What is the largest inland sea in the world?

The Caspian Sea is the largest inland sea in the world. It is also commonly described as the world’s largest lake because it has no natural connection to the global ocean.

Despite its name, the Caspian is a huge enclosed body of water between Europe and Asia. Its shores are shared by Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan. The Volga River supplies most of its inflow, while evaporation accounts for much of the water loss.

The Caspian’s water is salty, but its salinity varies considerably. The northern section is relatively fresh because of river inflow, while the southern basin is much saltier. Its surface lies roughly 28 metres below global sea level, and the basin contains distinct northern, middle, and southern regions.

A common mix-up is Lake Baikal, which is the world’s deepest lake and largest freshwater lake by volume—not the largest inland sea. The Caspian is also famous for sturgeon and the caviar industry, although overfishing, pollution, and changing water levels have placed its ecosystem under pressure.