RAS question
The Caspian Sea, the world's largest enclosed inland body of water, borders:
Correct answer: (A) Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan.
The Caspian Sea borders Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan.
Explanation
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest enclosed inland body of water and the largest salt lake, so exam questions often test it as both a water body and a regional map feature. Britannica lists its bordering states by shore: Kazakhstan to the northeast, Turkmenistan to the southeast, Iran to the south, Azerbaijan to the southwest and Russia to the northwest. That makes option A complete. For the mental map, Russia lies to the north, Kazakhstan to the northeast, Turkmenistan to the east, Iran to the south and Azerbaijan to the west. Although it is called a sea, its enclosed inland setting is why it is treated as a lake in physical geography.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) India and Pakistan are in South Asia and are not part of the Caspian Sea's bordering region.
- (C) Turkey and Greece are associated with the Mediterranean and Black Sea region, not with the shores of the Caspian Sea.
- (D) Russia and Iran do border the Caspian Sea, but the sea also borders Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.
Concept
This tests world physical geography through the map location of an enclosed inland water body. It recurs in RAS because the Caspian links landlocked seas, salt lakes, Central Asia and West Asian regional geography in one fact cluster.