China Sea

China Sea, arm of the Pacific Ocean, off the eastern and south-eastern coasts of Asia, extending from Japan to the eastern end of Borneo and the southern end of the Malay Peninsula. The island of Taiwan divides the China Sea into two parts; the north is called the East China Sea and the south, the South China Sea, or, frequently, simply the China Sea.

In the north-west the East China Sea merges with the Yellow Sea. The sea is bordered by Kyushu Island to the east and by Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait to the south. The Ryukyu Islands mark the south-eastern limits of the East China Sea. The most important port on the sea is Shanghai, and the principal river draining into it is the Yangzi. The East China Sea is generally shallow, its sea floor averaging about 350 m (1,148 ft). It is the main shipping route between the South China Sea and North Pacific Ocean ports, and Shanghai’s extensive port facilities—which must be regularly dredged to accommodate ocean-going vessels—handle the bulk of China’s foreign shipping. To the east, Nagasaki has one of the best natural harbours in Japan. The sea is heavily fished for croaker, tuna, cuttlefish, and cutlass fish.

The South China Sea is partly enclosed on the east by the Philippines and Borneo. In the south-west it merges with the Gulf of Thailand (Siam), and on the west it is separated from the Gulf of Tonkin by the island of Hainan. The South China Sea increases in depth from the south, where much of it is less than 300 m (1,000 ft) deep, to the north, where soundings of more than 3,960 m (13,000 ft) have been made off Luzon. The chief ports on or near this sea include Manila, Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Hong Kong, and Macao. The principal rivers draining into the South China Sea are the Mekong and the Xi. The sea is rich in marine life, and fishing is economically important. Weather in the region is marked by violent monsoons and typhoons. Area 2,319,000 sq km (895,400 sq mi).