Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is a Inland sea of the Asia. It is bordered by the Russia (with the Daguestan, the Kalmoukie and the oblast of Astrakhan), the Azerbaïdjan, the Turkménistan, the Iran, and the Kazakhstan, with the Steppe S of the Central Asia in north and the east. In Antiquity, it was called the ocean Hyrcanie N ; it bore also the name of sea Khvalissian (related to Khvali, inhabitants of the Khwarezm) or of Bahr el- Qazvin according to Arab sources. The word Caspian coming from Qazvin, a town of Iran. In Iran, it is called sea Khazar ( Daryā-e Khazar ) and sometimes sea Mazandaran ( Daryā-e Mazandaran , of the name of an area which borders it).

Characteristics

The Caspian Sea is one of the smallest seas of the world; in fact, according to the scientists it has characteristics at the same time of Mer and Lac. It is nevertheless, with a surface of 371 000 km ², largest of the water masses wedged of the world. It does not have however the legal status of the seas.

Salinity is surroundings 1.2%, that is to say one the third of the salinity of the majority of the seas or oceans (3,8% in the Mediterranean, 3,5% in the Atlantique). Salinity varies from 1% on the level of the mouth of the the Volga, to 20% in bay of Kara-Bogaz where water practically does not mix with that of the remainder of the sea.

Hydrography

The rivers the Volga and the Ural are thrown in the Caspian Sea, which is connected to the Mer of Azov by the Canal Manytch.

The Caspienne sea level is descended and assembled many times during the centuries. Certain historians claim that with the Moyen-âge, a rise of water caused the immersion of the coastal towns of Khazarie, like that of Itil. Since a score of years, the sea level caused the immersion of most of the Iranian littoral. The experts are divided on the causes of this rise.

Fauna

The Caspian Sea contains a great number of Esturgeon S, which provide Caviar. Surpêche would threaten to them population.
however The Phoque of Caspian the is an endemic species of the sea Caspienne.
Among the birds, one can meet the Goéland pontic and the Caspian tern.

Other resources

The depths of the sea still conceal important oil resources .

Geopolitics

The Caspian Sea having been a long time divided only between Iran and Russia (then the Soviet Union), the establishment of the maritime borders between the five Coastal states of today is a difficult question. The Coastal states do not manage to decide if it is of a sea or a lake, the exploitation of the resources of a sea and a lake not being controls by the same rules in international law.

Cities

Main cities at the edge of the Caspian Sea:

Bakou, Azerbaïdjan;
Babol, province of Mazandaran, Iran;
Sari, capital the province of Mazandaran, Iran;
Türkmenbaşy, Turkménistan (previously Krasnovodsk);
Atyrau, Kazakhstan;
Aktaou, Kazakhstan (previously Chevtchenko);
Itil, old khazare city.

See too

List of the islands of the Caspian Sea
Kara-Bogaz-Gol
Monster of Caspian the

External bonds

Caspian Sea: oil stakes, on the site of French Documentation
Given quantified detailed
the legal status of the Caspian Sea:

on Internet network for International law (RIDI)
in the diplomatic world

Caspian Environment Programs

Framework Convention for the Protection off the Marine Environment off the Caspian Sea (2003)

Basic bibliography

Turab Gurbanov, the oil of Caspian and the foreign policy of Azerbaïdjan: volume 1 - Economic questions and legal , Harmattan, 2007,304 pages,
Turab Gurbanov, the oil of Caspian and the foreign policy of Azerbaïdjan: volume 2 - Geopolitical questions , Harmattan, 2007,297 pages,

Reference

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