Located in the western part Pacific Ocean. It covers the territory from Singapore to the island of Taiwan. The length of the sea is 3300 kilometers, the maximum width is 1600 kilometers, the greatest depth reaches 5500 meters. It has many islets, atolls and
The South China Sea is located in two climatic zones: equatorial and subequatorial. In winter the winds blow predominantly from the northeast, and in the summer from the southwest. It is thanks to them that fans of windsurfing, parasailing, and kitesurfing come to the resort cities of Mui Ne and Phan Thiet every year from all over the world. Water temperature ranges from +20 to +27 degrees in summer time. Closer to autumn, the Chinese Sea warms up to +29 degrees. Typhoons often occur in summer.
The borders of many states extend to the sea: the Philippines, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia. Passes through the sea a large number of trade routes. All this makes the South China Sea very busy. In addition, it is very rich in biological resources, which is why territorial conflicts often flare up between coastal states. This is especially true for discovered large oil reserves.
The South China Sea attracts thousands of tourists to its shores every year. The fabulous island of Koh Samui will give you magnificent beaches; an unforgettable experience awaits you in the city of Pattaya night life. Vietnam also has a number of resort towns. For example, Nha Chag, Phan Thiet, Danang. All of them have developed infrastructure and many travel agencies. Thanks to good financing, the exotic resorts of China located on the island of Hainan are gaining more and more popularity every year. One of the most amazing places in the South China Sea is Singapore. Its area is only 720 km². Despite this, today it is one of the most economically developed countries in Asia with high level life.
The East China Sea is located between the islands of Kyushu and Ryukyu and the eastern coast of China. It has a semi-closed shape. Its total area is 836 thousand km². The greatest depth of the sea is 2719 meters. The water temperature in summer rises to +28 degrees. Daily tides reach an average of 7.5 kilometers. There is constant fishing in the sea: sardines, herring, as well as crabs, lobsters, sea cucumbers and seaweed.
Navigation in the East China Sea is poorly developed. Most of navigation aids are located closer to ports, on capes, on the shores of the tides. Earthquakes often occur here, which change their result - the appearance of longitudinal ones and which crush everything in their path. Tsunamis often occur here, unleashing their destructive power on the land. Typically, local tsunamis consist of a series of waves. Usually their number ranges from three to nine. They spread over land at speeds of up to 300 km/h at intervals of 10-30 minutes. The height of the waves reaches 5 meters, the maximum length is 100 kilometers.
This is a very large sea, its area is 3537 thousand square kilometers. In the southern part, the sea area is located on the continental shallow shelf, and only in the north can you find a deep-sea basin (depth of more than 4000 meters). Interestingly, in the South China Sea, surface water currents are seasonal and therefore often change direction. Average tides reach six meters in some places. Since the sea is warm climatic zone, then its temperature ranges from 20 to 29 degrees. How are they useful?
The coastline is slightly indented, so they are mostly low-lying. The largest gulfs include Tonkin and Siam. The many rivers that flow into this sea include the Mekong, Hongha and Xijiang rivers. There are a large number of small islands in the South China Sea, a significant part of them are of coral origin. The seabed is muddy-sandy or simply sandy, in some places rocky and pebbly. If you go deeper, the bottom is muddy. Admire the.
Inhabitants of the South China Sea
Along with other southern seas, the underwater world of the South China Sea is rich in diverse forms of aquatic life. Only each species is present in small numbers. The rich flora includes algae. This sea is also inhabited by phytoplankton. Since the water surface is slightly saturated minerals and oxygen, organisms are maintained and developed. The variety of coastal vegetation in many places is impressive.
Don't even begin to list the inhabitants of the coastal areas and shallow waters of the South China Sea. After all, in the Gulf of Tokino alone there are over one thousand species of fish. Therefore, if you try to count all the species of inhabitants of this sea, you can get an impressive figure. First of all, it is worth noting mollusks of all kinds, a large number of aquatic worms, representatives of arthropods, and snakes. Here you can see echinoderm inhabitants - these are darters, stars and sea urchins. Of course, the richness of the fish world is amazing.
The main fish caught in these areas are southern herring, tuna, conger eel, mackerel, sardines and croakers. In some areas, sea cucumbers and sea turtles are hunted. TO the largest fish The South China Sea includes: stingrays, tuna, moray eels, marlin, swordfish and sharks. In the waters of this sea there are different kinds predators, for example: bearded, spiny, reef, zebra, hammerhead and cat sharks. Of course, such proximity between local residents and toothy predators sometimes leads to unpleasant consequences.
For this reason, when planning a vacation in the South China Sea, you should carefully read the description of all types of dangerous animals that you are likely to encounter. It is important to remember safety precautions and follow the instructions of the guides. Only in this case can you enjoy all the attractions of the South China Sea.
China is the largest state in Asia. In terms of area, it is second only to Russia and Canada. And it would be strange if it did not have access to the sea.
And he really is. China, in addition to two straits, the Korean and Taiwanese, is washed by three seas at once:
East China;
South China.
All seas of China are semi-closed, surrounded on one side by the mainland, and belong to the Pacific Ocean basin, from which they are separated by islands. At the same time, the total length coastline is 12 thousand kilometers, if you do not take into account the islands, the number of which reaches 3.5 thousand.
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea in China got its name because its waters periodically turn yellow. The color appears more in spring and summer, when rivers, including the Yellow River, flow from the continent great amount sand and silt. Another phenomenon of these waters is that they “bloom”. The secret is in green algae, which grows several kilometers from the shore. This leads to the death of fish and other animals.
The climate here is quite mild. One of the most famous beach resorts coast Yellow Sea– Qingdao, which is also sometimes called “Eastern Switzerland”. It attracts tourists with its numerous beaches of fine white sand and surprisingly clean coastal water.
On the shores of the Yellow Sea, on the southern protrusion of the Liaodong Peninsula, the city of Dalian was built. Previously, it was Russian and was called “Dalniy”. There are also very beautiful beaches and parks there. They also come there for treatment and relaxation.
South China Sea
It is a pity that many Russians do not know what seas are in China. But the coast of the South China Sea offers a wonderful holiday. One of the most popular islands in it is Hainian. Transparent sea water, healing air, a lot of greenery - something that every tourist can enjoy here. You can swim in the sea waves even at the peak of the calendar winter - in January. And not only swimming, but also diving, surfing, and yachting. All year round The water temperature remains quite comfortable. Also in the waters of the South China Sea you can indulge yourself in a traditional Russian hobby - fishing.
East China Sea
This sea is much deeper than the Yellow Sea, on average 349 meters from the surface of the water to the bottom. It is more severe than other seas in China. From May to October, several times a year, typhoons occur here, causing very severe storms. Marine vegetation near the shores is quite poor. However, these waters are home to dolphins, sharks and even whales. The sea is rich in commercial fish. It is home to an abundance of tuna, flounder, sardines, mackerel, mullet, eels, and herring, which successfully share their living environment with crabs, lobsters, and sea cucumbers—exquisite delicacies.
Donghai, Namhe, Dong Hai, Pinyin - this area of the Pacific Ocean has many names. On its shores three ancient civilizations humanity: Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Its shelf is rich in huge reserves of gas and oil. Who will develop this wealth depends on how the issue of ownership of some islands is resolved, and what the political map. in the waters of which lobsters and giant crabs are caught, sea cucumbers and algae are collected, where pearls are grown and salt is evaporated - a real natural treasure. Let's take a closer look at this water area.
East China Sea on the map
This sea is part of the Pacific Ocean. It is located off the eastern coast of Asia. If we ask ourselves whether this is an inland sea, the map shows us that it is semi-enclosed. It is separated from the main part of the Pacific Ocean by the Japanese islands of Ryukyu and Kyushu. In the west, the natural border is the coast of China. The southern cordon is considered to be the island of Taiwan. If you look to the north, then from this side the East China Sea through the Korea Strait connects with the Yellow and Japan Straits. It should be said that the straits nearby are very deep - up to 1572 meters. At sea it is located between China, Korea and Japan. This explains the many names of the water area. After all, every nation names it depending on its location relative to the country. The Chinese word “Donghai” means “East Sea”, the Korean word “Namhae” means “South Sea”. And since 2004, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been calling this water area very floridly. Due to territorial disputes with the PRC over Senkaku Island, and with Korea over Socotra, in official documents it is called the “East Side Sea”.
Geographical characteristics
The water area is more than eight hundred and thirty thousand square kilometers. With an average depth of 349 meters, the bottom is very uneven. In the west, reefs, shoals, and banks are common. Exacerbating the difficulty of navigation and the turbidity of the Yangtze - the most abundant and long river Eurasian continent. The reefs and bottom sediments that the East China Sea is rich in in its western part are difficult to display on a map. Earthquakes often occur here, which not only change the topography of the shelf, but also cause tsunamis. In addition, typhoons sweep across the waters about three to four times a year, causing major destruction. Maximum depth (2719 meters) in the east of the sea. Average water salinity - 33 ppm, at the mouth large rivers this figure drops to 5 ‰. On west bank semidiurnal tides of up to seven and a half meters are observed.
Climate
In the subtropical zone, the sea, water never freezes. Even in its northern part, in winter the temperature does not drop below +7 °C. The coldest month here is February. But even then, in the south of the water area the water temperature is + 16 °C. But in August it warms up to + 27-28 °C. But the weather here is very changeable. Warm and cold air masses from the mainland create fog, rain, and drizzle in winter. In summer, the East China Sea is in the monsoon zone. Typhoons originate in the tropical zone and move in a northerly direction, causing strong winds, storms and heavy rains. This makes navigation much more difficult. But nevertheless, the water area is the most important transport artery. The paths to Yellow, Japanese and therefore pass through it. Therefore, conflicts arise because of it.
Biological resources
Thanks to its warm climate, the East China Sea boasts species diversity flora and fauna. The number of phytoplankton, as well as green, red and brown algae increases from west to east. Fishing and the extraction of pearls and shellfish have long been carried out in this water area. On an industrial scale, tuna, sardines, mackerel, herring, flounder, and many species of sharks are caught here. The local “milk” fish, hanos, with its very tender meat, is especially prized. It is even grown in artificial conditions. The East China Sea is also rich in aquatic mammals. Notable among them are dugongs, seals and numerous species of dolphins. But since the water area is poor in plankton, the sea waters never attract blue whales.
South China Sea (南海, Nánhǎi, Nanhai) is a semi-enclosed sea of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the South China Sea East Asia, between the Indochina Peninsula, the islands of Kalimantan, Palawan, Luzon and Taiwan. Water surface area - 3,537,289 km², maximum depth- 5,560 meters. The Main Sea Route passes through the South China Sea, which runs from the ports of China, Korea and Japan to the Singapore Strait, from where it heads to Europe. Trade routes, wealth in fish and oil make the South China Sea very valuable, so control over its waters and numerous islands is disputed by six states at once.
The South China Sea is semi-enclosed and lies on west coast Pacific Ocean, with different sides surrounded by islands and straits. To the north, the South China Sea borders Eurasia, particularly China. The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian, as well as the province of Hainan, located on the island of the same name, which is also the largest in the South China Sea, have access to the South China Sea. In the northeast, the South China Sea is limited by the island of Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait, in the east by the Philippine islands, in the south by the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra, as well as the Karimata and Singapore straits, and in the west by the Eurasian peninsulas of Malay and Indochina. Through the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea is connected to the East China Sea, through the Luzon and Bashi Straits to the Philippine Strait, through the Mindoro Strait to the Sulu Sea, through the Karimata Strait to the Java Sea, and through the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Andaman Sea of the Indian Ocean. . The South China Sea is the third largest coastal sea in the world, after the Coral and Arabian Seas (the largest sea, the Philippine Sea, is not coastal). Since the shortest sea route from East Asia to Indian Ocean, it has great importance for the global economy and the defense of interested states. The sea surface area is 3,537,289 km², which is 16 times larger than Guangdong Province. From the Chinese coast to the southernmost island that China claims - James Banks (Zengmu Ansha) - more than 2000 kilometers, which is further than from Guangzhou to Beijing. Average depth sea is 1,024 meters, the maximum depth in the central part of the sea is 5,560 meters, the water temperature in the sea is 25-28℃, during the year it changes by no more than 5-6℃. The salinity of the water is 35‰, the magnitude of the tides is about 2 meters. Frequent and powerful typhoons, most often in summer and early autumn.
There is a territorial dispute over the waters of the South China Sea, and especially over the Spratly Islands archipelago located in its center. The PRC stands behind a border called the “Nine-Dash Line.” According to it, China owns almost the entire sea area, all the Spratly and Paracel Islands, the Pratas archipelago and the Macclesfield Bank. The same territory within the same borders is claimed by the Republic of China (Taiwan). In addition, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei claim part of the Spratly Islands and the waters of the sea. Each of these countries, except Brunei, actually controls several islands.
Geography
Bottom relief
Subi Reef The seafloor is divided into three concentric parts: the continental shelf, the continental slope, and the central sea trench. The central depression is shifted east from the center of the sea, stretches from northeast to southwest, and is surrounded on all sides by the continental slope. It is shaped like a rhombus with an area of about 400,000 km². The seabed is inclined and slopes from northeast to southwest. In the northeast the depth is 3,400 meters, in the south - 4,200 meters, and the greatest depth in the northwest is 5,560 meters. The continental shelf off the coast of Eurasia and near the island arcs differs in slope; near the islands it is steeper. Between the Central Sea Trench and the continental shelf is a steep continental slope. During geological processes on Earth, the central sea basin of the South China Sea for a long time has not been touched, so it is flat and flat. Despite this, sea mountains rise in the generally flat depression, some of them reach 3,500 meters in height above the surrounding bottom, there are 27 exceeding 1,000 meters, about 20 more have a height of 400 - 1,000 meters. Some of these mountains form islands on the surface of the sea, others - shallows and banks.
Islands and reefs
Jackson Atoll In the north of the South China Sea, on the northern continental slope, there is Pratas Atoll (Dongsha, 东沙群岛), consisting of three small islands. It's controlled Republic of China(Taiwan). On the western continental squabble are the Paracel Islands (Xisha), and the Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha). The PRC recaptured the Paracel Islands from Vietnam in 1974 during the Battle of the Paracel Islands, and controls it to this day. On the southern continental slope are the Spratly Islands (Nansha), their territorial affiliation is most confusing. In the north, on the Eurasian continental shelf, lies Hainan Island, the largest island in the South China Sea. Hainan belongs to the People's Republic of China and the province of the same name is located on it. Also on the shelf, but in the southwest, there are numerous islands that are part of the Riau province of Indonesia - these are the Riau archipelago, the large island of Bunguran, the Tujuh archipelago, also consisting of several island groups. In addition, there are numerous coastal islands along all coasts, Hong Kong is located on one of them.
The Spratly (Nansha), Zhongsha and Xisha archipelagos have a total of about 200 islands, mostly the Spratly Islands. Islands are divided into five types. These are islands themselves, surrounded on four sides by water and having a high shore. They take a long time to form, are relatively unchanged, with a large area and long-lived vegetation. The islands are divided into coral, sandy, rocky and volcanic. Sand islands are made up of coral fragments, shells, and other debris collected on a coral reef. Constantly accumulating, they form sandy coral islands, the majority of which are among the archipelagos of Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha. The rocky islands are composed of sandstone and limestone of coral origin. Rocky Island (Shidao), located in the middle of the Paracel Islands, is just this type.
Gaojianshi Rock The only one volcanic island in the South China Sea is Gaojianshi (Pyramid Rock) from the Paracel Islands. Volcanic islands, unlike sandy islands, usually do not flood during high tides, this only happens during high tides or typhoons.
Sandbanks and islands are composed of coral fragments, shells, and other remains resting on a coral reef base. The differences between banks and sand islands are small: in the stability of the land surface, the height from sea level and the amount of vegetation. At high tide, most of them are submerged, and at low tide, most are exposed. The southernmost point of China - the Zengmu Ansha Bank (James Bank) - is just such a submersible shoal. Its area is 2.12 km², and the shallowest place reaches 17.5 meters in depth.
Climate
The South China Sea and all the islands in it are located south of the Tropic of Cancer, close to the equator. Throughout the South China Sea, the climate is marine tropical monsoon.
Temperature
Because the South China Sea is close to the equator, the heat coming from the sun is great and it is very hot here. The average annual temperature is 25-28℃, the lowest monthly average exceeds 20℃, the highest is 33℃. Although the air temperature is very high, thanks to the constant strong winds from the sea, the heat is easily tolerated. Annual temperature changes are not strong. In winter, cold air from Mongolia reaches the sea, but it has already weakened, and its influence is not strong. Locals say: “The four seasons are all called summer.” The water temperature is also high and varies little throughout the year - in the northern part of the sea 23-25℃, in the central part - 25-26℃ and in the southern part - 27-28℃
Precipitation
The South China Sea, like the entire Pacific Ocean, is a vast source of water vapor, which various shapes, falls as precipitation. One third are rainstorms with typhoons. On the islands of the South China Sea, over 1300 mm of precipitation falls annually, but it is extremely heterogeneous. Most rain falls in summer. For example, Yongxing Island of the Paracel Islands receives 1,392 mm of precipitation per year, of which 1,040 mm falls from June to October.
Monsoons
The South China Sea has a pronounced monsoon climate. This means that at certain times of the year the winds blow in a certain direction. After October, the northeast wind blows, originating in Siberia and Mongolia, although reaching the sea it warms up and loses the cold, but is dry continental. This season ends in March. From May to September the southwest wind blows, bringing heat and moisture from the equatorial regions. In April and October, the wind direction is changeable. The water flow in the South China Sea also has a monsoon effect - in summer it flows to the northeast, in winter - to the southwest.
Typhoons
In summer and autumn, the southwest wind regularly brings typhoons from the Pacific Ocean into the South China Sea. 70% of all typhoons originate in the western Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippine Islands and the Caroline Islands. The remaining 30% is in the South China Sea itself near the Xisha (Paracel) and Zhongsha islands. The influence of typhoons on the life of the islands of the sea is enormous. During a typhoon, powerful winds blow, there is a huge tropical downpour, and huge waves rise, causing great disasters for air and sea transport and ground infrastructure. However, typhoons also have great benefits - they bring heavy rainfall to the islands and the entire Southeast of China, making Agriculture very productive there.
Flora and fauna
Story
The first mention of the South China Sea in Chinese sources is the verse “Jiang Han” from the Shih Ching canon of the Zhou Dynasty. It tells that the king of the Zhou dynasty, Xuan-wang, during a campaign to the south reached the southern sea. During the Qin Dynasty, Emperor Qin Shi-huang conquered the Bai Yue tribes, reached the shores of the South China Sea and established Nanhai County. Since then, China has been constantly limited to the south by the South China Sea, and Chinese fishermen have constantly fished in it. The Paracel and Spratly Islands did not have a permanent population in ancient times, but since their shallow waters are rich in fish, they were stopping points for fishermen from China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
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