The largest lake in Eurasia. The largest lake in the world

There are five million lakes on the Earth. They occupy 1.8% of the entire land area. The largest lake in the world is known as the Caspian Sea. It attracts the attention of scientists and tourists from all over the world.

Geographical position

The answer to the question "which lake is the largest in area" may be ambiguous. Among the possible options are called Upper, Victoria, Huron, but the correct answer can only be the Caspian Sea, called the sea only because of its historical origin and gigantic proportions.

The Caspian is on the Eurasian continent at the junction of two parts of the world - Asia and Europe. The total area of this pond is 321 thousand square kilometers. In addition to water resources, this includes the islands (about 350 square kilometers) and the peninsula. The largest of them are Uch-Kosa (Dagestan), Tyub-Karagan (Kazakhstan), Ashur-Ada (Iran), Kur dashi (Azerbaijan) and others.

Five states have full access to the waters of the Caspian Sea. They are Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The longest coastline is about 2320 kilometers and belongs to the territory of Kazakhstan. For comparison: in the Russian Federation, the length of the coastline is the smallest among all countries - only 695 kilometers.

The sea coast is distinguished by its low position and smooth structure. The only place where you can meet elevations, is in the west. There the banks are rather meandering.

The largest lake in the area has no connection with the World Ocean, although about 130 rivers flow into it. The largest of these is the Russian Volga.

Near the eastern coast of the Caspian is the salt lake Kara-Bogaz-Gol, which was a sea lagoon with a small strait until 1980. Then a dam and a dam were built there, but the lake began to dry quickly and the strait was returned to its place.

Such cities as Baku, Turkmenbashi (Krasnovodsk), Avaza, Aktau, Derbent sheltered on their shores the largest lake in Eurasia.

Physiography

The volume of the Caspian Sea is about 44% of the world's lake water reserves. Its area varies depending on the water level, which often varies, but on average is 321,000 square kilometers.

The depth of the Caspian Sea is quite uneven. In the north the reservoir is very shallow and from the surface to the bottom only four meters. But there is also the South Caspian depression, the lowest point of which lies at around 1025 meters.

The water temperature is also not the same and depends on the territorial location. The warmest period for the Caspian Sea occurs in August, when the pond warms up to 26 ° C. However, in the south and in shallow areas it can grow to 32 ° C.

The largest lake is salt. But it has a specificity that allows water to differ in composition from oceanic. First of all, this is due to continental run-off. Rivers bring with them to the Caspian a large amount of calcium, carbonates and sulfates. The level of salinity increases from the mouth of the Volga to the southeast.

The bottom relief is divided into the Northern, Middle and Southern Caspian basins by means of rapids (Mangyshlak, Absheron). Basically it is a muddy surface, shell sand and bedrock in some places (the deepest).

The climatic conditions of the Caspian Sea define continental, temperate and subtropical zones. Therefore, the lowest temperatures in this region stopped at -8 ° C, the highest + 26 ° C. Also, a record was recorded at + 44 ° C in the south of the lake.

Animal world

The largest in the area of the lake of the Earth in comparison with other water bodies is not particularly rich in species, which number about 1800. Of these, only 101 species refer to fish. The Caspian Sea is a habitat for valuable commercial fish, including sturgeon. And although the Caspian is considered a shallow lake, its inhabitants are of considerable size. So, the beluga fish reaches a length of 4 meters.

The largest lake in Eurasia is isolated from the world's oceans, so there are no typical mollusks, jellyfish, polyps, etc., but this is a home for the Caspian seals (seal), which is on the verge of extinction. She waits for winter on the ice of the Northern Caspian, and in the summer can embark on a journey to the upper reaches of the Volga or the Urals.

Vegetable world

A total of 728 species representing the flora inhabit the Caspian. The basis is composed of algae and phytoplankton.

The vegetation world of the Caspian Sea fully corresponds to its shallow-water character. Of the flowering plants, only two representatives grow there. It is a seabird and a group. The second name of the seabird is sea grass. It is perennial, with long leaves of bright green color. The flower is like an ear.

Ruppia likes brackish water, so it does not occur in fresh water. In appearance, this plant resembles an overgrown rhizome. On the water surface appears only during flowering, preferring to rest at the rest of the day. Ruppia reproduces vegetatively, as well as with the help of fish and birds, which consume its fruits.

Thus, the largest lake in the world in the world does not differ in the richness of flora and fauna. To a greater extent, small populations are associated with people's economic activities and the general ecological situation in the region.

Natural resources

The largest lake in the area has large oil and gas reserves. The first attempts to develop the deposits belong to the distant 1820. It was then that the first well near the Baku coast was drilled.

Already half a century later, oil production was in industrial quantities. To date, oil reserves in the Caspian Sea are estimated at ten million tons.

In addition to these two gold veins, the Caspian shares its reserves of salts, clay, sand and limestone.

Thanks to the availability of therapeutic mud and mineral waters, the Caspian Sea has become a zone of medical rest. However, it spread only in Azerbaijan. Iran and Turkmenistan are in some isolation from the tourism business. And in Russia the competition of the Black Sea coast is too high .

The largest lake in the area attracts the attention of anglers. Here, almost 90% of the world catch of sturgeons is produced. Often illegal.

Environmental Safety

The problems of ecology came before this region after the start of oil production. Drilling wells, transporting resources and many other things threaten the marine environment with pollution and its partial change.

In November 2003, the Caspian states signed the Framework Convention, which is designed to protect the Caspian Sea, protect its natural environment and monitor biological resources.

A particular problem is poaching, which reduces the level of the population of fish and seals and does not allow full legal production.