Chilov (, also spelt Zhiloy and Jiloi) is an island in the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

. It is located off the

Absheron Peninsula The Absheron Peninsula () is a peninsula in Azerbaijan. It is the location of Baku, the most populous city of the country, and the Baku Metropolitan Area, with its satellite cities Sumqayit and Khyrdalan. It extends eastward into the Caspian S ...

, east of

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

Geography

Chilov Island is located off the eastern end of the

Apsheron Peninsula The Absheron Peninsula () is a peninsula in Azerbaijan. It is the location of Baku, the most populous city of the country, and the Baku Metropolitan Area, with its satellite cities Sumqayit and Khyrdalan. It extends eastward into the Caspian S ...

in the

, from

. Administratively, Chilov Island belongs to the Khazar district of Baku. The island is across and has an irregular shape with various headlands and inlets. Its highest elevation is . Its area is about .

Environment

The island forms part of the Absheron archipelago

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA), designated as such by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

because it supports significant populations of wintering

whooper swan The whooper swan ( /ˈhuːpə(ɹ) swɒn/ "hooper swan"; ''Cygnus cygnus''), also known as the common swan, is a large northern hemisphere swan. It is the Eurasian counterpart of the North American trumpeter swan, and the type species for the genu ...

common pochard The common pochard (; ''Aythya ferina''), known simply as pochard in the United Kingdom, is a medium-sized diving duck in the family Anatidae. It is widespread across the Palearctic. It breeds primarily in the steppe regions of Scandinavia and Si ...

tufted duck The tufted duck (or tufted pochard) (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of nearly one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. They are partially migratory. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek , an unide ...

great crested grebe The great crested grebe (''Podiceps cristatus'') is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The bird is characterised by its distinctive appearance, featuring striking black, orange-brown, and white plumage, and elaborate courtship displa ...

s and

common coot The Eurasian coot (''Fulica atra''), also known as the common coot, or Australian coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. It is found in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and parts of North Africa. It has a slaty-bla ...

s, as well as breeding

Caspian gull The Caspian gull (''Larus cachinnans'') is a large gull and a member of the herring and lesser black-backed gull complex. The scientific name is from Latin. ''Larus'' appears to have referred to a gull or other large seabird, and ''cachinnans'' ...

History

Oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

and gas deposits were discovered near Chilov island by Russian Rear Admiral Count

Mark Voynovich Count Marko Ivanovich Voinovich (, ; 1750–1807) was an Admiral of the Russian Imperial Navy, one of the founders of the Black Sea Fleet.

while he led an expedition to the Caspian Sea in 1781. In 1944, a geological expedition was established at the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences. This expedition began geological explorations on Chilov Island. The first oil well there was drilled by Agagurban Aliyev.“Külək bir az da qalxsa, cəsədimiz də tapılmayacaqdı” , “Neft daşları” necə kəşf olundu (MÜSAHİBƏ-FOTOLAR)
hafiztimes.com 24.11.2017 In the 1950s, an air defense military unit of the USSR was stationed on the island, organizing air defense of Baku from the eastern part. For this purpose, the C75 anti-aircraft missile system was deployed on the island. In 1992-1993, Russian troops were completely withdrawn from the island.

References

Caspian Sea Biodiversity Project

External links

Weather reports for Chilov
Islands of Azerbaijan Important Bird Areas of Azerbaijan Important Bird Areas of Caspian Sea islands Islands of the Caspian Sea Absheron Archipelago {{Baku-geo-stub

Geography

Environment

History

See also

References

External links