Caspian Sea
Rival shores around the world's largest lake
Nations 12
The Geography
Caspian Sea follows the long inland basin between Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and the Caucasus. The portrait 1008×1728 layout emphasizes its north-south axis, from the shallow northern delta country to the Iranian mountains. The map is 55% land and contains 12 starting nations spread around opposing shores.
The History
The Caspian linked steppe, Persian and Caucasian trade routes for centuries. Russia and Persia competed for its shores before nineteenth-century treaties fixed much of their frontier, and the rise of Baku as an oil centre made the basin strategically important to the industrial world.
The Battlefield
The central water divides the board while also providing its fastest flanking route. Northern starts have more room to connect over land; southern and western starts fight around tighter coastlines and mountain-backed pockets. A secure port can turn a remote shoreline into an attack lane, but expanding around the entire sea is slow. Choose one coast to consolidate before crossing.