It flows into the Caspian Sea. Caspian Sea, map

The Caspian Sea is the largest closed body of water on the planet Earth, located on the continent of Eurasia - in the border territories of the states of Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan. In fact, it is a giant lake left after the disappearance of the ancient Tethys ocean. Nevertheless, there is every reason to consider it as an independent sea (this is indicated by salinity, a large area and a decent depth, a bottom from the oceanic crust and other signs). In terms of maximum depth, it is the third among closed bodies of water - after lakes Baikal and Tanganyika. In the northern part of the Caspian Sea (a few kilometers from the northern coast - parallel to it) there is a geographical border between Europe and Asia.

Toponymy

Other names: in the entire history of mankind among different peoples, the Caspian Sea had about 70 different names... The most famous of them: Khvalynskoe or Khvalisskoe (took place during the time of Ancient Rus, arose by the name of the people praises who lived in the Northern Caspian Sea and traded with the Russians), Girkanskoe or Dzhurdzhanskoe (derived from the alternative names of the city of Gorgan, located in Iran), Khazar, Abeskunskoe (by the name of the island and the city in the Kura delta - now flooded), Saraisk, Derbent, Sihai ...
Origin of name: according to one of the hypotheses, the Caspian Sea received its modern and most ancient name from a tribe of nomadic horse breeders Kaspiev living in 1st millennium BC on the southwest coast.

Morphometry

Drainage area: 3,626,000 km².
Mirror area: 371,000 km².
Length coastline: 7,000 km
Volume: 78 200 km³.
Average depth: 208 m.
Maximum depth: 1,025 m.

Hydrology

The presence of a constant flow: no, drainless.
Inflows:, Ural, Emba, Atrek, Gorgan, Heraz, Sefidrud, Astarchay, Kura, Pirsagat, Kusarchay, Samur, Rubas, Darvagchay, Uluchay, Shuraozen, Sulak, Terek, Kuma.
Bottom: very diverse. At shallow depths, it is common sandy ground with an admixture of shells, in deep-water places - silty. Pebble and rocky places can be found in the coastal strip (especially where mountain ranges adjoin the sea). In the estuarine areas, the underwater soil consists of river sediments. The Kara-Bogaz-Gol bay is notable for the fact that its bottom is a thick layer of mineral salts.

Chemical composition

Water: brackish.
Salinity: 13 g / l.
Transparency: 15 m.

Geography

Rice. 1. Map of the Caspian Sea Basin.

Coordinates: 41 ° 59′02 ″ s. sh., 51 ° 03'52 ″ in. etc.
Height above sea level:-28 m.
Coastal landscape: due to the fact that the coastline of the Caspian Sea is very long, and it itself is located in different geographic areas- The coastal landscape is diverse. In the northern part of the reservoir, the shores are low, swampy, in places of the deltas of large rivers cut by numerous channels. Eastern shores mostly limestone - desert or semi-desert. Western and south coast adjoin mountain ranges. The most indented coastline is observed in the west - in the area of the Apsheron Peninsula, as well as in the east - in the area of the Kazakh and Kara-Bogaz-Gol bays.
Settlements on the banks:
- Russia: Astrakhan, Derbent, Kaspiysk, Makhachkala, Olya.
- Kazakhstan: Aktau, Atyrau, Kuryk, Sogandyk, Bautino.
- Turkmenistan: Ekerem, Karabogaz, Turkmenbashi, Khazar.
- Iran: Astara, Balboser, Bender-Torkemen, Bender-Anzali, Neka, Chalus.
- Azerbaijan: Alat, Astara, Baku, Dubendi, Lankaran, Sangachaly, Sumgayit.

Interactive map

Ecology

The ecological situation in the Caspian Sea is far from ideal. Practically all large rivers flowing into it are polluted by wastewater from industrial enterprises located upstream. This could not but affect the presence of pollutants in the waters and bottom sediments of the Caspian - over the past half century, their concentration has increased markedly, and the content of some heavy metals has already exceeded the permissible limits.

In addition, the waters of the Caspian Sea are constantly polluted by domestic wastewater from coastal cities, as well as during oil production on the continental shelf, and during its transportation.

Fishing in the Caspian Sea

Fish species:
Artificial settlement: not all of the above fish species in the Caspian Sea are indigenous. About 4 dozen species were caught by accident (for example, through the channels from the Black and Baltic seas), or were deliberately inhabited by humans. An example is mullet. Three Black Sea species of these fish - striped mullet, ostronos and singil - were released in the first half of the 20th century. Loban didn’t take root, but ostronos with singil have successfully acclimatized, and by now they have settled practically throughout the entire water area of the Caspian, having formed several commercial herds. At the same time, the fish feed faster than in the Black Sea, and reach larger sizes. In the second half of the last century (since 1962), attempts were also made to settle in the Caspian Sea such Far Eastern salmon fishes as pink salmon and chum salmon. In total, several billion fry of these fish were released into the sea for 5 years. The pink salmon did not survive in the new habitat, the chum salmon, on the contrary, successfully took root and even began to spawn in the rivers flowing into the sea. However, she could not reproduce in sufficient numbers and gradually disappeared. So far, there are no favorable conditions for its full-fledged natural reproduction (there are very few places where spawning and development of fry could successfully occur). To ensure them, reclamation of rivers is needed, otherwise, without human help (artificial sampling of eggs and its incubation), the fish will not be able to maintain their numbers.

Fishing spots

In fact, fishing is possible anywhere along the coast of the Caspian Sea, which can be reached by land or water. What species of fish will be caught at the same time depends on local conditions, but to a greater extent on whether rivers flow here. As a rule, in places where estuaries and deltas are located (especially large watercourses), the water in the sea is greatly desalinated, therefore freshwater fish (carp, catfish, bream, etc.) usually prevail in catches, and species characteristic of flowing rivers (barbel, shemaya). From marine species in desalinated areas, those for which salinity does not matter (mullet, some of the gobies) are caught. In certain periods of the year, semi-anadromous and anadromous species can be found here, feeding in the sea, and spawning in rivers (sturgeon, some of herring, Caspian salmon). In places where there are no rivers flowing into it, freshwater species are found in slightly smaller numbers, but at the same time marine fish appear, usually avoiding desalinated areas (for example, sea pike perch). Away from the coast, fish that prefer salt water and deep-sea species are caught.

Conventionally, there are 9 places or areas that are interesting in terms of fishing:

North Shore (RF)- this site is located on the northern coast of the Russian Federation (from the Volga delta to the Kizlyar Bay). Its main features are insignificant salinity of water (the lowest in the Caspian Sea), shallow depth, the presence of multiple shoals, islands, highly developed aquatic vegetation. In addition to the Volga delta with its numerous channels, bays and eriks, it also includes the near-estuarine seashore, called the Caspian peals. These places are popular with Russian fishermen, and for good reason: the conditions for fish are very favorable here, and there is also a good food base. The ichthyofauna in these parts may not be distinguished by the richness of species, but it is distinguished by its multiplicity, and its individual representatives reach very considerable sizes. Typically, the main catches are freshwater fish typical for the Volga basin. Most often caught: perch, pike perch, roach (more precisely - its varieties, called roach and ram), rudd, asp, sabrefish, bream, goldfish, carp, catfish, pike. Bersh, silver bream, white-eyed, blue bream are somewhat less common. Representatives of sturgeon (sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, beluga, etc.), salmon (nelma, brown trout - Caspian salmon) are also found in these places, but their catch is prohibited.
Northwest coast (RF)- this section covers West Coast Russian Federation(from the Kizlyar Bay to Makhachkala). The rivers Kuma, Terek and Sulak flow here - they carry their waters both along natural channels and artificial canals. There are bays in this area, some of which are quite large (Kizlyarsky, Agrakhansky). The sea in these places is shallow. Freshwater fish predominate in the catches: pike, perch, carp, catfish, rudd, bream, barbel, etc.
West Bank (RF)- from Makhachkala to the border of the Russian Federation with Azerbaijan. A site where mountain ranges adjoin the sea. The salinity of the water here is slightly higher than in previous places, therefore, in the catches of fishermen, marine species are more common (sea pike perch, mullet, herring). However, freshwater fish are by no means uncommon.
West Bank (Azerbaijan)- from the border of the Russian Federation with Azerbaijan along the Absheron Peninsula. Continuation of the site, where mountain ranges adjoin the sea. Fishing here is even more similar to the typical sea one, thanks to such fish as ostronos and singil (mullet) and several species of gobies, which are also caught here. In addition to them, there are kutum, herring, and some typically freshwater species, for example, the carp.
Southwest coast (Azerbaijan)- from the Absheron Peninsula to the border of Azerbaijan with Iran. Most this site occupies the Kura River delta. The same fish species that were listed in the previous paragraph are caught here, but freshwater fish are more often caught.
North coast (Kazakhstan)- this section covers the northern coast of Kazakhstan. The Ural delta and the Akzhaiyk state reserve are located here, so fishing directly in the river delta and in some adjacent water area is prohibited. Fishing is possible only outside the reserve - upstream of the delta, or in the sea - at some distance from it. Fishing near the Ural delta has much in common with fishing at the confluence of the Volga - almost the same species of fish are found here.
North-east coast (Kazakhstan)- from the mouth of the Emba to Cape Tyub-Karagan. Unlike the northern part of the sea, where the water is greatly diluted by the large rivers flowing into it, its salinity somewhat increases here, so those fish species appear that avoid freshened areas, for example, sea pike perch, which is caught in the Dead Kultuk Bay. Other representatives of the marine fauna are also often found in the catches.
East coast (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan)- from Cape Tyub-Karagan to the border of Turkmenistan and Iran. Differs in almost complete absence of flowing rivers. The salinity of the water here has maximum values... Of the fish in these places, marine species predominate, the main catch is mullet, sea pike perch and gobies.
South Coast (Iran)- covers the southern coast of the Caspian. Along the entire length of this section, the sea is adjacent to mountain range Elburs. Many rivers flow here, most of which are represented by shallow streams, there are also several medium and one large river... Among fish, in addition to marine species, there are also some freshwater, as well as semi-anadromous and anadromous species, for example, sturgeon.

Fishing features

The most popular and catchy amateur tackle that is used on the Caspian coast is a heavy spinning rod converted into a "sea donk". Usually it is equipped with a strong reel, on which a rather thick line (0.3 mm and more) is wound. The thickness of the line is determined not so much by the size of the fish as by the mass of a rather heavy sinker, which is necessary for ultra-long casting (in the Caspian it is generally believed that the further from the coast the casting point is, the better). After the sinker, there is a thinner line - with several leads. Shrimps and amphipods that live in coastal thickets of seaweed are used as a bait - if you intend to fish for sea fish, or an ordinary bait like a worm, May beetle larvae and others - if freshwater species are found in the fishing area.

At the mouths of rivers flowing in, other gear can be used, such as a float rod, feeder and traditional spinning rod.

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Photo 8. Sunset in Aktau.

The Caspian Sea is called the most big lake on our planet. It is located between Europe and Asia and is called the sea for its size.

Caspian Sea

The water level is 28m below the level. The water in the Caspian Sea has a lower salinity in the north in the delta. The highest salinity is observed in the southern regions.

The Caspian Sea covers an area of 371 thousand km2, the greatest depth is 1025 meters (South Caspian depression). The coastline is estimated from 6500 to 6700 km, and if we take it together with the islands, then more than 7000 km.

The seashore is mostly low and smooth. If you look at the northern part, there are many islands, water channels cut by the Volga and the Urals. In these places, the coast is swampy and covered with thickets. From the east, a semi-desert and desert area with limestone shores. The area of the Kazakh Bay, the Absheron Peninsula and the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay have winding shores.

Bottom relief

The bottom relief is divided into three main forms. The shelf is in the northern part, the average depth here is from 4 to 9 m, the maximum is 24 m, which gradually increases and reaches 100 m. The continental slope in the middle part drops to 500 m. The Mangyshlak sill separates the northern part from the middle. Here is one of the most deep places Derbent depression (788 m).

2. Heraz, Babol, Sefudrud, Gorgan, Polerud, Chalus, Tejen - https: //site/russia/travel/po-dagestanu.html;

4. Atrek - Turkmenistan;

Samur - is located on the border between Azerbaijan and Russia, Astarachay on the border of Azerbaijan and Iran.

The Caspian Sea belongs to five states. From the west and north-west, the length of the coast, 695 km, is the territory of Russia. Most of the 2,320 km of coastline belongs to Kazakhstan in the east and northeast. Turkmenistan has 1200 km in the southeastern part, Iran owns 724 km in the south and Azerbaijan owns 955 km of the coastline on the south-western side.

In addition to the five states that have access to the sea, Armenia, Turkey, and Georgia also belong to the Caspian basin. The Volga connects the sea with the World Ocean (Volga-Baltic route, White Sea-Baltic channel). There is a connection with the Azov and Black Seas through the Volga-Don Canal, with the Moscow River (Moscow Canal).

The main ports are Baku in Azerbaijan; Makhachkala; Aktau in Kazakhstan; Olya in Russia; Noushehr, Bander-Torkemen and Anzali in Iran.

The largest bays of the Caspian Sea: Agrakhan, Kizlyar, Kaidak, Kazakh, Dead Kultuk, Mangyshlak, Hasan-Kuli, Turkmenbashi, Kazakh, Gyzlar, Anzeli, Astrakhan, Gyzlar.

Until 1980, Kara-Bogaz-Gol was a lagoon-bay, which was connected to the sea by a narrow strait. Now it is salt Lake separated from the sea by a dam. After the construction of the dam, the water began to decrease sharply, so a culvert had to be built. Through it, up to 25 km3 of water gets into the lake annually.

Water temperature

The greatest temperature fluctuations are observed during the winter period. In shallow water it reaches 100 in winter. The difference between summer and winter temperature reaches 240. On the coast in winter it is always 2 degrees lower than in the open sea. Optimum water heating occurs in July-August, in shallow water the temperature reaches 320. But at this time, north-western winds raise cold water layers (upwelling). This process begins in June and reaches its intensity in August. The temperature at the surface of the water is dropping. The temperature difference between the layers disappears by November.

The climate in the northern part of the sea is continental, in the middle part it is temperate, in the south it is subtropical. Temperatures are always higher on the east coast than on the west. Once on the east coast, 44 degrees were recorded.

The composition of the Caspian waters

The salinity is about 0.3%. This is a typical desalinated pool. But the further south you go, the higher the salinity. In the southern part of the sea, it already reaches 13%, and in Kara-Bogaz-Gol more than 300%.

Storms are frequent in shallow areas. They arise due to changes in atmospheric pressure. Waves can reach 4 meters.

The water balance of the sea depends on river flows and precipitation. Among them, the Volga makes up almost 80% of all other rivers.

V last years there is a rapid pollution of water with oil products and phenols. Their level has already exceeded the permissible level.

Minerals

Back in the 19th century, the beginning of the extraction of hydrocarbons was laid. These are the main Natural resources... There are also mineral and balneological biological resources. Nowadays, in addition to gas and oil production on the shelf, sea-type salts (astrakhanite, mirabalite, halite), sand, limestone, and clay are mined.

Fauna and flora

The fauna of the Caspian Sea is up to 1800 species. Of these, 415 are vertebrates, 101 are fish species, there is a world stock of sturgeon. Freshwater fish such as carp, pike perch, roach also live here. They catch carp, salmon, pike, bream in the sea. The Caspian Sea is the habitat of one of the mammals - the seal.

Of the plants, blue-green algae, brown, red, can be noted. Zostera and ruppia also grow, they are referred to as flowering algae.

Plankton brought into the sea by birds begins to bloom in spring, the sea is literally covered with greenery, and rhizosolination during flowering paints most of the sea area in a yellow-green color. The congestion of rhizosollenia is so dense that even waves can calm down. In some places near the coast, literally meadows of algae have grown.

Both local and migratory birds can be seen on the coast. In the south, geese and ducks winter, birds such as pelicans, herons, and flamingos arrange nesting grounds.

The Caspian Sea contains almost 90% of the world's reserves sturgeon fish... But lately, the ecology has been deteriorating, you can often find poachers who hunt sturgeon for expensive caviar.

States are investing a lot of money to improve the situation. They purify wastewater, build fish breeding factories, despite these measures, it is necessary to limit the production of sturgeon.

The Caspian Sea is one of the most amazing enclosed bodies of water on Earth.

Over the centuries, the sea has changed more than 70 names. The modern originated from the Caspians - tribes inhabiting the central and southeastern part of Transcaucasia 2 thousand years BC.

Geography of the Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is located at the junction of Europe with Asia and along geographic location divided into the South, North and Middle Caspian. The middle and northern part of the sea belongs to Russia, the southern part belongs to Iran, the eastern part belongs to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, and the south-western part belongs to Azerbaijan. For many years, the Caspian states have been dividing the Caspian waters among themselves, and quite sharply at that.

Lake or sea?

In fact, the Caspian Sea is the world's largest lake, but it has a number of marine features. These include: a large body of water, severe storms with high waves, ebb and flow. But the Caspian does not have a natural connection with the World Ocean, which makes it impossible to call it a sea. At the same time, thanks to the Volga and artificially created channels, such a connection appeared. The salinity of the Caspian Sea is 3 times lower than the usual sea salt, which does not allow attributing the reservoir to the seas.

There were times when Caspian Seas really was part of the oceans. Several tens of thousands of years ago, the Caspian was connected with the Sea of Azov, and through it with the Black and Mediterranean. As a result of long-term processes occurring in the earth's crust, Caucasus mountains, which isolated the reservoir. For a long time, the connection between the Caspian and Black Seas was carried out through the strait (Kumo-Manych depression) and gradually ceased.

Physical quantities

Area, volume, depth

The area, volume and depth of the Caspian Sea are not constant and directly depend on the water level. On average, the area of the reservoir is 371,000 km², the volume is 78 648 km³ (44% of all world reserves of lake waters).

(Depth of the Caspian Sea in comparison with lakes Baikal and Tanganyika)

The average depth of the Caspian Sea is 208 m, the northern part of the sea is considered to be the shallowest. The maximum depth is 1025 m, noted in the South Caspian depression. In terms of depth, the Caspian is second only to Baikal and Tanganyika.

The length of the lake from north to south is about 1200 km, from west to east on average 315 km. The length of the coastline is 6600 km, with the islands - about 7 thousand km.

The shores

Basically, the coast of the Caspian Sea is low and smooth. In the northern part, it is heavily indented by the river channels of the Urals and Volga. The swampy local shores are very low. The eastern shores are adjacent to semi-desert zones and deserts, covered with limestone deposits. The most winding shores are in the west in the area of the Absheron Peninsula, and in the east in the area of the Kazakh Bay and Kara-Bogaz-Gol.

Sea water temperature

(The temperature of the Caspian Sea at different times of the year)

The average water temperature in winter in the Caspian Sea ranges from 0 ° С in the northern part to + 10 ° С in the south. In the water area of Iran, the temperature does not drop below +13 ° C. With the onset of cold weather, the shallow northern part of the lake is covered with ice, which lasts for 2-3 months. The thickness of the ice cover is 25-60 cm, at especially low temperatures it can reach 130 cm. In late autumn and winter, drifting ice floes can be observed in the north.

Summer average temperature the sea surface is + 24 ° C. Most of the sea warms up to + 25 ° C ... + 30 ° C. Warm water and beautiful sandy, occasionally shell and pebble beaches create excellent conditions for a full beach holiday... In the eastern part of the Caspian Sea, near the town of Begdash, anomalously low water temperature remains in the summer months.

The nature of the Caspian Sea

Islands, peninsulas, bays, rivers

The Caspian Sea includes about 50 large and medium-sized islands with a total area of 350 km ². The largest of them are Ashur-Ada, Garasu, Gum, Dash and Boyuk-Zira. The largest peninsulas are: Agrakhansky, Apsheronsky, Buzachi, Mangyshlak, Miankale and Tyub-Karagan.

(Tyuleniy Island in the Caspian Sea, which is part of the Dagestan Nature Reserve)

The largest bays of the Caspian include: Agrakhanskiy, Kazakhskiy, Kizlyarskiy, Dead Kultuk and Mangyshlakskiy. In the east is the salt lake Kara-Bogaz-Gol, which was previously a lagoon connected to the sea by a strait. In 1980, a dam was built on it, through which water from the Caspian goes to Kara-Bogaz-Gol, where it then evaporates.

130 rivers flow into the Caspian Sea, located mainly in its northern part. The largest of them are: Volga, Terek, Sulak, Samur and Ural. The average annual runoff of the Volga is 220 km ³. 9 rivers have delta-shaped mouths.

Flora and fauna

The Caspian Sea is home to about 450 species of phytoplankton, including algae, aquatic and flowering plants. Of the 400 species of invertebrates, worms, crustaceans and molluscs predominate. There are many small shrimps in the sea, which are the object of the fishery.

More than 120 fish species live in the Caspian Sea and the delta. The objects of fishing are sprat ("Kilkin fleet"), catfish, pike, bream, pike perch, kutum, mullet, roach, rudd, herring, white fish, goby, grass carp, burbot, asp. Stocks of sturgeon and salmon are depleted today, but the sea is the largest supplier of black caviar in the world.

Fishing in the Caspian Sea is allowed all year round except for the period from late April to late June. There are many fishing bases with all conviniences. Fishing in the Caspian Sea is a great pleasure. In any part of it, including in large cities, the catch is unusually rich.

The lake is famous for a wide variety of waterfowl. Geese, ducks, loons, gulls, waders, eagles, geese, swans and many others arrive in the Caspian during the migration or nesting period. The largest number of birds - over 600 thousand individuals - is observed in the mouths of the Volga and the Urals, in the bays of Turkmenbashi and Kyzylagach. During the hunting season, a huge number of fishermen come here not only from Russia, but also from countries of near and far abroad.

There is only one mammal living in the Caspian Sea. This is the Caspian seal or seal. Until recently, seals swam close to the beaches, everyone could admire the amazing animal with round black eyes, the seals behaved very friendly. Now the seal is on the verge of extinction.

Cities on the Caspian Sea

The largest city on the coast of the Caspian Sea is Baku. The population of one of the most beautiful cities in the world is over 2.5 million people. Baku is located on the picturesque Absheron Peninsula and is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the warm and oil-rich Caspian Sea. Less big cities: the capital of Dagestan - Makhachkala, Kazakh Aktau, Turkmen Turkmenbashi and Iranian Bender-Anzeli.

(Baku Bay, Baku - a city on the Caspian Sea)

Interesting Facts

Scientists are still debating whether to call a body of water a sea or a lake. The level of the Caspian Sea is gradually decreasing. The Volga delivers most of the water to the Caspian. 90% of black caviar is mined in the Caspian Sea. Among them, the most expensive is the albino beluga caviar "Almas" ($ 2,000 per 100 g).

Companies from 21 countries are taking part in the development of oil fields in the Caspian Sea. According to Russian estimates, offshore hydrocarbon reserves amount to 12 billion tons. American scientists argue that a fifth of the world's hydrocarbon reserves are concentrated in the depths of the Caspian. This is more than the combined reserves of oil producing countries such as Kuwait and Iraq.

Toponymy

Other names: throughout the history of mankind, the Caspian Sea had about 70 different names among different peoples. The most famous of them: Khvalynskoe or Khvalisskoe (took place during the time of Ancient Rus, arose by the name of the people praises who lived in the Northern Caspian Sea and traded with the Russians), Girkanskoe or Dzhurdzhanskoe (derived from the alternative names of the city of Gorgan, located in Iran), Khazar, Abeskunskoe (by the name of the island and the city in the Kura delta - now flooded), Saraisk, Derbent, Sihai ...
Origin of name: according to one of the hypotheses, the Caspian Sea received its modern and most ancient name from a tribe of nomadic horse breeders Kaspiev who lived in the 1st millennium BC on the southwestern coast.

Morphometry

Drainage area: 3,626,000 km².
Mirror area: 371,000 km².
Coastline length: 7,000 km
Volume: 78 200 km³.
Average depth: 208 m.
Maximum depth: 1,025 m.

Hydrology

The presence of a constant flow: no, drainless.
Inflows:, Ural, Emba, Atrek, Gorgan, Heraz, Sefidrud, Astarchay, Kura, Pirsagat, Kusarchay, Samur, Rubas, Darvagchay, Uluchay, Shuraozen, Sulak, Terek, Kuma.
Bottom: very diverse. At shallow depths, sandy soil with an admixture of shells is common, in deep-water places it is silty. Pebble and rocky places can be found in the coastal strip (especially where mountain ranges adjoin the sea). In the estuarine areas, the underwater soil consists of river sediments. The Kara-Bogaz-Gol bay is notable for the fact that its bottom is a thick layer of mineral salts.

Chemical composition

Water: brackish.
Salinity: 13 g / l.
Transparency: 15 m.

Geography

Rice. 1. Map of the Caspian Sea Basin.

Coordinates: 41 ° 59′02 ″ s. sh., 51 ° 03'52 ″ in. etc.
Height above sea level:-28 m.
Coastal landscape: due to the fact that the coastline of the Caspian Sea is very long, and it itself is located in different geographic zones, the coastal landscape is diverse. In the northern part of the reservoir, the shores are low, swampy, in places of the deltas of large rivers cut by numerous channels. The eastern shores are mostly limestone - desert or semi-desert. The western and southern shores are adjacent to mountain ranges. The most indented coastline is observed in the west - in the area of the Apsheron Peninsula, as well as in the east - in the area of the Kazakh and Kara-Bogaz-Gol bays.
Settlements on the banks:
- Russia: Astrakhan, Derbent, Kaspiysk, Makhachkala, Olya.
- Kazakhstan: Aktau, Atyrau, Kuryk, Sogandyk, Bautino.
- Turkmenistan: Ekerem, Karabogaz, Turkmenbashi, Khazar.
- Iran: Astara, Balboser, Bender-Torkemen, Bender-Anzali, Neka, Chalus.
- Azerbaijan: Alat, Astara, Baku, Dubendi, Lankaran, Sangachaly, Sumgayit.

Interactive map

Ecology

Fishing in the Caspian Sea

Fish species:
Artificial settlement: not all of the above fish species in the Caspian Sea are indigenous. About 4 dozen species came by accident (for example, through canals from the Black and Baltic Seas), or were deliberately inhabited by humans. An example is mullet. Three Black Sea species of these fish - striped mullet, ostronos and singil - were released in the first half of the 20th century. Loban didn’t take root, but ostronos with singil have successfully acclimatized, and by now they have settled practically throughout the entire water area of the Caspian, having formed several commercial herds. At the same time, the fish feed faster than in the Black Sea, and reach larger sizes. In the second half of the last century (since 1962), attempts were also made to settle in the Caspian Sea such Far Eastern salmon fishes as pink salmon and chum salmon. In total, several billion fry of these fish were released into the sea for 5 years. The pink salmon did not survive in the new habitat, the chum salmon, on the contrary, successfully took root and even began to spawn in the rivers flowing into the sea. However, she could not reproduce in sufficient numbers and gradually disappeared. So far, there are no favorable conditions for its full-fledged natural reproduction (there are very few places where spawning and development of fry could successfully occur). To ensure them, reclamation of rivers is needed, otherwise, without human help (artificial sampling of eggs and its incubation), the fish will not be able to maintain their numbers.

Fishing spots

In fact, fishing is possible anywhere along the coast of the Caspian Sea, which can be reached by land or water. What species of fish will be caught at the same time depends on local conditions, but to a greater extent on whether rivers flow here. As a rule, in places where estuaries and deltas are located (especially large watercourses), the water in the sea is greatly desalinated, therefore freshwater fish (carp, catfish, bream, etc.) usually prevail in catches, and species characteristic of flowing rivers (barbel, shemaya). Of the marine species in desalinated areas, those for which salinity does not matter (mullet, some of the gobies) are caught. In certain periods of the year, semi-anadromous and anadromous species can be found here, feeding in the sea, and spawning in rivers (sturgeon, some of herring, Caspian salmon). In places where there are no rivers flowing into it, freshwater species are found in slightly smaller numbers, but at the same time marine fish appear, usually avoiding desalinated areas (for example, sea pike perch). Away from the coast, fish that prefer salt water and deep-sea species are caught.

Conventionally, there are 9 places or areas that are interesting in terms of fishing:

North Shore (RF)- this site is located on the northern coast of the Russian Federation (from the Volga delta to the Kizlyar Bay). Its main features are insignificant salinity of water (the lowest in the Caspian Sea), shallow depth, the presence of multiple shoals, islands, highly developed aquatic vegetation. In addition to the Volga delta with its numerous channels, bays and eriks, it also includes the near-estuarine seashore, called the Caspian peals. These places are popular with Russian fishermen, and for good reason: the conditions for fish are very favorable here, and there is also a good food base. The ichthyofauna in these parts may not be distinguished by the richness of species, but it is distinguished by its multiplicity, and its individual representatives reach very considerable sizes. Typically, the main catches are freshwater fish typical for the Volga basin. Most often caught: perch, pike perch, roach (more precisely - its varieties, called roach and ram), rudd, asp, sabrefish, bream, goldfish, carp, catfish, pike. Bersh, silver bream, white-eyed, blue bream are somewhat less common. Representatives of sturgeon (sturgeon, stellate sturgeon, beluga, etc.), salmon (nelma, brown trout - Caspian salmon) are also found in these places, but their catch is prohibited.
Northwest coast (RF)- this section covers the western coast of the Russian Federation (from the Kizlyar Bay to Makhachkala). The rivers Kuma, Terek and Sulak flow here - they carry their waters both along natural channels and artificial canals. There are bays in this area, some of which are quite large (Kizlyarsky, Agrakhansky). The sea in these places is shallow. Freshwater fish predominate in the catches: pike, perch, carp, catfish, rudd, bream, barbel, etc.
West Bank (RF)- from Makhachkala to the border of the Russian Federation with Azerbaijan. A site where mountain ranges adjoin the sea. The salinity of the water here is slightly higher than in previous places, therefore, in the catches of fishermen, marine species are more common (sea pike perch, mullet, herring). However, freshwater fish are by no means uncommon.
West Bank (Azerbaijan)- from the border of the Russian Federation with Azerbaijan along the Absheron Peninsula. Continuation of the site, where mountain ranges adjoin the sea. Fishing here is even more similar to the typical sea one, thanks to such fish as ostronos and singil (mullet) and several species of gobies, which are also caught here. In addition to them, there are kutum, herring, and some typically freshwater species, for example, the carp.
Southwest coast (Azerbaijan)- from the Absheron Peninsula to the border of Azerbaijan with Iran. Most of this site is occupied by the Kura River delta. The same fish species that were listed in the previous paragraph are caught here, but freshwater fish are more often caught.
North coast (Kazakhstan)- this section covers the northern coast of Kazakhstan. The Ural delta and the Akzhaiyk state reserve are located here, so fishing directly in the river delta and in some adjacent water area is prohibited. Fishing is possible only outside the reserve - upstream of the delta, or in the sea - at some distance from it. Fishing near the Ural delta has much in common with fishing at the confluence of the Volga - almost the same species of fish are found here.
North-east coast (Kazakhstan)- from the mouth of the Emba to Cape Tyub-Karagan. Unlike the northern part of the sea, where the water is greatly diluted by the large rivers flowing into it, its salinity somewhat increases here, so those fish species appear that avoid freshened areas, for example, sea pike perch, which is caught in the Dead Kultuk Bay. Other representatives of the marine fauna are also often found in the catches.
East coast (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan)- from Cape Tyub-Karagan to the border of Turkmenistan and Iran. Differs in almost complete absence of flowing rivers. The salinity of the water is at its maximum here. Of the fish in these places, marine species predominate, the main catch is mullet, sea pike perch and gobies.
South Coast (Iran)- covers the southern coast of the Caspian. Along the entire length of this section, the Elburs mountain range adjoins the sea. Many rivers flow here, most of which are represented by small streams, there are also several medium and one large river. Among fish, in addition to marine species, there are also some freshwater, as well as semi-anadromous and anadromous species, for example, sturgeon.

Fishing features

At the mouths of rivers flowing in, other gear can be used, such as a float rod, feeder and traditional spinning rod.

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Photo 8. Sunset in Aktau.

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

The Caspian Sea is conventionally divided by 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 about. Chechnya - Cape Tyub-Karagan, between the Middle and South Caspian - along the line of about. Residential - Cape Gan-Gulu. The area of the North, Middle and South Caspian Sea is 25, 36, 39 percent, respectively.

Caspian Sea coast

Coast of the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan

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

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 north-west, the length of the coastline is about 1930 kilometers
Kazakhstan - in the north, north-east 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 south-west, the length of the coastline is about 800 kilometers

Cities on the coast of the Caspian Sea

On the Russian coast there are cities - Lagan, Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Izberbash and the most Southern City Russia Derbent. 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.

Physiography

Area, depth, volume of water

The area and volume of water in the Caspian Sea varies significantly depending on the fluctuations in the water level. 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 above its surface. 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 according to the bathygraphic curve, is 208 meters. At the same time, the northern part of the Caspian 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, charovy and others, from flowering plants - zostera and ruppia. By origin, the flora belongs mainly to the Neogene age, however, some plants were introduced into the Caspian Sea by humans deliberately 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 the Khuto cave off the southern coast of the Caspian Sea indicate that people lived in these parts about 75 thousand years ago. The first mentions of the Caspian Sea and tribes living on its coast are found at Herodotus. Approximately in the V-II centuries. BC NS. the tribes of the Saks lived on the coast of the Caspian. Later, during the period of the settlement of the Turks, during the IV-V centuries. n. NS. Talysh tribes (Talysh) lived here. According to ancient Armenian and Iranian manuscripts, Russians sailed in 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 order, in 1714-1715, an expedition was organized under the leadership of A. Bekovich-Cherkassky. In the 1720s, hydrographic research was continued by the expedition of Karl von Verden and F.I.Soimonov, and later by I.V. Tokmachev, M.I.Voinovich and other researchers. At the beginning of the 19th century, instrumental survey of the coast was carried out by I.F.Kolodkin, in the middle of the 19th century. - instrumental geographic survey under the direction of N. A. Ivashintsev. Since 1866, for more than 50 years, expeditionary research on the hydrology and hydrobiology of the Caspian has been conducted 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 to study 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 oil and gas condensate resources 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 in industrial volumes on the Apsheron Peninsula, then in other territories.

Shipping

Shipping is well developed in the Caspian Sea. Ferry services operate on the Caspian Sea, in particular, Baku - Turkmenbashi, Baku - Aktau, Makhachkala - Aktau. The Caspian Sea has a shipping connection with Sea of Azov across the Volga, Don and Volga-Don canal.

Fishing and seafood production

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 is flourishing in the Caspian Sea.

Recreational resources

The natural environment of the Caspian coast with sandy beaches, mineral waters and curative mud in the coastal area creates good conditions for relaxation and treatment. At the same time, in terms of the development of resorts and tourism industry, the Caspian coast is noticeably inferior 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 in the area of the village of Nardaran, recreation in the sanatoriums of the villages of Bilgah and Zagulba is very popular. A resort area is also developing in Nabran, in the north of Azerbaijan. but high prices, in general, the low level of service and the lack of advertising lead to the fact that there are almost no foreign tourists in the Caspian resorts. Development tourism industry in Turkmenistan, a long-term policy of isolation interferes; in Iran, there are Sharia laws, which make it impossible for foreign tourists to have a mass rest on the Caspian coast of Iran.

Ecological problems

Environmental problems of the Caspian Sea are associated with water pollution as a result of oil production and transportation on the continental shelf, the influx of pollutants from the Volga and other rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea, the life of coastal cities, as well as flooding of certain objects due to the rise in the level of the Caspian Sea. Predatory hunting of sturgeon and their caviar, rampant poaching lead to a decrease in the number of sturgeon and to 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 for a long time was and still remains the subject of unresolved disagreements related to the division of the resources of the Caspian shelf - oil and gas, as well as biological resources... For a long time, negotiations were going on 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 by one fifth between all the Caspian states.

With regard to the Caspian, 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 should not be automatically applied to the Caspian Sea, in particular, the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. 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 ships flying the flag of non-Caspian states in its waters.

Negotiations on the legal status of the Caspian are ongoing.

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

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