<p>The mountains.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/ICmkRl.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/ICmkRl.png" alt="Caspian see" /></a></p>
<p>The south has a steep relief, as well as the west. That means that there is much precipitation. The clouds throw every drop on these mountains, so almost nothing is left. The east is pretty low, so the remaining clouds (not much left) just fly over. In fact, deserts are generally not steep and they are usually behind the mountains. That is right what happens here. On the north, the effects of the west are still felt, so it isn't so dry, but it is pretty low, too. Also, I wouldn't say that it's lush : )</p>

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2023-08-09T21:03:38.110Z
+1 The lowest part around the Caspian Sea locates near Aktau, Kazakhstan which has an elevation of about 110 meters below sea level.
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2021-03-29T16:10:08.080Z
2021-03-29T16:26:02.023Z
2021-03-29T16:26:02.023Z
User123
<p>About the Caspian sea area today:</p>
<ul>
<li>The south is very lush with the subtropical forests of the Iranian provinces of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Iran" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan</a> (although less &quot;tropical&quot; in Golestan)</li>
<li>The west tends to be lush with subtropical (?) thicket and also forests around <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baku" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Baku</a> and lots of thicket at least up to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derbent" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Derbent</a></li>
<li>The north is pretty much part of the Euroasian Steppe but might not have been until the rise of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khazars" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Khazar empire</a> or earlier --- <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythians" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Scythian empire</a> in the region which might have caused significant deforestation although still has some rich thicket/grove areas left today</li>
</ul>
<p>And yet, the eastern coast of the Caspian sea seemed to me from almost any image as a dry &quot;wasteland&quot;, with almost no thicket and certainly nothing I would name &quot;a forest&quot;.</p>
<p>Why are the south, the west and the north of the Caspian sea lush but its east completely dry?</p>

<earth-history><sea-level><topography><deforestation><desertification>
Why are the south, the west and the north of the Caspian sea lush but its east completely dry?
timesharer
# Why are the south, the west and the north of the Caspian sea lush but its east completely dry?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-03-29)

About the Caspian sea area today:

* The south is very lush with the subtropical forests of the Iranian provinces of [Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Iran) (although less "tropical" in Golestan)
* The west tends to be lush with subtropical (?) thicket and also forests around [Baku](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baku) and lots of thicket at least up to [Derbent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derbent)
* The north is pretty much part of the Euroasian Steppe but might not have been until the rise of the [Khazar empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khazars) or earlier --- [Scythian empire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scythians) in the region which might have caused significant deforestation although still has some rich thicket/grove areas left today

And yet, the eastern coast of the Caspian sea seemed to me from almost any image as a dry "wasteland", with almost no thicket and certainly nothing I would name "a forest".

Why are the south, the west and the north of the Caspian sea lush but its east completely dry?

**Tags:** earth-history, sea-level, topography, deforestation, desertification


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-03-29. Score: 3

The mountains.

[![Caspian see](https://i.sstatic.net/ICmkRl.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/ICmkRl.png)

The south has a steep relief, as well as the west. That means that there is much precipitation. The clouds throw every drop on these mountains, so almost nothing is left. The east is pretty low, so the remaining clouds (not much left) just fly over. In fact, deserts are generally not steep and they are usually behind the mountains. That is right what happens here. On the north, the effects of the west are still felt, so it isn't so dry, but it is pretty low, too. Also, I wouldn't say that it's lush : )

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: +1 The lowest part around the Caspian Sea locates near Aktau, Kazakhstan which has an elevation of about 110 meters below sea level.  

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