What is the name of the world's largest inland body of water by area?

The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water by area.

Although it is called a sea, the Caspian is an enclosed body of water with no natural outlet to the world's oceans. It lies between Europe and Asia and is bordered by Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan. Its surface area is about 371,000 square kilometres, though it changes as water levels rise and fall.

The Caspian is a remnant of the ancient Paratethys Sea. Its water is saltier than most lakes but less salty than the open ocean, with salinity varying by region. The northern section is shallow, while the southern basin reaches a maximum depth of about 1,025 metres.

The Caspian is famous for sturgeon and caviar, as well as energy resources beneath its seabed. Its classification can cause confusion: it is geographically a lake because it is enclosed, but its size, salinity and historical name explain why it is called a sea. Lake Baikal, by contrast, is the deepest lake by depth and the largest by freshwater volume.