Russia is the largest country bordering the Caspian Sea.
Russia's Caspian coastline lies along the sea's northwestern shore, principally in the republic of Dagestan and nearby regions. The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water by surface area, despite its name and saltwater character. Its northern portion is much shallower than the deeper southern basin.
The Caspian has five littoral states: Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan. Kazakhstan has the longest national coastline on the Caspian, but Russia is the largest of the five countries by total area. This distinction is an easy source of confusion when a question changes from largest country to longest shoreline.
The Caspian is sometimes called a sea and sometimes a lake. Its legal classification matters for resource rights and boundaries, and the five states signed a convention on its legal status in 2018. The basin is also important for fisheries, shipping, petroleum, and natural gas, although water levels and environmental pressures remain major concerns.