How old is the Caspian Sea. Is the Caspian a unique body of water? The climate of the Caspian Sea is different

November 29th, 2015

Is it correct to call the Caspian a sea?

It is known that the sea is part of the oceans. From this geographically correct point of view, the Caspian cannot be considered a sea, because it is separated from the ocean by huge land masses. Most short distance from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea, the closest of the seas included in the system of the World Ocean, is 500 kilometers. Therefore, it would be more correct to speak of the Caspian as a lake. This is the world's largest lake, often referred to simply as the Caspian or lake-sea.

The Caspian Sea has a number of features of the sea: its water is salty (however, there are other salt lakes), the area is not much inferior to the area of ​​such seas as the Black, Baltic, Red, Northern, and even exceeds the area of ​​Azov and some others (however, Canadian Lake Superior also huge area, like the three Seas of Azov). In the Caspian, fierce storm winds and huge waves are frequent (and this is not uncommon in Baikal).

So, after all, the Caspian Sea is a lake? That's Wikipedia says it Yes and big Soviet Encyclopedia replies that no one has yet been able to give a precise definition of this issue - "A generally accepted classification does not exist."

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

The lake belongs to internal waters - the sovereign territories of coastal states, to which the international regime does not apply (the principle of non-intervention of the UN in the internal affairs of states). But the water area of ​​the sea is divided differently, and the rights of coastal states are completely different here.

In my own way geographic location The Caspian itself, in contrast to the land territories surrounding it, has not been the object of any targeted attention on the part of the coastal states for many centuries. Only at the beginning of the XIX century. between Russia and Persia, the first treaties were concluded: Gulistan (1813) 4 and Turkmanchai (1828), summing up the results of the Russian-Persian war, as a result of which Russia annexed a number of Transcaucasian territories and received the exclusive right to keep a navy in the Caspian sea. Russian and Persian merchants were allowed to freely trade on the territory of both states and use the Caspian Sea to transport goods. The Turkmanchay Treaty confirmed all these provisions and became the basis for maintaining international relations between the parties until 1917.

After the October Revolution of 1917, in a note of the new Russian government that came to power on January 14, 1918, it renounced its exclusive military presence in the Caspian Sea. The agreement between the RSFSR and Persia of February 26, 1921 declared invalid all agreements concluded before it by the tsarist government. The Caspian Sea became a body of water for common use by the parties: both states were granted equal rights of free navigation, except in cases where the crews of Iranian ships could include citizens of third countries using the service for unfriendly purposes (Article 7). The 1921 agreement did not provide for a maritime border between the parties.

In August 1935, the following treaty was signed, the parties to which were new subjects of international law - the Soviet Union and Iran, which acted under the new name. The parties reaffirmed the provisions of the 1921 agreement, but introduced into the agreement a new concept for the Caspian - a 10-mile fishing zone, which limited the spatial limits for its participants to conduct this fishery. This was done in order to control and conserve the living resources of the reservoir.

In the context of the outbreak of World War II, unleashed by Germany, an urgent need arose to conclude a new treaty between the USSR and Iran on trade and navigation in the Caspian. This was due to concern Soviet side, caused by Germany's interest in intensifying its trade relations with Iran and the danger of using the Caspian Sea as one of the stages transit route. The treaty signed between the USSR and Iran in 1940 10 protected the Caspian Sea from such a prospect: it repeated the main provisions of the previous agreements, which provided for the stay in its waters of ships of only these two Caspian states. It also included a provision for its indefinite validity.

The collapse of the Soviet Union radically changed the regional situation in the former Soviet space, in particular in the Caspian region. Among the large number of new problems, the problem of the Caspian Sea has also arisen. Instead of two states - the USSR and Iran, which previously bilaterally resolved all emerging issues of maritime navigation, fishing and the use of its other living and non-living resources, now there are five of them. Of the former, only Iran remained, Russia took the place of the USSR on the rights of succession, the remaining three are new states: Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan. They used to have access to the Caspian, but only as republics USSR rather than independent states. Now, having become independent and sovereign, they have the opportunity to participate on an equal footing with Russia and Iran in the discussion and decision-making in the consideration of all the above issues. This was also reflected in the attitude of these states to the Caspian, since all five states that had access to it showed equal interest in the use of its living and non-living resources. And this is logical, and most importantly, justified: the Caspian Sea is rich in natural resources, both fish stocks and black gold - oil and blue fuel - gas. Exploration and production of the last two resources have long been the subject of the most heated and protracted negotiations. But not only them.

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

Due to its location, the Caspian has traditionally and long been widely used for navigation, acting as a kind of transport artery between the peoples of the coastal states. Along its banks are such large seaports, as the Russian Astrakhan, the capital of Azerbaijan Baku, the Turkmen Turkmenbashi, the Iranian Anzeli and the Kazakh Aktau, between which trade, cargo and passenger sea transport routes have long been laid.

And yet, the main object of attention of the Caspian states is its mineral resources - oil and natural gas, to which each of them can lay claim within the boundaries that should be determined by them collectively on the basis of international law. And for this, they will have to divide between themselves both the Caspian Sea and its bottom, in the bowels of which its oil and gas are hidden, and develop rules for their extraction with minimal damage to a very fragile environment, primarily the marine environment and its living inhabitants.

The main obstacle in resolving the issue of the beginning of a wide extraction of the mineral resources of the Caspian Sea for the Caspian states continues to be its international legal status: should it be considered a sea or a lake? The complexity of the issue lies in the fact that these states themselves must solve it, and so far no agreement has been observed in their ranks. But at the same time, each of them seeks to start extracting Caspian oil and natural gas as soon as possible and make their sale abroad a permanent source of funds to form their budget.

Therefore, the oil companies of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, without waiting for the end of the settlement of existing disagreements on the territorial division of the Caspian Sea, have already begun active production of its oil, in the hope of ceasing to be dependent on Russia, turning their countries into oil producers and, in this capacity, begin to build their own long-term trading relations with neighbors.

However, the issue of the status of the Caspian Sea remains unresolved. Regardless of whether the Caspian states agree to consider it a “sea” or a “lake”, they will have to apply the principles corresponding to the choice made or develop their own in this case to the territorial division of its water area and bottom.

Kazakhstan was in favor of recognizing the Caspian as a sea. Such recognition will make it possible to apply to the division of the Caspian the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on Internal Waters, the Territorial Sea, the Exclusive Economic Zone, and the Continental Shelf. This would allow the coastal states to gain sovereignty over the subsoil of the territorial sea (Article 2) and exclusive rights to explore and develop the resources of the continental shelf (Article 77). But the Caspian cannot be called a sea from the standpoint of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, since this body of water is closed and has no natural connection with the oceans.

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

In the treaties between the USSR and Iran, the Caspian Sea was considered as a border lake. With the legal status of a "lake" given to the Caspian Sea, it is supposed to be divided into sectors, as is done with respect to border lakes. But in international law there is no rule obliging states to do just that: division into sectors is an established practice.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly made statements that the Caspian is a lake, and its waters and subsoil are the common property of the coastal states. Iran also considers the Caspian Sea as a lake from the position fixed in the treaties with the USSR. The country's government believes that this status implies the creation of a consortium for the unified management of production and use of its resources by the Caspian states. Some authors also share this opinion, for example, R. Mammadov believes that with such a status, the extraction of hydrocarbon resources in the Caspian Sea by these states should be carried out jointly.

In the literature, there has been a proposal to give the Caspian Sea the status of a “sui generis” lake, and in this case we are talking about a special international legal status of such a lake and its special regime. Under the regime is assumed the joint development by states of their own rules for the use of its resources.

Thus, the recognition of the Caspian Sea as a lake does not require its mandatory division into sectors - each coastal state has its own part. In addition, there are no norms in international law on the division of lakes between states: this is their good will, behind which certain internal interests may be hidden.

At present, all the Caspian states recognize that the modern legal regime was established by the established practice of its use, but now the Caspian is in actual common use not by two, but by five states. Even at the meeting of foreign ministers held in Ashgabat on November 12, 1996, the Caspian states confirmed that the status of the Caspian Sea could be changed only with the consent of all five coastal states. Later, this was also confirmed by Russia and Azerbaijan in a joint statement dated January 9, 2001 on the principles of cooperation, as well as in the Declaration on cooperation in the Caspian Sea signed between Kazakhstan and Russia dated October 9, 2000.

But in the course of numerous Caspian negotiations, conferences and four summits of the Caspian states (Ashgabat summit on April 23-24, 2002, the Tehran summit on October 16, 2007, the Baku summit on November 18, 2010 and Astrakhan on September 29, 2014), the consent of the Caspian countries it has not been possible to achieve.

More productive so far is cooperation at the bilateral and trilateral levels. Back in May 2003, Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the junction of the lines of delimitation of adjacent sections of the bottom of the Caspian Sea, which was based on previous bilateral agreements. In the current situation, Russia, by its participation in these agreements, seemed to confirm that the agreements between the USSR and Iran are outdated and do not correspond to existing realities.

In the Agreement of July 6, 1998 between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan on the delimitation of the bottom of the northern part of the Caspian Sea in order to exercise sovereign rights to subsoil use, the delimitation of the sea bottom between adjacent and opposite sides along a modified median line was announced on the basis of the principle of justice and agreement of the parties. At the bottom of the section, the states have sovereign rights, but their common use of the water surface is preserved.

Iran perceived this agreement as separate and violating the previous Treaties with the USSR of 1921 and 1940. However, it should be noted that in the preamble of the 1998 agreement, to which Russia and Kazakhstan were parties, the agreement was considered as a temporary measure pending the signing of the convention by all the Caspian states.

Later, on July 19 of the same year, Iran and Russia made a joint statement in which they proposed three possible scenarios for the delimitation of the Caspian Sea. First: the sea should be shared on the basis of the condominium principle. The second scenario boils down to dividing the water area, waters, bottom and subsoil into national sectors. The third scenario, which is a compromise between the first and second options, suggests dividing only the bottom between the coastal states, and considers the water surface to be common and open to all coastal countries.

The existing options for the delimitation of the Caspian Sea, including those mentioned above, are possible only if there is good political will on the part of the parties. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have clearly expressed their position from the very beginning of the process of multilateral consultations. Azerbaijan considers the Caspian Sea to be a lake and, therefore, it should be divided. Kazakhstan proposes to consider the Caspian as a closed sea, referring to the 1982 UN Convention (Articles 122, 123), and, accordingly, stands for its division in the spirit of the Convention. Turkmenistan has long supported the idea of ​​joint management and use of the Caspian, but foreign companies already developing resources off the coast of Turkmenistan have influenced the policy of its president, who began to object to the establishment of a condominium regime, supporting the position of dividing the sea.

Azerbaijan was the first of the Caspian states to start using the hydrocarbon resources of the Caspian under the new conditions. After the conclusion of the "Deal of the Century" in September 1994, Baku expressed a desire to declare the sector adjacent to it integral part its territory. This provision was enshrined in the Constitution of Azerbaijan, adopted in order to exercise sovereign rights to subsoil use, Moscow, July 6, 1998 at a referendum on November 12, 1995 (Article 11). But such a radical position from the very beginning did not correspond to the interests of all other coastal states, especially Russia, which expresses fears that this will open access to the Caspian Sea to countries in other regions. Azerbaijan agreed to a compromise. In the Agreement between the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan on the delimitation of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea in 2002, a provision was fixed in which the division of the bottom was carried out using the median line, and the water area of ​​the reservoir remained in joint use.

Unlike Azerbaijan, which expressed a desire to completely divide the Caspian, Iran proposes to leave its subsoil and water for joint use, but does not object to the option of dividing the Caspian into 5 equal parts. Accordingly, each member of the Caspian five would be allocated 20 percent of the total territory of the reservoir.

Russia's point of view was changing. For a long time Moscow insisted on the establishment of a condominium, but wanting to build a long-term policy with neighbors who did not benefit from considering the Caspian as the property of five coastal states, it changed its position. This then prompted the states to start new stage negotiations, at the end of which, in 1998, the above Agreement was signed, where Russia declared that it was "ripe" for the division of the Caspian. Its main principle was the position "the water is common - we divide the bottom."

Considering that agreements have been reached between some of the Caspian states, namely Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia, on the conditional delimitation of spaces in the Caspian, it can be concluded that they are actually satisfied with the already established regime with the division of its bottom along a modified median line and the joint use of the surface reservoir for navigation and fishing.

However, the lack of complete clarity and unity in the position of all countries of the coast prevents the Caspian states themselves from developing oil production. And oil is of key importance to them. There are no unequivocal data regarding their reserves in the Caspian Sea. According to the US Energy Information Agency in 2003, the Caspian was ranked second in oil reserves and third in gas reserves. The data of the Russian side is different: they speak of an artificial overestimation by Western experts of the energy resources of the Caspian Sea. Differences in assessments are due to the political and economic interests of regional and external players. The data distortion factor was the geopolitical significance of the region, with which the foreign policy plans of the US and the EU are connected. Zbigniew Brzezinski back in 1997 expressed the opinion that this region is the "Eurasian Balkans".

The territory of Russia is washed by twelve seas belonging to the basins of three oceans. But one of these seas - the Caspian - is often called a lake, which sometimes confuses people who are poorly versed in geography.

Meanwhile, it is really more correct to call the Caspian a lake, not a sea. Why? Let's figure it out.

A bit of geography. Where is the Caspian Sea located?

Occupying an area that exceeds 370,000 square kilometers, the Caspian Sea stretches from north to south, dividing Europe and Asia with its water surface. Its coastline belongs to five different countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran. Geographers conditionally divide its water area into three parts: Northern (25% of the area), Middle (36% of the area) and South Caspian (39% of the area), which differ in climate, geological setting and natural features. Coastline mostly gentle, indented by river channels, covered with vegetation, and in the northern part, where the Volga flows into the Caspian, it is also swampy.

The Caspian Sea has about 50 large and small islands, about a dozen bays and six large peninsulas. In addition to the Volga, about 130 rivers flow into it, and nine rivers form fairly wide and branched deltas. The annual drainage of the Volga is about 120 cubic kilometers. Shared with others major rivers- Terek, Ural, Emba and Sulak - this is up to 90% of the total annual runoff to the Caspian Sea.

Why is the Caspian called a lake?

The main feature of any sea is the presence of straits connecting it with the ocean. The Caspian Sea is a closed, or endorheic body of water, which takes in river water, but does not connect to any ocean.


Its water contains a very small amount of salt compared to other seas (about 0.05%) and is considered slightly salty. Due to the lack of at least one strait connecting with the ocean, the Caspian Sea is often called the largest lake in the world, since the lake is completely closed reservoir, which is fed only by river water.

The waters of the Caspian Sea are not subject to international maritime laws, and its water area is divided among all countries that adjoin it, in proportion to the coastline.

Why is the Caspian called the sea?

Despite all of the above, most often in geography, as well as in international and domestic documents, the name “Caspian Sea” is used, and not “ Caspian lake". First of all, this is due to the size of the reservoir, which is much more typical for the sea than for the lake. Even, which is much smaller in area than the Caspian, locals often referred to as the sea. There are no other lakes in the world whose shores belong to five different countries at the same time.

In addition, attention should be paid to the structure of the bottom, which near the Caspian Sea has a pronounced oceanic type. Once the Caspian Sea, most likely, was connected with the Mediterranean, but tectonic processes and drying up separated it from the World Ocean. More than fifty islands are located in the Caspian Sea, and the area of ​​some of them is quite large, even by international standards they are considered large. All this makes it possible to call the Caspian a sea, not a lake.

origin of name

Why is this sea (or lake) called Caspian? The origin of any name is often associated with the ancient history of the area. Different peoples who lived on the shores of the Caspian called it differently. More than seventy names of this reservoir have been preserved in history - it was called the Hyrcanian, Derbent, Sarai Sea, etc.


Iranians and Azerbaijanis still call it the Khazar Sea. Caspian it began to be called by name ancient tribe nomadic horse breeders who lived in the steppes adjacent to its coast - a numerous tribe of the Caspians. It was they who gave the name to large lake on our planet - the Caspian Sea.

The Caspian Sea is simultaneously located on the territory of 5 countries, including not only Russia and Kazakhstan, but also Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan. This is the world's largest closed reservoir, which has long been characteristic and known to everyone as the sea. But the question is, why is the Caspian Sea called the sea, because in reality it is a lake? And in this situation, we will understand today.

Why is the Caspian Sea called a sea

Despite the fact that this body of water is a lake, it is often called the sea. A significant part of people do not even know that this is a lake. This can be explained very simply, because even at one glance at this reservoir, depicted on the maps, its scale, which is mainly characteristic of the seas, catches the eye. A lake that washes the borders of five countries at once is something unthinkable.

Yes, this is something unthinkable, but it is true, because this is the largest, largest drainless lake in the whole world. And its dimensions are a brief and first reason why it is often called the sea. In addition, the facts that there are a little more than 50 islands on its territory also play in favor of the fact that this lake can be called a sea. It is noteworthy that some of them are not just medium scale, but truly large dimensions, whose area, imagine, reaches 350 square kilometers.

Why is the Caspian Sea called a lake?

As for the true name of this reservoir, it refers to lakes for a number of reasons. They can be summarized below:

• The bed of the lake is set out by the earth's crust, which has an oceanic type;
• Despite its size and similarity to full-fledged seas, the lake has almost fresh, slightly salty water;
• Almost any sea is part of the world's oceans, and the Caspian Lake, by virtue of its geographical location, has no access to the open ocean.

It is also noteworthy that the status of a lake near the Caspian Sea is also confirmed by the fact that its waters are not covered by the UN international regime, and the water area of ​​the lake is divided between the states adjacent to it in a different way than in the case of the seas.

Interestingly, the Caspian Lake is often called not only the Caspian Sea, but also the Caspian. And now, after reading the text of this article, you will surely know that, despite its similarity to the sea, the presence of many properties and characteristics inherent only to the seas, the Caspian is still a lake, and this is a fact.

Until now, there are disputes about the status of the Caspian Sea. The fact is that, despite its common name, it is still the largest endorheic lake in the world. It was called the sea because of the features that the structure of the bottom has. It is formed by oceanic crust. In addition, the water in the Caspian Sea is salty. As at sea, storms are often observed here and strong winds raising high waves.

Geography

The Caspian Sea is located at the crossroads of Asia and Europe. In its shape, it resembles one of the letters of the Latin alphabet - S. From south to north, the sea stretches for 1200 km, and from east to west - from 195 to 435 km.

The territory of the Caspian Sea is heterogeneous in terms of its physical and geographical conditions. In this regard, it is conventionally divided into 3 parts. These include the Northern and Middle, as well as the Southern Caspian.

coastal countries

Which countries are washed by the Caspian Sea? There are only five of them:

1. Russia, located in the northwest and west. The length of the coastline of this state along the Caspian Sea is 695 km. Kalmykia, Dagestan and the Astrakhan region, which are part of Russia, are located here.
2. Kazakhstan. This is a country on the shores of the Caspian Sea, located in the east and northeast. The length of its coastline is 2320 km.
3. Turkmenistan. The map of the Caspian states indicates that this country is located in the southeast of the water basin. The length of the line along the coast is 1200 km.
4. Azerbaijan. This state, stretching along the Caspian for 955 km, washes its shores in the southwest.
5. Iran. The map of the Caspian states indicates that this country is located near southern shores drainless lake. At the same time, the length of its sea borders is 724 km.

Caspian sea?

Until now, the dispute about how to name this unique reservoir has not been resolved. And it is important to answer this question. The fact is that all countries on the Caspian Sea have this region own interests. However, the question of how to divide this huge body of water, the governments of the five states have not been able to decide for a long time. The main dispute revolved around the name. Is the Caspian still a sea or a lake? Moreover, the answer to this question is more of interest to non-geographers. First of all, politicians need it. This is due to the application of international law.

Caspian states such as Kazakhstan and Russia believe that their borders in this region are washed by the sea. In this regard, representatives of the two indicated countries insist on the application of the UN Convention, adopted in 1982. It concerns the law of the sea. The provisions of this document state that the coastal states are assigned a twelve-mile water zone along it. In addition, the country is granted the right to an economic maritime territory. It is located at a distance of two hundred miles. The coastal state also has the right to, however, even the widest part of the Caspian Sea is narrower than the distance specified in the international document. In such a case, the principle of the median line can be applied. At the same time, the Caspian states, which have the largest length of coastal borders, will receive a large sea area.

Iran has a different opinion on this matter. Its representatives believe that the Caspian should be divided fairly. In this case, all countries will get twenty percent of the sea area. One can understand the position of official Tehran. With such a solution to the problem, the state will control a larger zone than when dividing the sea along the median line.

However, the Caspian from year to year significantly changes its water level. This does not allow determining its median line and dividing the territory between states. Such countries of the Caspian Sea as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia have signed an agreement among themselves defining those bottom zones on which the parties will exercise their economic rights. Thus, on northern territories Sea reached a certain legal truce. Southern countries The Caspian Sea has not yet come to a unified decision. At the same time, they do not recognize the agreements reached by their northern neighbors.

The Caspian is a lake?

Adherents of this point of view proceed from the fact that the reservoir, located at the junction of Asia and Europe, is closed. In this case, it is impossible to apply the document on the norms of international maritime law to it. Supporters of this theory are convinced that they are right, referring to the fact that the Caspian Sea has no natural connection with the waters of the World Ocean. But here another difficulty arises. If the lake is the Caspian Sea, according to what international standards should the borders of states be defined in its water spaces? Unfortunately, such documents have not yet been developed. The fact is that the issues of the international lake were not discussed anywhere and by anyone.

Is the Caspian a unique body of water?

In addition to those listed above, there is another, third point of view on the ownership of this amazing reservoir. Its supporters are of the opinion that the Caspian should be recognized as an international water basin, belonging equally to all countries bordering on it. In their opinion, the resources of the region are subject to joint exploitation by the countries bordering the reservoir.

Solving Security Issues

The Caspian states are doing everything possible to eliminate all existing differences. And there are positive developments in this regard. One of the steps towards solving problems related to the Caspian region was an agreement signed on November 18, 2010 between all five countries. It concerns issues of cooperation in the field of security. In this document, the countries agreed on joint activities to eliminate terrorism, drug trafficking, smuggling, poaching, money laundering, etc. in the region.

environmental protection

Particular attention is paid to solving environmental issues. The territory on which the Caspian states and Eurasia are located is a region under the threat of industrial pollution. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are dumping waste from exploration and production of energy carriers into the waters of the Caspian Sea. Moreover, it is in these countries that a large number of abandoned oil wells that are not operated due to their unprofitability, but nevertheless continue to have an adverse impact on the environmental situation. As for Iran, it dumps agricultural waste and sewage into the sea. Russia threatens the ecology of the region with industrial pollution. It's connected with economic activity deployed in the Volga region.

The countries on the Caspian Sea have made some progress in solving environmental problems. Thus, since August 12, 2007, the Framework Convection has been in force in the region, which sets itself the goal of protecting the Caspian Sea. This document developed provisions on the protection of bioresources and the regulation of anthropogenic factors affecting the aquatic environment. According to this convection, the parties must interact when carrying out measures to improve environmental situation in the Caspian.

In 2011 and 2012, all five countries also signed other documents significant for the protection of the marine environment. Among them:

• Protocol on Cooperation, Response and Regional Preparedness for Oil Pollution Events.
• Protocol concerning the protection of the region against pollution from land-based sources.

Development of the gas pipeline construction

To date, another problem is unresolved in the Caspian region. It concerns the laying This idea is an important strategic task of the West and the United States, which continue to look for sources of energy resources alternative to Russian ones. That is why, when resolving this issue, the parties do not turn to such countries as Kazakhstan, Iran and, of course, the Russian Federation. Brussels and Washington supported the statement made in Baku on November 18, 2010 at the summit of the heads of the Caspian countries. He expressed the official position of Ashgabat regarding the laying of the pipeline. The Turkmen authorities believe that the project should be carried out. At the same time, only those states, on the territories of the bottom of which it will be located, must give their consent to the construction of the pipeline. These are Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. Iran and Russia opposed this position and the project itself. At the same time, they were guided by the issues of protecting the Caspian ecosystem. To date, the construction of the pipeline is not carried out due to disagreement between the project participants.

Hosting the first summit

The countries on the Caspian Sea are constantly looking for ways to solve the problems that have matured in this Eurasian region. For this, special meetings of their representatives are organized. Thus, the first summit of the heads of the Caspian states took place in April 2002. Ashgabat became its venue. However, the results of this meeting did not meet expectations. The summit was considered unsuccessful due to Iran's demands for the division of the sea into 5 equal parts. This was strongly opposed by other countries. Their representatives defended their own point of view that the size of national water areas should correspond to the length that the coastline of the state has.

The failure of the summit was also provoked by a dispute between Ashgabat and Baku over the ownership of three oil fields located in the center of the Caspian Sea. As a result, the heads of the five states did not develop a unanimous opinion on any of all the issues raised. However, at the same time, an agreement was reached to hold a second summit. It was supposed to take place in 2003 in Baku.

Second Caspian Summit

Despite the existing agreements, the scheduled meeting was postponed every year. The heads of the Caspian littoral states gathered for the second summit only on October 16, 2007. The venue was Tehran. The meeting discussed topical issues related to the definition legal status unique reservoir, which is the Caspian Sea. The borders of the states within the framework of the division of the water area were preliminarily agreed during the development of the draft of the new convention. Issues of security, ecology, economy and cooperation were also raised. coastal countries. In addition, the results of the work that the states have carried out since the first summit were summed up. In Tehran, representatives of the five states also outlined ways for further cooperation in the region.

Meeting at the third summit

Once again, the heads of the Caspian countries met in Baku on November 18, 2010. The result of this summit was the signing of an agreement on expanding cooperation regarding security issues. During the meeting, it was pointed out that which countries werehes the Caspian Sea, only those should ensure the fight against terrorism, transnational crime, weapons proliferation, etc.

Fourth summit

Once again, the Caspian states raised their problems in Astrakhan on September 29, 2014. At this meeting, the presidents of the five countries signed another statement.

In it, the parties fixed the exclusive right of the coastal countries to deploy armed forces in the Caspian. But even at this meeting, the status of the Caspian was not finally settled.

Where Europe converges with Asia, there is one of the unique reservoirs, which is officially called the sea, and unofficially - the lake - the Caspian Sea, washing the shores of several countries at once with its waters. , or rather, its northeastern part, goes just to Caspian coast. What mysteries does the Caspian hold, how big a role does it play in the life of the country, and what benefits can people bring to the sea itself?

Geography of the Caspian Sea

Researchers are still arguing what the Caspian Sea is - a lake or a sea. The fact is that this reservoir is the largest of all drainless. These are called those that have no connection with the oceans.

All rivers of the Caspian Sea originate on land, but do not reach ocean shores. Thus, it is closed and may well be called a lake. However, the Caspian is quite large, moreover, its bottom is the earth's crust, which belongs to the oceanic type. This indicates that the sea appeared here millions of years ago.

The fact that once on the planet, or rather, on the territory where Europe and Asia are located today, the huge prehistoric Sarmatian Sea splashed - this is the name given to it by scientists. This was 12 million years ago. Water covered the entire space of the present land.

The Caucasus and the Crimea were islands in this incredibly large sea. However, it gradually desalinated and dried up due to the slow rise of the land. As a result, on the site of the Sarmatian Sea, peculiar "puddles" were formed - the Caspian, Black, Aral, Azov Seas.

Finding the Caspian Sea today on a geographical map is quite simple. It is located in the region of Asia Minor and is separated from the Black Sea by the Caucasus, which acts as a kind of isthmus between these two reservoirs. It has an elongated shape from north to south. Its coordinates are 36°34"–47°13" north latitude and 46°–56° east longitude. Modern borders are the coasts of five states:

1. Russia.
2. Azerbaijan.
3. Turkmenistan.
4. Kazakhstan.
5. Iran.

Geographers divide the territory of the sea into the North, Middle and South Caspian, and the southern part of it occupies about 40% of the area, and the northern part is only 25%. There are also limits to these divisions. So, the Middle Caspian is separated from the North by a conditional line drawn from Cape Tyub-Karagan to the island of Chechen. And the border between the South and the Middle passes through Cape Gan-Gul and Chilov Island.

Area and depth

Many are interested in what is the area of ​​the Caspian Sea, but these parameters change periodically. It all depends on seasonal fluctuations in depth. So, if the water level in the sea is about 27 meters, the reservoir can reach over 370 thousand square kilometers. During these periods, it becomes full-flowing, and holds almost 45% of the total volume of fresh lake water on the planet.

The Caspian Sea is heterogeneous in terms of depth parameters. So, the most shallow part is the northern one, average depth it does not exceed 4 meters, and the maximum is 25 meters. South part the deepest, in the area of ​​the South Caspian depression is 1025 meters. In general, the researchers found that the average depth of the reservoir is 208 meters according to the bathygraphic curve.

The Caspian lake is in third place in terms of depth after the lakes of Baikal and Tanganyika. As for sea level, it fluctuates significantly. Scientific measurements of the reservoir began in 1837. Scientists based on historical documents And archaeological research argue that the highest water level was observed at the turn of the XIII-XIV centuries, then the decline began.

For three thousand years of our civilization, the water level in the Caspian has changed by 15 meters. The reasons may be very different. First of all, these are geological changes in the state of the earth's crust, as well as climate fluctuations in a given region and human actions.

Temperature and climate

Since today not only industrial enterprises, but also resorts are located in the Caspian basin, the temperature of the Caspian Sea is of great interest to many. This indicator is also subject to seasonal changes, and they are very significant.

In winter, the difference in temperature fluctuations is observed within 10 degrees. In the southern part of the reservoir, water in winter time year has an average temperature of 11 degrees, while in the northern part of the sea this temperature is no more than 0.5 degrees, and sometimes even a slight glaciation is observed. The northern regions, as the most shallow, warm up faster in summer and can reach up to 26 degrees. At the same time, the water temperature in the western part of the reservoir is permanently higher than in the eastern part.

The summer period, which lasts from June to September, makes the temperature indicators the most uniform throughout the sea. At this time, in the upper layers, the water warms up to 26 degrees, and in the southern part it can increase up to 28 degrees. TO velvet season in shallow areas, the water can warm up even more and reaches 32 degrees.

In addition, in summer there is such a phenomenon as the rise of deep water layers to the surface. This is the so-called upwelling, however, scientists observe it not throughout the entire water area, but mainly only in the east, sometimes deep waters also rise in the southern part of the reservoir. As a result, the average water temperature can be understood by 10 degrees.

As in others sea ​​waters Oemah, the water in the Caspian Sea is salty. However, the level of salt saturation may vary depending on its individual areas. The salt concentration is highest in the western and southern parts of the reservoir. In the northern regions, sea water is constantly diluted with fresh water from rivers. However, throughout the sea, the salt concentration varies depending on the season of the year.

In addition, the reason that the water becomes saltier or fresher is the winds. For example, in the South and Middle Caspian, these fluctuations are weakly expressed, in contrast to the North.

The climate of this maritime region also varies. The southern part of the sea is in a subtropical climate, the middle part is temperate, and the northern part is continental. As a result, the air temperature on the coast is different.

It is worth noting that it is hottest in the south and southeast of the reservoir. Here, the temperature can sometimes reach up to 44 degrees in summer, and the average temperature is 26-27 degrees. The north of the reservoir in the summer also cannot complain about the cold - up to 25 degrees of air temperature is recorded here. As for winter, the air temperature in the north can reach -10 degrees, and in the south - up to +10 degrees.

Pool features

There is no need to assume that the Caspian is just a closed body of water, bounded by shores. On the map, the sea has fairly even shores, but in fact its borders are indented by small capes and peninsulas, as well as channels and estuaries. The coastline is about 7 thousand kilometers (including the islands).

The coast of the lake in its northern part looks low, there is some waterlogging due to the presence of many channels. From the east, the Caspian coast is mainly limestone, and the territories smoothly turn into semi-desert lands. The sinuosity of the coastal edges is highest in the east and west.

Any large body of water cannot do without islands, and the Caspian is no exception. The islands of the Caspian Sea are diverse, their total number is almost 50 islands of various sizes. The largest ones include:

• Boyuk-Zira;
• Seals;
• Chechen;
• Ashur-Ada;
• Ogurchinsky;
• Kur-Dashi;

The coast of the Caspian Sea is also rich in peninsulas, among which are Mangyshlak, Apsheron, Tyub-Karagan. Finally, the geography of the Caspian includes many large and small bays. The most famous of them are:

• Kizlyarsky;
• Kara-Bogaz-Gol;
• Mangyshlak;
• Gyzylagach;
• Turkmenbashi;
• Astrakhan (Astrakhan);
• Hyrcanus.

Of these bays, one can especially distinguish Kara-Bogaz-Gol, which is located in the eastern part of the sea and today belongs to Turkmenistan. Until the end of the twentieth century, it was a kind of Caspian lagoon, which was connected to the "big water" by the strait. In the 1980s, back in the days of the USSR, a dam was first built here, and then a dam, as a result of which the water level in the bay was lowered.

To date, the situation has returned to the starting point, since the strait was able to restore. Water enters the bay in the amount of 10-17 cubic kilometers annually. However, due to the hot climate, it evaporates, so the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay is extremely salty.

The Caspian Sea, like other similar water bodies, has a rich flora and fauna. A variety of algae predominate here, and researchers believe that most of the Caspian is of local origin. However, it is also possible that some algae were brought here artificially - for example, on the bottoms of merchant ships from other seas.

The Caspian is quite diverse. There are over 100 types of fish. It is here that the famous sturgeon and other fish of the same family are found. Basically, the fish of the Caspian are those that live in fresh or low-salt waters: pike, carp, salmon, mullet, perch, carp, some of which are listed in. You can meet seals in the sea.

Development of waters and seabed

Who among us does not remember the famous phrase from geography textbooks: "The Volga flows into the Caspian Sea." This river is the largest of those whose mouth is the Caspian. Annually it delivers up to 224 cubic kilometers to the sea fresh water. But there are other, smaller ones that also rush to here. In addition to the Volga, these are:

1. Terek.
2. Ural.
3. Samur.
4. Sulak.

These rivers flow through the territory of Russia, and in addition to them, the waters of the rivers Atrek (Turkmenistan), Kura (), Sefidrud (Iran), Emba (Kazakhstan) flow into the Caspian. In total, out of 130 various rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea, the mouths of nine water streams are formed in the form of a delta.

The development of the lake took place over many centuries. Today, the ports of the Caspian Sea connect the shores of the reservoir with trade routes. Of the Russian ports, the most important are Makhachkala and Astrakhan, from which ships are constantly sent to Kazakh Aktau, Azerbaijani Baku and other coastal shores of the Caspian Sea. In addition, it is associated with Sea of ​​Azov, where they get through the rivers Don and Volga, as well as through the Volga-Don Canal.

Oil production is an important direction in the economic development of the Caspian basin and the sea area itself. The oil resources of the sea currently amount to approximately 10 billion tons - these are the estimates given by the researchers. If we add gas condensate to this, then the reserves will double.

Oil production is the most important sector of the economy of the countries of the Caspian region, therefore, for many years, disagreements regarding the use of the resources of the sea have not been resolved. During the existence of the USSR, the territory of the Caspian Sea belonged to the Soviet Union and Iran.

Until now, there are legal documents on the division of the reservoir and the use of its shelf, which were concluded between Iran and the USSR. At the same time, disputes regarding the legal division of territories do not stop. So, Iran proposes to divide equally between the five countries, and three former Soviet republics insist that the reservoir be divided along the median line of demarcation.

This question remains very serious, because depending on where the sea should be divided, not only the volume of oil production for each littoral state, but also the use of other resources of the reservoir. Here we can talk, first of all, about fisheries, because the sea is very generous with fish stocks.

They get not only fish, but also the famous caviar, as well as a seal. However, the reproduction of fish stock today would be much more efficient if it were not for the poachers of the Caspian Sea, who organize illegal sturgeon catching and illegally harvest caviar.

At the same time, they exist in almost all the Caspian countries, so that the fight against them is common for the neighboring countries of the Caspian basin. As a result, sturgeon exports to last years limited, since both Russia and other countries of the Caspian are interested in maintaining this natural wealth region.

Poaching is a serious problem, and today Russia, together with Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, are developing measures aimed at legally limiting illegal fishing.

However, there is another big problem of the Caspian Sea - the pollution of sea waters. The reason is oil production, as well as the transportation of oil by sea. Do not forget that large cities located on the banks of the reservoir are a constant source of water pollution. In addition, industrial enterprises, despite strict prohibitions, sometimes still dump waste into rivers, which then end up in the sea.

Environmental violations lead not only to general pollution Caspian waters, but also to a change in the boundaries of the reservoir itself (bogging, drying, and so on). But what is the significance of the Caspian Sea for the entire region, it is not even worth talking about.

Rest in the resorts of the Caspian Sea

In order to understand what human civilization can lose by losing the Caspian Sea, you can look at its photo. This reservoir is an amazing place for good rest, and seascapes invariably impress everyone who comes here. A vacation spent on the Caspian Sea turns out to be no worse than on Black Sea coast. Fresh air, mild climate and well-maintained beaches - that's what it can give tourists.

If you decide to go to the Caspian Sea, the prices for holidays will pleasantly surprise you. Tourism is valued in many ways precisely because it turns out to be inexpensive compared to what awaits tourists traveling to resorts in other regions of the planet. Residents of Russia can relax quite cheaply within their own country and at the same time receive excellent service that does not differ in level from the Mediterranean.

There are several resorts in Russian cities(most of which are in), which are especially popular with tourists. This:

• Astrakhan;
• Dagestan Lights;
• Kaspiysk;
• Izberbash;
• Lagan.

If tourists go to Derbent, first of all, to see its ancient sights, and to Astrakhan - to enjoy fishing, then the places for recreation in Makhachkala are among the most comfortable and comfortable beaches of the Caspian Sea.

This resort attracts not only with a comfortable stay, but also with the opportunity to improve health, because there are thermal and mineral springs. From foreign resorts we can note the Kazakh Aktau, the Azerbaijani Sumgayit and the Turkmen Avaza recreation area.

Today the Caspian is one of the most important world regions in economic terms. Without it, it is impossible to imagine modern Eurasia and, moreover, the history of Russia. This means that the state of this reservoir should be protected by the state.