Iranian Perspective on Environmental Problems in the Caspian Sea Region

Abstract

The Caspian Sea, the largest lake in the world, is located north of Iran and to the south of Russia. The lake is divided into three recognized regions:

• • North region, with an average depth of about 62 meters, covers about 28% of the lake’s total area but less than 1 % of total volume.

• • Central region, with an average depth of about 176 meters, covers about 36% of the area and 33% of the total volume.

• • Southern region, with an average depth of about 330 meters, covers 36% of the area but about 66% of the volume. In some locations of this region, the water depth is nearly 1,000 meters.