The Caspian Sea, Bodies of Water
Standing
Concerns Description
Currently States The Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water on Earth by surface area, bordered by Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan. It sits in a deep basin left behind by the ancient Paratethys Sea, carries brackish rather than fresh water, and has no natural outlet to any ocean.
Whether the Caspian is properly a sea or the world's largest lake is a genuine, unresolved classification dispute among geographers: its marine origin, tectonic basin and brackish water argue for sea, while its total enclosure and lack of any natural ocean outlet argue for lake, and the surrounding states have had to negotiate the question directly, since which label applies affects how its waters and seabed resources are divided among them.
Source National Geographic Atlas of the World