Caspian Sea
It extends over an area of 386,400 km², its deepest point is located 1,025 meters below the surface, and it is estimated that it contains about 1/3 of all the inland water on the Earth’s surface. It still holds the record for the largest salt lake on the planet — which is why this lake is called Sea.
There are millions of lakes around the world: some estimates say there are around three million. But what then is the largest lake in the world?
The answer is somewhat confusing. Firstly, because the largest lake on the planet is actually called “sea”. And secondly, because it is salty.
For these reasons the Caspian Sea is often referred to as the “largest inland body of water in the world”, but is nevertheless classified as a lake since it lies surrounded by land and connected to the ocean through rivers, says .
You might think that “the biggest lake in the world” would be in the Americas or Africa, but the Caspian Sea is actually in Eurasia. This inland lake borders the Russia, Kazakhstan, TurkmenistanIran and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus mountain range stretches to the east, with the vast steppe of Central Asia to the west.
The Caspian Sea stretches across an area of 386,400 km²which makes it more than four times larger than our country: Portugal has around 92,000 km².
Its deepest point is located at 1,025 meters below the surfaceand the lake is estimated to contain about 1/3 of all inland water on the surface of the Earth. It also holds the record for largest salt lake of the planet.
With dozens of islands, it is a important biodiversity hub: is the natural habitat of a endemic species of seal and six species of sturgeon, as well as hundreds of species of fish and invertebrates. You can also see numerous migratory birds that move between Europe, Asia and Africa.
Scientists have sought to explain How did these seals arrive? to this inland body of water. One published in 2006 in Biological Journal suggests that they will have traveled a network of rivers from the northern Arctic, which have since disappeared.
Recent studies warn that due to climate change. Last year, scientists at the University of Leeds found that an area larger than Iceland could evaporate by 2100.
O The second largest lake in the world is Lake Superior, which borders Canada and the United States. This is also the largest freshwater lake in the world.
