Caspian Sea coastline. Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest lake on planet Earth. It is called the sea because of its size and bed, which is folded like an ocean basin. The area is 371,000 square meters, the depth is 1025 m. The list of rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea includes 130 names. The largest of them are: Volga, Terek, Samur, Sulak, Ural and others.
Caspian Sea
It took 10 million years before the Caspian was formed. The reason for its formation is that the Sarmatian Sea, which lost its connection with the World Ocean, was divided into two reservoirs, which were called the Black and Caspian Seas. Between the latter and the World Ocean stretch thousands of kilometers of waterless path. It is located at the junction of two continents - Asia and Europe. Its length in the north-south direction is 1200 km, west-east - 195-435 km. The Caspian Sea is an internal drainless basin of Eurasia.
Near the Caspian Sea, the water level is below the level of the World Ocean, and besides, it is subject to fluctuations. According to scientists, this is due to many factors: anthropogenic, geological, climatic. At present, the average water level reaches 28 m.
The network of rivers and sewage is unevenly distributed along the coast. Few rivers flow into the part of the sea from the north side: Volga, Terek, Ural. From the west - Samur, Sulak, Kura. The east coast is characterized by the absence of permanent watercourses. Differences in space in the flow of water that rivers bring to the Caspian Sea is an important geographical feature of this reservoir.
Volga
This river is one of the largest in Europe. In Russia, it ranks sixth in size. Regarding the catchment area, it is second only to the Siberian rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea, such as the Ob, Lena, Yenisei, Irtysh. For the source, from where the Volga originates, the key is taken near the village of Volgoverkhovye, Tver Region, on the Valdai Upland. Now there is a chapel at the source, which attracts the attention of tourists, for whom it is a pride to step over the very beginning of the mighty Volga.
A small fast stream gradually gains strength and becomes a huge river. Its length is 3690 km. The source is 225 m above sea level. Among the rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea, the largest is the Volga. Her path runs through many regions of our country: Tver, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Volgograd and others. The territories through which it flows are Tatarstan, Chuvashia, Kalmykia and Mari El. The Volga is the location of millionaire cities - Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Kazan, Volgograd.
Volga Delta
The main riverbed is divided into channels. A certain shape of the mouth is formed. It's called the delta. Its beginning is the place of separation of the Buzan branch from the bed of the Volga river. The delta is located 46 km north of the city of Astrakhan. It includes channels, branches, small rivers. There are several main branches, but only Akhtuba is navigable. Among all the rivers of Europe, the Volga is distinguished by the largest delta, which is a rich fish region in this basin.
It lies lower than the ocean level, at 28 m. The mouth of the Volga is the location of the southernmost Volga city of Astrakhan, which in the distant past was the capital of the Tatar Khanate. Later, at the beginning of the 18th century (1717), Peter 1 gave the city the status of "the capital of the province of Astrakhan." During his reign, the main attraction of the city, the Assumption Cathedral, was built. Its Kremlin is made of white stone, brought from the capital of the Golden Horde, the city of Saray. The mouth is divided by branches, the largest of which are: Bolda, Bakhtemir, Buzan. Astrakhan is southern city located on 11 islands. Today it is a city of shipbuilders, sailors and fishermen.
Currently, the Volga needs protection. For this purpose, a reserve has been established at the place where the river flows into the sea. The delta of the Volga, the largest river flowing into the Caspian Sea, abounds in unique flora and fauna: sturgeon, lotuses, pelicans, flamingos and others. Immediately after the revolution of 1917, a law was passed on their protection by the state as part of the Astrakhan Reserve.
Sulak River
It is located in Dagestan, flows through its territory. It feeds on the waters of melted snows that flow down from the mountains, as well as tributaries: Small Sulak, Chvakhun-bak, Akh-su. Water also enters Sulak through a canal from the Aksai and Aktash rivers.
The source is formed by the confluence of two rivers that originate in the basins: Didoyskaya and Tushinskaya. The length of the Sulak River is 144 km. Her pool has enough large area- 15,200 square meters. It flows through the canyon with the same name as the river, then through the Akhetlinsky gorge and finally comes to the plane. Going around the Agrakhan Bay from the south side, Sulak flows into the sea.
The river provides drinking water for Kaspiysk and Makhachkala, and is home to hydroelectric power plants, the urban-type settlements of Sulak and Dubki, and the small town of Kizilyurt.
Samur
The river got its name not by chance. The name translated from the Caucasian language (one of them) means "middle". Indeed, the border between the states of Russia and Azerbaijan is marked along the waterway along the Samur River.
The sources of the river are glaciers and springs, originating in the spurs of the Caucasus Range from the northeast side, not far from the Guton mountain. The height above sea level is 3200 m. Samur has a length of 213 km. The height in the upper reaches and the mouth differs by three kilometers. The catchment basin has an area of almost five thousand square meters.
The places where the river flows are narrow gorges located between the mountains. high altitude, composed of shale and sandstone, which is why the water here is muddy. The Samur basin has 65 rivers. Their length reaches 10 km or more.
Samur: the valley and its description
The valley of this river in Dagestan is the most densely populated region. Derbent is located near the mouth - ancient city peace. The banks of the Samur River are home to twenty or more species of relict representatives of the flora. Endemic, endangered and rare species listed in the Red Book grow here.
In the river delta, a relict forest is comfortably located, which is the only one in Russia. Liana forest is a fairy tale. Huge trees of the rarest and most common species grow here, intertwined with lianas. The river is rich in valuable species of fish: mullet, pike perch, pike, catfish and others.
Terek
The river got its name from the Karachay-Balkar peoples who lived along its banks. They called it "Terk Suu", which means "rushing water" in translation. Ingush and Chechens called it Lomeki - "mountain water".
The beginning of the river is the territory of Georgia, the Zigla-Khokh glacier is a mountain located on a slope Caucasian ridge. It is under glaciers all year round. One of them melts when sliding down. A small stream is formed, which is the source of the Terek. It is located at an altitude of 2713 m above sea level. The length of the river flowing into the Caspian Sea is 600 km. At the confluence with the Caspian, the Terek is divided into many branches, as a result of which a vast delta is formed, its area is 4000 square meters. In some places it is very swampy.
The course in this place has changed several times. The old arms have now been turned into canals. The middle of the last century (1957) was marked by the construction of the Kargaly hydroelectric complex. It is used to supply water to the channels.
How is the Terek replenished?
The river has a mixed supply, but for the upper reaches, water from the melting of glaciers plays an important role, they fill the river. In this regard, 70% of the runoff occurs in spring and summer, that is, at this time the water level in the Terek is the highest, and the lowest - in February. The river freezes if the winters are characterized by a harsh climate, but the freeze-up is unstable.
The river is not distinguished by cleanliness and transparency. The turbidity of the water is large: 400-500 g/m 3 . Every year, the Terek and its tributaries pollute the Caspian Sea, pouring into it from 9 to 26 million tons of various suspensions. This is due to the rocks of which the shores are composed, and they are clayey.
Terek mouth
The Sunzha is the largest tributary flowing into the Terek, the lower reaches of which are measured precisely from this river. By this time, the Terek flows for a long time over the flat terrain, leaving the mountains located behind the Elkhot Gates. The bottom here is composed of sand and pebbles, the current slows down, and in some places stops altogether.
The mouth of the Terek River has an unusual appearance: the channel here is elevated above the valley, in appearance it resembles a canal, which is fenced with a high embankment. The water level rises above the land level. This phenomenon is due to a natural cause. Since the Terek is a turbulent river, it brings sand and stones in large quantities from the Caucasus Range. Given that the current in the lower reaches is weak, some of them settle here and do not reach the sea. For the inhabitants of the area, sediments are both a threat and a boon. When they are washed away by water, floods of great destructive power occur, this is very bad. But in the absence of floods, the soils become fertile.
Ural river
In ancient times (until the second half of the 18th century), the river was called Yaik. It was renamed into the Russian style by the decree of Catherine II in 1775. Just at this time, the Peasant War was suppressed, the leader of which was Pugachev. The name is still preserved in the Bashkir language, and in Kazakhstan it is official. The Urals are the third longest in Europe, only the Volga and the Danube are larger than this river.
The Ural originates in Russia, on the slope of the Kruglyaya Sopka of the Uraltau Ridge. The source is a spring gushing out of the ground at an altitude of 637 m above sea level. At the beginning of its journey, the river flows in a north-south direction, but after meeting a plateau on the way, it makes a sharp turn and continues to flow in a north-westerly direction. However, beyond Orenburg, its direction again changes to the southwestern, which is considered the main one. Having overcome the winding path, the Ural flows into the Caspian Sea. The length of the river is 2428 km. The mouth is divided into branches and tends to shallow.
The Ural is a river along which the natural water boundary between Europe and Asia passes, with the exception of the upper reaches. This is an internal European river, but its upper reaches to the east of the Ural Range are the territory of Asia.
Importance of the Caspian rivers
The rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea are of great importance. Their waters are used for human and animal consumption, domestic needs, agricultural and industrial needs. Hydroelectric power plants are being built on the rivers, the energy of which is in demand by man for various purposes. River basins are full of fish, algae, shellfish. Even in ancient times, people chose river valleys for future settlements. And now cities and towns are being built on their banks. Rivers ply passenger and transport ships, performing important tasks for the transport of passengers and goods.
This is how the Mediterranean Sea was formed, which then included the current Azov, Black and Caspian Sea. On the site of the modern Caspian, a huge Caspian lowland was formed, the surface of which was almost 30 meters below the water level in the World Ocean. When the next rise of land began to take place at the place of formation Caucasus mountains, The Caspian Sea was finally cut off from the ocean, and in its place a closed drainless reservoir was formed, which today is considered the largest inland sea on the planet. However, some scientists call this sea a giant lake.
A feature of the Caspian Sea is the constant fluctuation of the level of salinity of its water. Even in different areas of this sea, the water has different salinity. This was the reason why fish and crustaceans dominate in the Caspian Sea, which more easily tolerate fluctuations in water salinity.
Since the Caspian is completely isolated from the ocean, its inhabitants are endermics, i.e. always live in its water area.
The fauna of the Caspian Sea can be conditionally divided into four groups.
The first group of animals includes the descendants of ancient organisms that inhabited Tethys about 70 million years ago. Such animals include Caspian gobies (golovach, Knipovich, Berg, bubyr, pugolovka, Baer) and herring (Kessler, Brazhnikov, Volga, shad, etc.), some mollusks and most crustaceans (long-sexed crayfish, orthemia crustacean, etc.). Some fish, mainly herring, periodically enter the rivers flowing into the Caspian to spawn, many never leave the sea. Gobies prefer to live in coastal waters, often found in estuaries.
The second group of animals of the Caspian Sea is represented by arctic species. penetrated into the Caspian Sea from the north in the postglacial period. These are such animals as the Caspian seal (Caspian seal), fish - Caspian trout, white salmon, nelma. Of the crustaceans, this group is represented by mysid crustaceans, similar to small shrimps, tiny sea cockroaches, and some others.
The third group of animals inhabiting the Caspian includes species that independently or with the help of humans moved here from mediterranean sea. These are mollusks mitisyaster and abra, crustaceans - amphipods, shrimp, Black Sea and Atlantic crabs and some types of fish: golden mullet (sharp nose), needle fish and Black Sea kalk (flounder).
And, finally, the fourth group - freshwater fish that penetrated into the Caspian Sea from fresh rivers and turned into marine or anadromous, i.e. periodically rising into the rivers. Some of the typically freshwater fish also occasionally enter the Caspian. Among the fish of the fourth group are catfish, pike perch, barbel, red-lipped asp, Caspian fish, Russian and Persian sturgeon, beluga, stellate sturgeon. It should be noted that the Caspian Sea basin is the main habitat of sturgeons on the planet. Almost 80% of all sturgeons in the world live here. Barbels and fish are also valuable commercial fish.
As for sharks and other fish that are predatory and dangerous to humans, they do not live in the Caspian Sea-Lake.
I rested somehow in the camp. It's no secret that almost every day there are competitions for the entertainment of children and youth. So. Was we have quiz. Question: "Which lake is the largest?" One guy of about fifteen was the first to raise his hand and answer: "Baikal." The strangest thing was that his answer was counted as correct! How so? Isn't the Caspian Sea the largest lake? Now I will explain to you.
How to distinguish the sea from the lake
I will list several signs by which a body of water is defined as a sea.
1. Rivers can flow into the sea.
2. The outer sea has direct access to the ocean.
3. If the sea is inland, then it is connected by straits with other seas or directly with the ocean.
Is the Caspian Sea suitable for the parameters of the sea
Need to check, does the Caspian Sea have signs of a sea. into it really rivers flow, but they flow into many bodies of water: seas, lakes, oceans, and other rivers. The Caspian Sea is surrounded from all sides dry land. Is it really inland sea? Then it must connect with Black or Seas of Azov some strait. Strait too No. Exactly due to the lack of access to the World Ocean, the Caspian Sea is considered a lake.
“But why was it then called the sea, if it is a lake?”- you ask. Answer very simple: due to his large size and salinity. Indeed, The Caspian Sea is several times larger than the Sea of Azov and almost the same size as the Baltic Sea..
Fine! The quiz issue has been resolved. Soap judge!!!
Well then I told, that the Caspian Sea in fact - lake. Now I want to you provide small compilation interesting facts about this lake.
1. The Caspian Sea is below sea level (-28 m), which once again proves that this is a lake.
2. BC around the lake area lived nomadic Caspian tribes,in honor of which he was nicknamed the Caspian.
3. It the deepest enclosed body of water on the planet.
4. Many believe that the name of the group "Caspian cargo" is related to the Caspian Sea. In a way they are right No). Actually the expression "Caspian cargo" can refer to any illegal cargo.
5.Caspian Sea well suitable for tourism. Under the USSR, it was built here a large number of sanatoriums. Today same here you can see many hotels, water parks and beaches.
The Caspian Sea is the largest 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 below the level of 28m. The water in the Caspian Sea has less 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 you take it together with the islands, then more than 7000 km.
The seashore is mostly low-lying and smooth. If you look at the northern part, then there are many islands, water channels, indented by the Volga and the Urals. In these places, the coast is swampy and covered with thickets. From the east, semi-desert and desert terrain with limestone shores approaches the sea. 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. Shelf in the northern part, average depth here 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 threshold separates the northern part from the middle part. 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 is on the border of Azerbaijan and Iran.
The Caspian Sea belongs to five states. From the west and northwest, the length of the coast of 695 km is the territory of Russia. Most of the coastline with a length of 2320 km belongs to Kazakhstan in the east and northeast. Turkmenistan has 1,200 km in the southeast, Iran has 724 km in the south, and Azerbaijan has 955 km of coastline in the southwest.
In addition to the five states that have access to the sea, the Caspian basin also includes Armenia, Turkey, and Georgia. The Volga (Volga-Baltic Way, White Sea-Baltic Canal) connects the sea with the World Ocean. There is a connection with the Azov and Black Seas through the Volga-Don Canal, with the Moscow River (the Moscow Canal).
The main ports are Baku in Azerbaijan; Makhachkala in ; Aktau in Kazakhstan; Olya in Russia; Nowshahr, Bander-Torkemen and Anzeli in Iran.
The largest bays of the Caspian Sea: Agrakhan, Kizlyar, Kaydak, Kazakh, Dead Kultuk, Mangyshlak, Gasan-kuli, Turkmenbashi, Kazakh, Gyzlar, Enzeli, Astrakhan, Gyzlar.
Until 1980, Kara-Bogaz-Gol was a bay-lagoon, which was connected to the sea by a narrow strait. Now it's salt Lake separated from the sea by a dam. After the construction of the dam, the water began to decrease sharply, and a culvert had to be built. Through it, up to 25 km3 of water enters the lake annually.
Water temperature
The greatest fluctuations in temperature are observed in winter. In shallow water, it reaches 100 in winter. The difference between summer and winter temperatures reaches 240. On the coast in winter, it is always 2 degrees lower than in the open sea. The optimum heating of water occurs in July-August, in shallow water the temperature reaches 320. But at this time, north-western winds raise cold layers of water (upwelling). This process begins already in June and reaches intensity in August. The temperature at the surface of the water drops. 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, and in the southern part it is subtropical. On the east coast the temperature is always higher than in the west. Once on the east coast recorded 44 degrees.
The composition of the Caspian waters
About salinity is 0.3%. This is a typical desalinated pool. But the farther south, 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 water areas. They occur 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.
In recent years, there has been a rapid pollution of water by oil products and phenols. Their level already exceeds the permissible level.
Minerals
Back in the 19th century, the beginning of hydrocarbon production was laid. These are the main Natural resources. There are also mineral, balneological biological resources here. Today, in addition to gas and oil production, salts are mined on the shelf marine type(astrakhanite, mirabalite, halite), sand, limestone, clay.
Animal and plant world
The fauna of the Caspian Sea is up to 1800 species. Of these, 415 are vertebrates, 101 species of fish, and there is a world stock of sturgeons. Freshwater fish such as carp, pike perch, and vobla 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.
From plants, blue-green algae, brown, red can be noted. Zostera and ruppia also grow, they are classified as flowering algae.
The plankton brought into the sea by birds begins to bloom in spring, the sea is literally covered with greenery, and rhizosolation during flowering paints most of the sea territory in yellow-green color. The accumulation of rhizosolenia is so dense that even waves can calm down. In some places near the coast, literally meadows of algae have grown.
On the coast you can see both local and migratory birds. In the south, geese, ducks winter, birds such as pelicans, herons, flamingos arrange nesting.
The Caspian Sea contains almost 90% of the world's sturgeon stocks. But in recent times the environment is deteriorating, you can often meet poachers who hunt sturgeon because of expensive caviar.
Governments are investing a lot of money to improve the situation. They purify sewage, build factories for breeding fish, despite these measures, it is necessary to limit the production of sturgeon.
The Caspian Sea is the largest on Earth drainless lake, located at the junction of Europe and Asia, called the sea due to the fact that its bed is composed of an oceanic type of earth's crust. The Caspian Sea is a drainless lake, and the water in it is salty, from 0.05 ‰ near the mouth of the Volga to 11-13 ‰ in the southeast. The water level is subject to fluctuations, according to 2009 data it was 27.16 m below sea level. 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, from west to east - from 195 to 435 kilometers, an average of 310-320 kilometers. The Caspian Sea is conditionally divided according to physical and geographical conditions into 3 parts - the Northern Caspian, the Middle Caspian and the Southern Caspian. The conditional border between the North and Middle Caspian runs along the line of about. Chechnya - Cape Tyub-Karagansky, between the Middle and South Caspian - along the line of about. Residential - Cape Gan-Gulu. The area of the Northern, Middle and Southern Caspian is 25, 36, 39 percent respectively.
The length of the coastline of the Caspian Sea is estimated at about 6500-6700 kilometers, with islands - up to 7000 kilometers. The shores of the Caspian Sea in most of its territory are low-lying and smooth. In the northern part coastline indented by water channels and islands of the Volga and Ural deltas, the shores are low and swampy, and the water surface is covered with thickets in many places. The east coast is dominated by limestone shores adjacent to semi-deserts and deserts. The most winding coasts are on the western coast near the Apsheron Peninsula and on the eastern coast near the Kazakh Gulf and Kara-Bogaz-Gol. The territory adjacent to the Caspian Sea is called the Caspian Sea.
