The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. It has a surface area of 371,000 square kilometers (143,244 sq mi) and a volume of 78,200 cubic kilometers (18,761 cu mi). blank">Lake Profile: Caspian Sea. LakeNet. It is an endorheic body of water (has no outflows), and lies between the southern areas of the _Russian Federation and northern Iran. It has a maximum depth of about 1025 meters (3,363 ft). It is called a sea since its ancient coastal area inhabitants perceived it as such, due to its being salty and seemingly boundary-less. It has a salinity of approximately 1.2%, about a third the salinity of most seawater.
It is named after the ancient Caspians.
