More later evidence for human occupation of the region came from a number of caves in Georgia and Azerbaijan such as Kudaro and Azykh Caves. Its specialized fleet has 210 vessels: 20 cranes, 25 towing and supplying vehicles, 26 passenger, two pipe-laying, six fire-fighting, seven engineering-geological, two diving and 88 auxiliary vessels. Adjacent Iranian littoral saltland vegetation from Zohary’s (1973) geobotanical map of the Middle East is also included since it represents a similar halophytic environment. Bulla Island, Pirallahı Island, and Nargin, which is still used as a former Soviet base and is the largest island in the Baku bay, hold oil reserves. These affect aquatic plants of the Volga Delta, such as Aldrovanda vesiculosa and the native Nelumbo caspica. [citation needed], The Caspian turtle (Mauremys caspica), although found in neighboring areas, is a wholly freshwater species. The conference was hosted by the Kazakh Ministry of Investment and Development. Bordering Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran, it is 760 miles (1,200 kilometers) long, 130 (200 kilometers) to 300 (480 kilometers) miles wide and has a surface area of 143,550 square miles (370,000 square kilometers) and is 92 feet (28 meters) below sea level. Please select which sections you would like to print: Corrections? Countries on the Caspian region, particularly Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, have a universal education legacy left by the Soviet Union. [11] The northern portion of the Caspian Sea typically freezes in the winter, and in the coldest winters ice forms in the south as well. The shoreline is also a unique refuge for plants adapted to the loose sands of the Central Asian Deserts. Indians used to call it Kashyap Sagar, which in Turkey is known under the name of Khazar Sea. It is bordered on the northeast by Kazakhstan, on the southeast by Turkmenistan, on the south by Iran, on the southwest by Azerbaijan, and on the northwest by Russia. Endangered species in Iran include the Baluchistan bear, Asiatic cheetah, Caspian seal, Persian fallow deer, Siberian crane, hawksbill turtle, green turtle, Oxus cobra, Latifi's viper, dugong, Persian leopard, Caspian Sea wolf… A key problem to further local development is arriving a precise, agreed demarcation lines among the five littoral states. Types and Severity of ThreatsOil pollution is one of the largest threats. The foothills of the Greater Caucasus Mountains loom close but are separated from the coast by a narrow marine plain. Animal life—which has … Females reach maturity at 5 to 7 years, and males at 6 to 7 years. The first multidisciplinary investigations of the Caspian Sea (hydrologic, chemical, and biological) were conducted during the expeditions (1904, 1912–13, and 1914–15) led by the Russian zoologist Nikolai M. Knipovich. Lomonosov State University. [53] However, analysts note that the pipelines would bypass Russia completely, thereby denying the country valuable transit fees, as well as destroying its current monopoly on westward-bound hydrocarbon exports from the region. In the past, the Amu Darya (Oxus) of Central Asia in the east often changed course to empty into the Caspian through a now-desiccated riverbed called the Uzboy River, as did the Syr Darya farther north. The scientific exploration of the Caspian Sea began in the 18th century on the initiative of Peter I the Great. The length of the coastline of these countries:[58], Five states are located along about 6500 km of Caspian coastline. In many areas, the shores are dotted with shallow saline pools in which birds, small fish, crustaceans and invertebrates thrive. Route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline between the Caspian and Mediterranean seas. This led to intense investment and development by international oil companies. Four rivers traverse the region on their way to the Caspian Sea: Volga, Ural and Emba from the north, and Atrek from the southeast. In the northern section of this ecoregion, typical mammals include wild boar (Sus scrofa), otter (Lutra lutra), weasel (Mustela nivalis), brown hare (Lepus europaeus), wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), muskrat (Ondatra zibethica), many semi-desert rodents, Two species introduced from American are quite common: nutria (Myocastor coypus) and raccoon (Procyon lotor). Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan have bilateral agreements with each other based on median lines.

Investigations of the sea are now coordinated by the Scientific Council of the Caspian Sea. The port (and tankers) have access to the oceans along the Caspian Sea-Volga-Volga-Don Canal, and the Don-Sea of Azov. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. Lakes Baikal, Ysyk-Köl, and…. Apart from the Atrak (Atrek) River of southern Turkmenistan, the sea’s arid eastern shore is notable for a complete lack of permanent streams.

The Caspian seal is an endemic animal of the Caspian Sea. Among Greeks and Persians in classical antiquity it was the Hyrcanian ocean. The Caspian receives the Volga (which supplies about 80% of its inflow), Ural, Emba, Kura, and Terek rivers, but has no outlet; There are about 130 rivers which drain water into the Caspian Sea. Although the vegetation of the coastal Caspian desert within Turkmenistan is impoverished, it consists of highly specialized halophytes (salt-resistant plants) represented by shrubs and semishrubs such as various sagebrushes (Artemisia), tetyr ( Salsola gemmascens), kevreik (S. orientalis), boyalych (S. arbuscula), biyurgun (Anabasis salsa, A. ramosissimum), sarsazan (Halocnemum strobilaceum), Halostachys, Ceratocarpus, Nitraria, Kalidium.