The Caspian Sea is the largest lake on Earth by both area and volume, with a surface area of 371,000 square kilometres (143,244 mi²) and a volume of 78,200 cubic kilometres (18,761 mi³). It is a landlocked endorheic body of water and lies between Asia and Europe. It has a maximum depth of about 1025 meters (3,363 ft). It is called a sea because when the Romans discovered it, they tasted the water and found it to be salty. It has a salinity of approximately 1.2%, about a third the salinity of sea water.