More than 70% of the Earth's surface is covered with water. This water is mainly contained in, as well as in many other bodies of water.

A sea is defined as a large object, filled with and sometimes associated with. However, the sea does not necessarily have to be tied to the ocean, since there are inland or closed seas in the world, such as the Caspian Sea.

Since sea waters make up a significant part of the world, it may be useful to know where the largest seas on our planet are located. This article provides a list, maps, photos and descriptions of the ten largest seas on Earth, in descending order.

Sargasso Sea

Sargasso Sea on the map

According to some sources, the Sargasso Sea is considered the largest in the world. But unlike other seas, it does not wash land and does not have permanent boundaries or area (which varies from 4.0 to 8.5 million km²), so calling it the largest is quite controversial. The Sargasso Sea is located in the Atlantic Ocean and is limited by ocean currents: in the west by the Gulf Stream, in the north by the North Atlantic Current, in the east by the Canary Current, and in the south by the North Equatorial Current.

The Sargasso Sea was first mentioned by Christopher Columbus, who crossed it on his original voyage in 1492.

The sea reaches a depth of 1500-7000 m and is characterized by weak currents, low precipitation, high evaporation, light winds and warm salty water. These factors create a biological desert largely devoid of plankton, the staple food. The Sargasso Sea is distinguished from other parts of the Atlantic Ocean by its characteristic brown Sargassum algae. In addition, the water in the sea is transparent and visibility is maintained even at a depth of about 60 m.

Sargassum algae in the Sargasso Sea

This sea is home to an amazing diversity of marine species. Turtles use algae to shelter and feed their young. The Sargasso Sea also provides essential food for shrimp, crabs, fish and other marine species that have specially adapted to this floating algae. The sea is a breeding ground for the endangered eel, as well as the Atlantic white marlin, Atlantic herring shark and finfish. migrate annually through the Sargasso Sea.

Philippine Sea

Philippine Sea on the map

The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea located northeast of the Philippine archipelago and in the western North Pacific Ocean. It borders the Philippines and Taiwan in the west, Japan in the north, the Mariana Islands in the east, and the Palau archipelago in the south. The surface area is about 5.7 million km². The sea has a complex and varied underwater terrain. The bottom was formed during the process of geological faults. A special feature of the Philippine Sea is the presence, among which are the Philippine Trench and the Mariana Trench, which contains the deepest point on the planet. Numerous underwater mountains are located in the waters of the sea, and some of them are of volcanic origin.

Islands of the Palau archipelago in the Philippine Sea

The first European to travel the Philippine Sea was Ferdinand Magellan. This happened in 1521.

There is an exotic fish in the Philippine Sea. About five hundred species of hard and soft corals, and 20% of generally known species, are found in the waters of the sea. Here you can observe sea turtles, sharks, moray eels, and sea snakes, as well as numerous species of fish, including tuna. In addition, the Philippine Sea serves as a spawning ground for Japanese eel, tuna and various species.

coral sea

Coral Sea on the map

The Coral Sea is a marginal sea located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. In the east it washes the coasts of Australia and New Guinea, in the west - New Caledonia, and in the south - the Solomon Islands. This sea has a length of about 2250 km from north to south and covers an area of ​​4.8 million km². In the south, the Coral Sea merges with the Tasman Sea, in the north with the Solomon Sea and in the east with the Pacific Ocean; it is connected to the Arafura Sea in the west through the Torres Strait.

The sea was named after its numerous coral formations, which formed a stretch of 1,900 km along the north-eastern coast of Australia. The sea has and is prone to typhoons, especially from January to April.

Bird's eye view of the Coral Sea reefs

The sea is home to a variety of living organisms, including anemones, worms, gastropods, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp and crabs. Red algae colors many coral reefs purple-red, while green algae Halimeda, found throughout the Coral Sea.

In the northern part there are coastal plants consisting of only 30-40 species, and. The reefs are home to about 400 species of coral species, and there are also more than 1,500 species of fish. Five hundred species of algae settle on corals, creating mini-ecosystems on their surface, comparable to a coating. The coral sea is also home to a large number of fish species, and.

Arabian Sea

Arabian Sea on the map

The Arabian Sea is a marginal sea and is located in the northwestern part of the Indian Ocean. Its total area is about 3.86 million km². This sea is part of the main sea route between and India. It is bounded on the west by the Somali and Arabian Peninsulas, on the north by Iran and Pakistan, on the east by India, and on the south by the rest of the Indian Ocean. In the north, the Gulf of Oman connects the sea with the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz. To the west, the Gulf of Aden connects it to the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Arabian Sea has an average depth of 2734 m and a maximum depth of 5803 m.

Island in the Arabian Sea

The sea is dominated by a monsoon climate. During the rainy season, which occurs from April to November, the water salinity is less than 35‰, and during the dry season (November to March) it is more than 36‰.

Vast deposits of oil and natural gas have been discovered in the Arabian Sea.

The sea is home to a large number of organisms, but a periodic phenomenon in the Arabian Sea is. This phenomenon is explained by a subsurface layer of water of tropical origin, which is poorly enriched in oxygen, but rich in phosphates. Under certain conditions, this layer comes to the surface, which leads to the death of fish due to lack of oxygen.

South China Sea

South China Sea on the map

The South China Sea is a marginal sea in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, it washes the mainland of the Southeast. The sea is limited in the northeast by the Taiwan Strait; in the east - the islands of Taiwan and the Philippines; in the southeast and south - Kalimantan, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia; and in the west and north - Asia. The South China Sea covers an area of ​​about 3.69 million km², with an average depth of 1212 m and a maximum depth of 5016 m.

The climate in the sea is tropical and is largely determined by the monsoons. Monsoons control currents as well as the exchange of water between the South China Sea and adjacent bodies of water.

Landscape of the South China Sea

Large deposits of oil and natural gas have been discovered in the South China Sea. This sea provides some of the world's most important shipping lanes. Typically, oil and minerals are concentrated in the north, and marine foods and industrial goods are concentrated in the south. Some areas in the central South China Sea are still poorly understood.

The shallow-water marine fauna and flora of the Caribbean are concentrated around submerged fringed coral reefs that support a variety of fish and other marine life.

Tourism is an important part of the Caribbean economy, serving primarily the populations of the United States and Canada in the north, and Brazil and Argentina in the south. With a typically sunny climate and recreational resources, the Caribbean has become one of the world's major winter resorts.

Mediterranean Sea

Mediterranean Sea on the map

The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to Asia in the east, and separates Europe from. This sea has an area of ​​2.5 million km² and a coastline of about 46 thousand km, and is considered the largest inland sea on Earth. The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m, and the deepest recorded point is 5,267 m, in the Ionian Sea. The Mediterranean Sea basin contains some of the most fertile, beautiful and therefore most desirable land on the planet. Typical is characterized by hot, humid and dry summers and mild, rainy winters. is one of the most populated and developed areas in the world. However, it is also one of the least secure regions in the world.

Beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea

This sea contains significant reserves of oil and natural gas. While Mediterranean oil and natural gas production accounts for only a small portion of global production, a significant portion of total global oil refining occurs in the Mediterranean region. In addition, petroleum products are produced for domestic consumption and export.

The Mediterranean Sea is stable due to the strong closed nature of the currents, which favorably affects even the smallest macroscopic organisms. The Mediterranean's stable sea temperatures provide a breeding ground for life at depth, which allows organisms to thrive, maintaining a balanced aquatic ecosystem. The Mediterranean Sea has a rich diversity of marine biota. Almost one third (about 12 thousand) of species are endemic.

Commercial fishing is of great economic importance to the region. There is a high demand for fish and seafood, and the total catch for consumption in Mediterranean countries - both within and outside the region - represents a significant proportion of the world's catch.

Tasman Sea

Tasman Sea on the map

The Tasman Sea is a marginal sea located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, between the southeast coast of Australia and Tasmania in the west, and New Zealand in the east; it merges with the Coral Sea in the north, and covers an area of ​​about 2.3 million km². The maximum depth exceeding 5200 m was recorded in the East Australian Basin.

The sea was named after the Dutch navigator Abel Tasman, who sailed across it in 1642.

Paradise island in the Caribbean

The South Trade Wind Current and prevailing winds feed the East Australian Current, which is dominant along the coast of Australia. From July to December its effect is minimal, and colder waters from the south can penetrate far to the north. Lord Howe Island, located on this parallel, represents the southernmost development of the modern coral reef. In the east, water circulation is controlled by currents from the western Pacific Ocean from January to June and colder subantarctic water moving north through Cook Strait from July to December. These various currents tend to make the climate in the south of the Tasman Sea temperate and that in the north subtropical.

The sea is crossed by shipping lanes between New Zealand and south-eastern Australia, and Tasmania, and its economic resources include fisheries, and oil fields in the Gippsland Basin in the eastern Bass Strait.

About 90% of the Tasman Sea's marine life is found nowhere else, as it is the meeting point of three ocean currents. It serves as habitat for a huge number of species; from microscopic life forms to a giant squid that can form rings the size of car tires.

Bering Sea

Bering Sea on the map

The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean. Covering an area of ​​more than 2 million km², the sea borders on the west the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Russian Far East; in the south - with the Aleutian Islands; in the east - with Alaska.

The sea ends at the Bering Strait, located south of the Arctic Circle. This strait is a narrow sea passage between the easternmost point of the Asian continent (Russia) and the westernmost point (Alaska).

The sea (and the strait) are named after the Danish-born Russian sailor Vitus Bering, who first saw the lands of Alaska while exploring the area with the Kamchatka expedition in the mid-18th century.

Stormy Bering Sea

Although the Bering Sea is located at the same latitude as Great Britain, its climate is much harsher. The southern and western parts are characterized by cool, rainy summers with frequent fogs and relatively warm, snowy winters. Winters are extreme in the northern and eastern parts, with temperatures ranging from -35° to -45° C and strong winds. Summers in the north and east are cool, with relatively low precipitation. January and February are the coldest months, July and August are the warmest. Severe storms caused by centers of low atmospheric pressure sometimes penetrate the southern part of the sea.

It is believed that oil and gas fields exist under the Bering Sea shelf, and along the edge - Kamchatka. However, the volume of potential reserves is unknown.

There are more than 300 species of fish in the Bering Sea, including 50 deep-sea species. The most important among them are salmon, herring, cod, flounder, halibut and pollock. Fur seals and sea otters are found on the islands. The northern regions are home to walruses, seals and sea lions. Several species of whales, especially gray whales, migrate to the Bering Sea to feed during the summer. Intensive fishing has sharply reduced some of the most valuable fish species, and this has led to greater exploitation of other species.

The territory of the Russian Federation is washed by three oceans. All the seas of Russia, the list of which is given in the text of the article, are interesting and special in their own way. All of them are unique and original.

Seas of Russia: list

The largest country on the planet is connected to three oceans through 12 seas, both internal and peripheral. One sea in Russia does not have a direct connection with the World Ocean (except for the connection through it - this is the Caspian Sea, which is drainless.

Alphabetical list of seas washing Russia

Sea	Belonging to the ocean
Azovskoe	to the Atlantic Ocean
Barentsevo	to the Arctic Ocean
Baltic	to the Atlantic Ocean
White	to the Arctic Ocean
Beringovo	to the Pacific Ocean
East Siberian	to the Arctic Ocean
Caspian	drainless
Karskoye	to the Arctic Ocean
Laptev	to the Arctic Ocean
Okhotsk	to the Pacific Ocean
Black	to the Atlantic Ocean
Chukotka	to the Arctic Ocean
Japanese	to the Pacific Ocean

Total - 13 seas.

Atlantic seas

The seas from the Atlantic basin beat against the western shores of Russia. In the north it is the Baltic Sea, in the south it is the Azov and Black Sea.

They are united by the following features:

• they are all internal, that is, deeply continental;
• all of them are the final seas of the Atlantic, that is, to the east of them there are either waters of another ocean or land.

The Russian coastline along the Atlantic seas is about 900 km. The Baltic Sea touches the Leningrad and Kaliningrad regions. The Black and Azov seas wash the shores of the Rostov region, Krasnodar region and Crimea.

Seas of the Arctic Ocean

Some seas of Russia (the list is given above) belong to the Arctic Ocean basin. There are six of them: five of them are outlying (Chukotskoye, Karaskoye, Laptev, East Siberian, Barentsevo) and one is internal (Beloye).

Almost all of them are covered with ice all year round. Thanks to the Atlantic Current, the southwest of the Barents Sea. The waters of the Arctic Ocean reach the territory of such Russian regions as the Murmansk region, the Arkhangelsk region, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Taimyr Autonomous Okrug, the Republic of Sakha, and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

Pacific Seas

The list of seas washing the coast of Russia from the east and belonging to the Pacific Ocean is given below:

• Beringovo;
• Japanese;
• Okhotsk.

These seas are adjacent to the territories of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, the Magadan Region, the Kamchatka Region, the Khabarovsk Territory, the Sakhalin Region, and the Primorsky Territory.

Warm seas

Half of the Russian seas are covered with ice all year round. There are seas that are partially covered with ice for a certain period of time. The warm seas of Russia, the list of which is given below, do not freeze throughout the year. So, the warm seas of Russia include:

Seas of Russia: list of unique seas

All geographical objects of the Earth are special and interesting in their own way. There are objects that are unique and inimitable. Of course, this is Lake Baikal, the Volga, Kamchatka geysers, the Kuril Islands and much more. The seas of Russia are also exceptional, a list of which is given below. The table shows the characteristics of some Russian seas from the point of view of their uniqueness.

List of seas washing Russia

Sea	Characteristics in terms of uniqueness
Azovskoe	It is considered the most inland sea on the planet. Communication with the waters of the World Ocean occurs through four straits and four seas. Having a depth of no more than 13.5 m, it is recognized as the shallowest sea on the planet.
Baltic	It is one of the most unsalted seas in the world. Approximately 80% of the world's amber is mined here, which is why the sea was called Amber in ancient times.
Barentsevo	This is the westernmost sea of ​​Russia among those located beyond the Arctic Circle. It is considered the cleanest sea of ​​all that washes the shores of Europe.
White	The sea, which has a small area, is the second small sea in Russia after the Azov Sea. It washes the lands of the historical and cultural monument of Russia -
Beringovo
Japanese	The southernmost, but not the hottest sea in Russia. Of all the seas in Russia, this one has the richest underwater world.

We hope that the article was interesting and useful.

There are 100 seas in the world, some of them are internal, others are inter-island, and most are marginal. The seas are divided according to their belonging to ocean basins. The article lists the names of the seas on Earth. These are the main seas with brief explanations of individual objects; the number of small seas located within larger ones is indicated in brackets. The number 100 includes all seas, including those in brackets.

Pacific seas

The following seas belong to the oceanic basin:

• Beringovo,
• Okhotsk (1),
• Japanese (3),
• Yellow,
• East China,
• South China,
• Filipino,
• New Guinea,
• Coral,
• Tasmanovo,
• another 14 interisland seas are identified in the Malay Archipelago.

There are 2 Seas of Japan - one is known to everyone, the second small (Inland Sea of ​​Japan) is located between the islands of Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku, within its borders there are 2 more very small seas.

Atlantic seas

• Black,
• Azovskoe,
• Baltic (1),
• Northern (1),
• Hebridean,
• Irish,
• Celtic,
• Iroise,
• Mediterranean (14),
• Irminger,
• Labrador,
• Sargassovo,
• Caribbean,
• Argentine (name used only in Argentina),
• Scotia (northern part is in the Atlantic, southern part in the Southern Ocean),

At the end of the twentieth century, US environmentalists demanded that the system of Salish bays and straits be called the Sea (Washington State) in order to protect aquatic ecosystems.

Rice. 1. Sargasso Sea.

Seas of the Indian Ocean

These are the Arabian, Andaman, Red, Laccadive, Timor, and Arafura seas. Let's add the interisland sea of ​​Bali in the Malay Archipelago.

Arctic Ocean Basin

• Greenlandic,
• Lincoln,
• Kane,
• Baffin,
• Gustav Adolf,
• Beaufort,
• Chukotka,
• East Siberian,
• Laptev,
• Karskoe,
• White,
• Barentsevo (1),
• Norwegian,
• Vandel (the unofficial name of the sea area off the coast of Greenland).

Rice. 2. Greenland Sea.

Seas of the Southern Ocean

Not all geographers support the division of the Southern Ocean, so we will call them belonging to the oceanic sectors.

In the Pacific Ocean sector there are the Amundsen, Bellingshausen, D'Urville, Ross, and Somov seas.

The Atlantic part includes the seas of King Haakon VII, Lazarev, and Weddell.

The Davis, Cosmonaut, Mawson, Riiser-Larsen, and Commonwealth seas are located in the Indian Ocean sector.

Special seas

In the vastness of the Pacific Ocean there is the Fiji Sea, designated conventionally, the Fiji Archipelago at its northern end. The islands of the archipelago are located in the Koro Sea.

Rice. 3. Fiji Sea.

What have we learned?

We got acquainted with the list of names of seas around the world and learned interesting details about some. It turns out that there are seas far from the continents, just part of the ocean.

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