually if overfishing is not allowed. From marine mammals the endemic Caspian seal lives in the Caspian Sea. Every year 5-6 million waterfowl migrate through the Caspian region.

The economy of the Caspian Sea is connected with oil and gas production, shipping, fishing, extraction of seafood, various salts and minerals (Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay), with the use of recreational resources. The explored oil resources in the Caspian Sea are about 10 billion tons, the total resources of oil and gas condensate are estimated at 18–20 billion tons. Oil and gas are being produced on an ever-increasing scale. Used by the Caspian Sea and water transport, including along the river-sea and sea-river routes. The main ports of the Caspian Sea: Astrakhan, Olya, Makhachkala (Russia), Aktau, Atyrau (Kazakhstan), Baku (Azerbaijan), Nowshahr, Bender-Enzeli, Bender-Torkemen (Iran) and Turkmenbashi (Turkmenistan).

Business activities and hydrological features The Caspian Sea creates a number of serious environmental and water management problems. Among them: anthropogenic pollution of river and sea ​​waters(mainly oil products, phenols and synthetic surfactants), poaching and the reduction of fish stocks, especially sturgeons; damage to the population and coastal economic activity due to large-scale and rapid changes in the level of the reservoir, the impact of numerous hazardous hydrological phenomena and hydrological and morphological processes.

The total economic damage for all the Caspian countries associated with the rapid and significant recent rise in the level of the Caspian Sea, the flooding of part of the coastal land, the destruction of coasts and coastal structures, was estimated at 15 to 30 billion US dollars. It took urgent engineering measures to protect the coast.

A sharp drop in the level of the Caspian Sea in the 1930s–1970s. led to less damage, but they were significant. The navigable approach channels became shallow, the shallow seashore at the mouths of the Volga and the Urals became heavily overgrown, which became an obstacle to the passage of fish into the rivers for spawning. It was necessary to build fish passages through the seasides mentioned above.

Among the unresolved problems is the lack of an international agreement on the international legal status of the Caspian Sea, the division of its water area, bottom and subsoil.

The Caspian Sea is the object of many years of research by specialists from all the Caspian states. Such domestic organizations as the State Oceanographic Institute, the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Hydrometeorological Center of Russia, the Caspian Research Institute of Fisheries, the Faculty of Geography of the Moscow state university and etc.

Location

Geographical position

• 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 approximately 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 conditionally divided according to physical and geographical conditions into 3 parts - the Northern Caspian, the Middle Caspian and the Southern Caspian. The conditional border between the North and Middle Caspian is passed along the line Chechen (island) - Tyub-Karagansky cape, between the Middle and South Caspian - along the line Zhiloy (island) - Gan-Gulu (cape). The area of ​​the Northern, Middle and Southern Caspian is 25, 36, 39 percent respectively.

Caspian Sea- the largest lake on Earth, located at the junction of Europe and Asia lake Water level of the oceans

Caspian Sea- the largest lake on Earth, located at the junction of Europe and Asia, called the sea because of its size. The Caspian Sea is a drainless lake, and the water in it is salty, from 0.05‰ near the mouth of the Volga to from 11-13‰ in the southeast. The water level is subject to fluctuations, currently - about -28 m below sea level. The area of ​​the Caspian Sea is currently approximately 371,000 km², the maximum depth is 1025 m.

Coast of the Caspian Sea

Peninsulas of the Caspian Sea

• Large peninsulas of the Caspian Sea:

• Absheron Peninsula, located on the western coast of the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan, at the northeastern end of the Greater Caucasus, the cities of Baku and Sumgayit are located on its territory

• Mangyshlak, located on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea, on the territory of Kazakhstan, on its territory is the city of Aktau.

Islands of the Caspian Sea

• There are about 50 large and medium-sized islands in the Caspian Sea with a total area of ​​approximately 350 square kilometers.

• The largest islands:

Bays of the Caspian Sea

• Large bays of the Caspian Sea:

• Turkmenbashi (bay) (former Krasnovodsk),

• Hyrcanus (former Astarabad) and

• Anzali (former Pahlavi).

Rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea

• Delta of the Volga. View from space.

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

Caspian Sea Basin

Square basin The Caspian Sea is approximately 3.1 - 3.5 million square kilometers, which is approximately 10 percent of the world's closed water basins. The length of the Caspian Sea basin from north to south is about 2,500 kilometers, from west to east - about 1,000 kilometers. The Caspian Sea basin covers 9 states - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan.

coastal states

• The Caspian Sea washes the shores of five coastal states:

• Russia (Dagestan, Kalmykia and Astrakhan region) - in the west and north-west, the length of the coastline is 695 kilometers

• Kazakhstan - in the north, northeast 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 - 724 kilometers

• Azerbaijan - in the southwest, the length of the coastline is 955 kilometers

Cities on the coast of the Caspian Sea

• Historical part of the city of Baku, view of the Caspian Sea

The largest city- a port on the Caspian Sea - Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, which is located in the southern part of the Absheron Peninsula and has 2,070 thousand people (2003). Other major Azerbaijani Caspian cities are Sumgayit, which is located in the northern part of the Absheron Peninsula, and Lenkoran, which is located near the southern border of Azerbaijan. To the South-East of the Absheron Peninsula, there is a settlement of oil workers Oil Stones, whose facilities stand on artificial islands, flyovers and technological platforms.

• 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 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.

• On the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea is the Kazakh city - the port of Aktau, south of Kara-Bogaz-Gol on the northern shore of the Krasnovodsk Gulf - the Turkmen city of Turkmenbashi, formerly Krasnovodsk. Several Caspian cities are located on the southern (Iranian) coast, the largest of them is Anzali.

Physiography

• Area, depth, volume of water

The area and volume of water in the Caspian Sea varies significantly depending on fluctuations in water levels. At 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 from its surface level. 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 from the bathygraphic curve, is 208 meters. At the same time, the northern part of the Caspian Sea is shallow, its maximum depth does not exceed 25 meters, and the average depth is 4 meters.

Water level fluctuations

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 fluctuations have been carried out since the year, during this time the highest water level was recorded in 1882 (-25.2 m.), the lowest - in the year (-29.0 m.), from In 1978, the water level went down and in the year it reached 26.6 m, since 1996 there has been an upward trend again. Scientists associate the causes of changes in the water level of the Caspian Sea with climatic, geological and anthropological factors.

Water temperature

• The average monthly water temperature of the Caspian Sea ranges from 0 degrees in the northern part to +10 in the southern part, and approximately +23 - +26 throughout the Caspian Sea in the summer months. At great depths, the water temperature is approximately +6 - +7 and practically does not undergo seasonal changes.

In winter, part of the surface of the Caspian Sea freezes. In the northern part of the Caspian Sea, the surface is covered with a layer of ice up to 2 meters thick, freezing begins in mid-November, and ice melts in late February. The freezing boundary runs approximately along the line Chechen Island - Mangyshlak, on the Apsheron Peninsula, the formation and drift of ice is observed approximately once every 10-11 years.

Water composition

• Water composition

• The salinity of the water of the Caspian Sea varies from 0.3 ppm in the northern part near the Volga delta to 13.5 ppm near the southeastern shores, in most of the Caspian Sea it is 12.6 - 13.2 ppm. In winter, due to the freezing of the Volga, the salinity of the water in the northern part of the Caspian Sea increases.

• Bottom relief

The relief of the northern part of the Caspian is a shallow wavy plain with banks and accumulative islands, the average depth of the Northern Caspian is about 4 - 8 meters, the maximum does not exceed 25 meters. The Mangyshlak threshold separates the Northern Caspian from the Middle. The Middle Caspian is quite deep, the depth of water in the Derbent depression reaches 788 meters. The Apsheron threshold separates the Middle and South Caspian. The South Caspian is considered 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, and in some areas there is an outcrop of bedrock.

Climate

The climate of the Caspian Sea is continental in the northern part, temperate in the middle part and subtropical in the southern part. In winter, the average monthly temperature of the Caspian 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. Maximum temperature fixed on east coast- 44 degrees.

The average annual rainfall is 200 millimeters per year, ranging 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 is 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 is 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, the wind rose is dominated by northern winds. In the autumn and winter months, the winds increase, the wind speed often reaches 35-40 meters per second. The most windy territories are the Apsheron Peninsula and the environs of Makhachkala-Derbent, the most high wave- 11 meters.

currents

The circulation of water in the Caspian Sea is connected with the runoff and winds. Because the most of The water flow falls on the Northern Caspian, the northern currents predominate. An intense northern current carries water from the Northern Caspian along the western coast to the Absheron Peninsula, where the current is divided into two branches, one of which moves further along the western coast, the other goes to the Eastern Caspian.

Animal and plant world

• ,

  • 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 resources of oil and gas condensate 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. In the second half of the 19th century, oil production began on an industrial scale on the Absheron Peninsula, and then on other territories.

  • In addition to oil and gas production, salt, limestone, stone, sand, and clay are also mined on the coast of the Caspian Sea and the Caspian shelf.

  • Shipping

  • Shipping is developed in the Caspian Sea. Ferry crossings 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 and Don rivers and the Volga-Don Canal.

  Fishing and seafood

  • Fishing (sturgeon, bream, carp, pike perch, sprat), caviar production, as well as 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 flourishes in the Caspian Sea.

  • Recreational resources

  natural environment Caspian coast with sandy beaches, mineral waters And therapeutic mud V coastal zone creates good conditions for rest and treatment. At the same time, in terms of the degree of development of resorts and the tourism industry, the Caspian coast is noticeably losing Black Sea coast Caucasus. However, in last years the tourism industry is actively developing on the coast of Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Russian Dagestan.

  Ecological problems

  Ecological problems The Caspian Sea is associated with water pollution as a result of oil production and transportation on the continental shelf, the flow of pollutants from the Volga and other rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea, the vital activity of coastal cities, as well as the flooding of individual objects due to the rise in the level of the Caspian Sea. Predatory harvesting of sturgeons and their caviar, rampant poaching lead to a decrease in the number of sturgeons and forced restrictions on their production and export.

  International status of the Caspian Sea

  • Border dispute over the status of the Caspian Sea

  After the collapse of the USSR, the division of the Caspian Sea has long been and still remains the subject of unsettled disagreements related to the division of the resources of the Caspian shelf - oil and gas, as well as biological resources. For a long time there were negotiations between littoral states about the status of the Caspian Sea - Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan insisted on dividing the Caspian along the median line, Iran - on dividing the Caspian along one fifth between all the Caspian states. In 2003, Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the partial division of the Caspian Sea along the median line

, 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 approximately 1200 kilometers (36°34 "-47°13" N), from west to east - from 195 to 435 kilometers, on average 310-320 kilometers (46°-56° v. d.).

The Caspian Sea is conditionally divided according to 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 of about. Chechnya - Cape Tyub-Karagansky, between the Middle and South Caspian - along the line of about. Residential - Cape Gan-Gulu. The area of ​​the Northern, Middle and Southern Caspian is 25, 36, 39 percent respectively.

Coast of the Caspian Sea

Coast of the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan

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

Peninsulas of the Caspian Sea

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

Bays of the Caspian Sea

• Russia (Dagestan, Kalmykia and Astrakhan region) - in the west and northwest, the length of the coastline is about 1930 kilometers
• Kazakhstan - in the north, northeast 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 southwest, the length of the coastline is about 800 kilometers

Cities on the coast of the Caspian Sea

On Russian coast the cities are located - Lagan, Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Izberbash and the most Southern City Russian Derbent. port city The Caspian Sea is also considered Astrakhan, which, however, is not located on the shores of the Caspian Sea, but in the Volga Delta, 60 kilometers from north coast 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 levels. 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 from its surface level. 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 from the bathygraphic curve, is 208 meters. At the same time, the northern part of the Caspian Sea 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, char and others, of flowering - zoster and ruppia. By origin, the flora belongs mainly to the Neogene age, however, some plants were brought into the Caspian Sea by man either consciously 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 Huto Cave south coast The Caspian Sea testifies that a person lived in these parts about 75 thousand years ago. The first mention of the Caspian Sea and the tribes living on its coast are found in Herodotus. Approximately in the V-II centuries. BC e. Saka tribes lived on the coast of the Caspian Sea. Later, during the period of the settlement of the Turks, in the period of the 4th-5th centuries. n. e. Talysh tribes (Talysh) lived here. According to ancient Armenian and Iranian manuscripts, the Russians sailed 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 orders, an expedition was organized in 1714-1715 under the leadership of A. Bekovich-Cherkassky. In the 1720s, hydrographic studies were continued by the expedition of Karl von Werden and F.I. Soymonov, later by I.V. Tokmachev, M.I. Voinovich and other researchers. At the beginning of the 19th century, instrumental surveying of the banks was carried out by I.F. Kolodkin, in the middle of the 19th century. - instrumental geographic survey under the guidance of N. A. Ivashintsev. Since 1866, for more than 50 years, expeditionary research on the hydrology and hydrobiology of the Caspian Sea has been carried out 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 resources of oil and gas condensate 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 on an industrial scale on the Absheron Peninsula, and then on other territories.

Shipping

Shipping is developed in the Caspian Sea. On the Caspian Sea ferry crossings, in particular, Baku - Turkmenbashi, Baku - Aktau, Makhachkala - Aktau. The Caspian Sea has a navigable connection with Sea of ​​Azov through the rivers Volga, Don and the Volga-Don Canal.

Fishing and seafood

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 flourishes in the Caspian Sea.

Recreational resources

The natural environment of the Caspian coast with sandy beaches, mineral waters and therapeutic mud in the coastal zone creates good conditions for relaxation and treatment. At the same time, in terms of the degree of development of resorts and the tourism industry, the 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. Azerbaijan is actively developing resort area in the Baku region. At the moment, a world-class resort has been created in Amburan, another modern tourist complex is being built near the village of Nardaran, recreation in the sanatoriums of the villages of Bilgah and Zagulba is very popular. A resort area is also being developed in Nabran, in the north of Azerbaijan. However high prices, in general, the low level of service and the lack of advertising lead to the fact that on Caspian resorts almost not 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 the mass vacation of foreign tourists on the Caspian coast of Iran is impossible.

Ecological problems

The environmental problems of the Caspian Sea are associated with water pollution as a result of oil production and transportation on the continental shelf, the flow of pollutants from the Volga and other rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea, the vital activity of coastal cities, as well as the flooding of individual objects due to the rise in the level of the Caspian Sea. Predatory harvesting of sturgeons and their caviar, rampant poaching lead to a decrease in the number of sturgeons and 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 has long been and still remains the subject of unsettled disagreements related to the division of the resources of the Caspian shelf - oil and gas, as well as biological resources. For a long time there were negotiations 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 along one fifth between all the Caspian states.

With regard to the Caspian Sea, 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, in particular, the provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of ​​1982, should not automatically apply to the Caspian Sea. Based on this, it would be unlawful to apply such concepts as “territorial sea”, “exclusive 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 navigation in its waters of ships flying the flag of non-Caspian states.

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

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

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