The Caspian Sea coast borders five countries--namely Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan. Although called a sea and containing salt water, the Caspian Sea is landlocked and so technically a lake. In fact, it is the largest inland body of water in the world. The lake has no outflows and is fed by the 2,194-mile-long Volga River.
Lake Baikal, found in southern Siberia, is the oldest and deepest lake in the world. Containing one-fifth of the world's unfrozen fresh water, it contains more water than all of the Great Lakes combined. Thought to be more than 25 million years old and harboring 1,100 species of plants and animals found nowhere else in the world, the lake is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Amazon River is found in South America and is the world's largest river by volume. On a daily basis, the Amazon River pours a massive 50 gallons per second into the Atlantic Ocean. During the dry season the river is almost seven miles wide at its widest point, but during the rainy season it overflows its banks on all sides and becomes nearly 25 miles wide at its widest point. The Amazon is home to a rich variety of plants and animals, including river dolphin.
The Nile River is the longest river in Africa and, according to many sources, the longest in the world. It bisects Egypt for 960 miles before emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. The river's very name conjures up visions of one of Egypt's most famous historical women, Cleopatra. It has two main tributaries, the Blue Nile and the White Nile. Within sight of the Nile or its delta live 99 percent of Egypt's people. The Nile provides water and fertile soil in an otherwise desert area.
The Yangtze River, or Chang Jiang, is Asia's longest river. The river is 3,900 miles long and is home to China's major rice and tea growing region. Its source is Tibet's mountainous highland, which is Asia's principal watershed. In 2001, UNESCO placed the Three Gorges Section of the Yangtze River on the World Heritage Site tentative list.
The Coral Sea off Australia's coast is home to the Great Barrier Reef. The Reef is the size of the United Kingdom and is the largest in the world. Home to 1,500 varieties of fish and 400 types of coral, the reef covers 80,000 square miles and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Europe, Asia and Northern Africa border the Mediterranean Sea, creating an interesting mix of cultures and heritages. An important historical route of trade, the Mediterranean is now a popular cruise destination. The hot and dry summers make the climate ideal for holiday visitors who enjoy the local harvests of grapes and olives. The Mediterranean Sea connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the narrow Strait of Gibraltar.
Hudson Bay is the world's largest bay and is joined to the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The Bay is home to numerous species of birds, fish, walrus, dolphins and whales. Polar bears can be seen hunting seals among the ice. Henry Hudson first charted this area and the Hudson Bay Company established its first trading post here. Scuba divers can encounter Beluga whales in the summer months and in winter, dogsledding and aurora borealis adventures are popular.
The Great Salt Lake in the United States is the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. Although the lake has rivers and streams feeding it, there is no outlet, creating a concentration of minerals. The lake is quite shallow, with a maximum depth of only 33 feet. The white sand beaches make it a popular recreational destination for boaters and swimmers. The water salinity, at 12 percent, is higher than that of the ocean, and swimmers find themselves very buoyant in the water. Fish cannot survive in the lake because of the high salt content, although abundant wildlife lives along its shores.
Lake Kussharo is the largest caldera lake in Japan. It is located in the northern section of Akan National Park and nearby is Mt. Io, an active volcano. Local entrepreneurs use the volcanic vents to boil eggs for visitors. On the southern shore, vacationers can enjoy the bubbling open air hot springs around the lake shore. In the winter, when the lake is mostly frozen, hundreds of swans gather to enjoy the open water provided by these hot springs.
