Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Several large, saline, or historically misidentified lakes bear the name "sea." The reasons vary:
Early explorers often mistook vast inland waters for ocean arms. The Caspian Sea was thought to connect to the Arctic Ocean; the Dead Sea was believed a Mediterranean inlet.
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water by surface area (371,000 km²), giving it a sea-like scale.
The Aral Sea (now largely desiccated) lay near the Caspian and was once hydrologically linked, reinforcing the "sea" label.
The Dead Sea's salinity exceeds 30% (nearly 10× ocean water), creating a marine-like environment despite being landlocked.
Key distinction: True seas are part of the global ocean; these "seas" are endorheic (landlocked) lakes, though some (like the Caspian) have sea-like geology and chemistry.