| 1 | Potentially huge oil fields also lie underneath the Caspian Sea. | |
| 2 | Multiple rivers empty into the Caspian Sea, the Volga being the largest. | |
| 3 | Geological research indicates that the Caspian Sea was once part of a prehistoric sea known as the Paratethys. | |
| 4 | But Caspian airlines uses Russian-made planes whose maintenance would be less affected by American sanctions. | |
| 5 | Lacking an outlet, the Caspian Sea loses water only by evaporation, leading to the accumulation of salt. |