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The
1000km-long Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water
on Earth. It is a remnant of the ancient ocean Tethis, which
around 50 million years ago connected the Atlantic and Pacific,
but today it has no connection to these oceans and its waters
are only slightly saline.
Some 130 large and small rivers feed into the Caspian, the largest being the
Volga. The long history and isolation of the Sea has left it with impressive
biodiversity and more than 300 endemic species. It hosts 115 species of fish,
including the famous sturgeons-a valuable economic resource for more than a century.
The Caspian seal is one of only two freshwater seal species in the
world. Extensive coastal wetlands offer a popular stop-off during
migrations for a profusion of birdlife and the avid eco-tourists who gather
to watch it.
The Sea already suffers from an enormous burden of pollution from oil extraction
and refining, offshore oil fields, radioactive wastes from nuclear power plants
and huge volumes of untreated swage and industrial waste introduced mainly by
the Volga River.
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