Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay, Caspian Sea, Turkmenistan Fall 1996-Winter 1997. A long, low, sandy isthmus separates the Caspian Sea (upper portion of the image) and the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay (lower portion of the image) in this west-looking view. The Caspian Sea is the largest inland sea in the world and is one and one-half times the size of all five Great Lakes combined. The Caspian Sea’s surface is 92 feet (28 meters) below sea level. The Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay covers an area of 7000 square miles (18130 square km) or about the size of Lake Ontario. This shallow bay is no more than 33 feet (10 meters) deep, but is 102 feet (31 meters) below sea level. Since the bay is lower than the Caspian Sea, water rushes into the Kara-Bogaz-Gol through a narrow channel visible on the image just to the left of center. The shallow bay acts as a natural evaporating basin in this arid region, depositing salts along its shores