eli5 why is the caspian sea considered a sea and not a lake?

Question

I mean it’s completely land locked why isn’t it considered a lake?

In: 2

Answer 1

Because of its salinity.

Fresh water is defined as anything with less than 1000 ppm of salt, while the Caspian Sea has 12800 ppm on average, and regular ocean water about 35000 ppm.

Sources:

* [https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/saline-water-and-salinity](https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/saline-water-and-salinity)
* [https://www.britannica.com/place/Caspian-Sea](https://www.britannica.com/place/Caspian-Sea)