Top 5 Seas & Lakes of Iran

Iran with 1,648,195 Km2 (636,375 mi2) area, is one of the 20 largest countries worldwide. 

Due to the size and different altitudes in the country, there are so many lakes in the country. The most important ones by their size are as follows:

1) he Caspian Sea:

The Caspian Sea, which is the largest landlocked body of water in the world with 424,240 Km2 area, is situated in northern part of Iran. The sea lies about 28 meters (92 feet) below the sea level.

Due to the people who lived in the southwest of the sea called Caspi, the name of the sea derived from their name. Greeks and Persians used to call it Hyrcanian Ocean. In Turkish, they refer to it as Khazar Sea and in Turkaman, they call it Hazar denizi.

The important water ports of Iran on the Caspian coast are Bandar Anzali, Noshahr, and Bandar Turkman.

2) The Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf is located in Western Asia between Iran to the northeast and the Arabian Peninsula to the southwest. The gulf is an extension of the Indian Ocean (Gulf of Oman) through the Strait of Hormuz. It has an area of 240,000 Km2 with 990 Km length and 338 Km width with the narrowest part at 56 Km (35 mi) in the Strait of Hormuz.

Due to the Achaemenid Empire established in 550 BC, the body of water that bordered this province was named the "Persian Gulf".

The most important islands of the Persian Gulf administered by Iran are Hendurabi, Kish, Sirri, Abu Mussa, the Greater and Lesser Tunb Qeshm, Hengam, Larak, Hormuz, and Lavan.

The notable ports on the Persian Gulf coast are Abadan, Khorramshahr, Bandar Imam Khomeini, Mahshahr, Deilam, Gonaveh, Rig, Bushehr, Bandar Lengeh, and Bandar Abbas.

3) Oman Sea

is located at the southern part of Iran and is a connection between the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. With an approximate area of 903,000 Km2, the Oman Sea is surrounded by Iran and Pakistan at the north, the Deccan peninsula at the east and Arabia peninsula at the west.

Recently (In 2018), scientists found out that the Oman Sea contains one of the world's largest marine dead zones with the entire 63,700 Mile2, in which the ocean contains little or no oxygen. This phenomenon caused as a result of the combination of increased ocean warming, and increased runoff of nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers.

4) Lake Urmia

is a salted lake in northwestern Iran near Iran's border with Turkey. The lake is between two provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan in Iran. Considering its full size, it’s the largest lake in the Middle East and the sixth largest saltwater lake on the Earth. The surface of the lake is140 Km (87 Mile) length and 55 Km (34 Mile) width, the deepest point of the lake has 16 meters (52 ft.) depth. The lake and 102 islands are protected as a national park by the Iranian Department of Environment.

5) Anzali Talab (lagoon)

is situated in the northern province of Iran called Gilan. The lake is not only important for finfish and crayfish but also it is also an important bird nesting. During winter it is the habitat for migratory birds. There are also beautiful Lotus flowers during summer.