Previous Year Question
Which of the following is the largest inland water body on Earth?
A.
None of these
B.
None of these
C.
Caspian Sea
D.
Lake Baikal
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
The Caspian Sea is the largest inland or completely enclosed body of water on Earth. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) explicitly identifies it as the world's largest inland body of water. According to the official Tehran Convention portal, it has an area of approximately 392,600 square kilometres.
Despite being called a “sea”, the Caspian is not directly connected to the world's oceans and is a land-locked water body. Its shoreline is shared by five countries—Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan. It lies in an endorheic basin, meaning that it has no natural outflow to the ocean.