Caspian. Not Prince Caspian, but the Caspian Sea in Central Asia. Before the dissolution of the USSR, it was split between it and Iran. The 143,000 sq mi sea has been at the center of much debate and controversy. And now, it's split between 5 countries. Recently, the 5 countries, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran, have met to discuss the Sea and have signed an agreement.
The first topic is its status as a lake or a sea. Only Iran believes it to be a "lake", while the others disagree. If it was a sea, then it would have to be covered by the United Nations Law of the Sea, where resources, rights, and environmental duties would be regulated differently. If it was just a lake, then everything would be divided equally. Sure, that seems fair, but it means there's less regulation.
So why is this sea so desirable? First of all, there's about 50 billion barrels or 300 trillion cu ft of oil sitting under it. Over the years, there have been many rival companies and nations trying to set up oil rigs, but it's been iffy because of the legal status of the Caspian Sea. Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan wanted to build an oil pipe across it so that it would bypass Russia, who hated that idea as it does supply most of the oil in Europe.
Furthermore, the Caspian Sea supplies about 85% of the world's caviar supply. Yes, no lie. And those numbers are already declining because of pollution and other commercial activity. So it's crucial to actually address the issue formally.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-45162282
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