List of seas on Earth

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File:Oceans and seas boundaries map-en.svg
Marginal seas as defined by the International Hydrographic Organization[1]

This is a list of seas of the World Ocean, including marginal seas, areas of water, various gulfs, bights, bays, and straits.[2] In many cases it is a matter of tradition for a body of water to be named a sea or a bay, etc., therefore all these types are listed here. Entities called "seas" which are not divisions of the World Ocean are not included in this list, nor are Ocean gyres.

Terminology

  • Ocean – the four to seven largest named bodies of water in the World Ocean, all of which have "Ocean" in the name Template:Xref.
  • Sea has several definitions:Template:Efn
    • A division of an ocean, delineated by landforms,[3] currents (e.g., Sargasso Sea), or specific latitude or longitude boundaries. This includes but is not limited to marginal seas, and this is the definition used for inclusion in this list.
    • A marginal sea is a division of an ocean, partially enclosed by islands, archipelagos, or peninsulas, adjacent to or widely open to the open ocean at the surface, and/or bounded by submarine ridges on the sea floor.[4]
    • The World Ocean. For example, the Law of the Sea states that all of the World Ocean is "sea",[5][6][7]Template:Efn and this is also common usage for "the sea".
    • Any large body of water with "Sea" in the name, including lakes.
  • River – a narrow strip of water that flows over land from a higher elevation to a lower one
  • Tributary – a small river that flows into a larger one
  • Estuary – the piece of a river that flows into the sea or ocean
  • Strait – a narrow area of water connecting two wider areas of water, also sometimes known as a passage
  • Channel – usually wider than a strait
  • Passage – connects waters between islands, also sometimes known as a strait
  • Canal – a human-made channel
  • Fjard – a large open water between groups of islands

There are several terms used for bulges of ocean that result from indentations of land, which overlap in definition, and which are not consistently differentiated:[8]

  • Bay – generic term; though most features with "Bay" in the name are small, some are very large
  • Gulf – a very large bay, often a top-level division of an ocean or sea
  • Fjord – a long bay with steep sides, typically formed by a glacier
  • Bight – a bay that is typically shallower than a sound
  • Sound – a large, wide bay which is typically deeper than a bight, or a strait
  • Cove – a small, typically sheltered bay with a relatively narrow entrance
  • Inlet – a narrow and long bay similar to a land peninsula, but adjoining the sea
  • Polynya – least used of these terms, a patch of water surrounded by ice

Many features could be considered to be more than one of these, and all of these terms are used in place names inconsistently; especially bays, gulfs, and bights, which can be very large or very small. This list includes large areas of water no matter the term used in the name.

Largest seas by area

The largest terrestrial seas, in decreasing order of area, are:

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  1. Philippine Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  2. Coral Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  3. American Mediterranean Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  4. Arabian Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  5. Sargasso Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  6. South China Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  7. Weddell Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  8. Caribbean Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  9. Mediterranean Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  10. Gulf of Guinea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  11. Tasman Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  12. Bay of Bengal – Script error: No such module "convert".
  13. Bering Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  14. Sea of Okhotsk – Script error: No such module "convert".
  15. Gulf of Mexico – Script error: No such module "convert".
  16. Gulf of Alaska – Script error: No such module "convert".
  17. Barents Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  18. Norwegian Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  19. East China Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  20. Hudson Bay – Script error: No such module "convert".
  21. Greenland Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  22. Somov Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  23. Mar de Grau – Script error: No such module "convert".
  24. Riiser-Larsen Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  25. Sea of Japan – Script error: No such module "convert".
  26. Argentine Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  27. East Siberian Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  28. Lazarev Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  29. Kara Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  30. Scotia Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  31. Labrador Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  32. Andaman Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  33. Laccadive Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  34. Irminger Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  35. Solomon Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  36. Mozambique Channel – Script error: No such module "convert".
  37. Cosmonauts Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  38. Banda Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  39. Baffin Bay – Script error: No such module "convert".
  40. Laptev Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  41. Arafura Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  42. Ross Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  43. Chukchi Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  44. Timor Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  45. North Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  46. Bellingshausen Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  47. Beaufort Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  48. Red Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  49. Black Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  50. Gulf of Aden – Script error: No such module "convert".
  51. Yellow Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  52. Baltic Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  53. Caspian Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  54. Libyan Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  55. Mawson Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  56. Levantine Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  57. Java Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  58. Gulf of Thailand – Script error: No such module "convert".
  59. Celtic Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  60. Gulf of Carpentaria – Script error: No such module "convert".
  61. Celebes Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  62. Tyrrhenian Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  63. Sulu Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  64. Cooperation Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  65. Persian Gulf – Script error: No such module "convert".
  66. Flores Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  67. Gulf of St. Lawrence – Script error: No such module "convert".
  68. Bay of Biscay – Script error: No such module "convert".
  69. Aegean Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  70. Gulf of Anadyr – Script error: No such module "convert".
  71. Molucca Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  72. Oman Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  73. Ionian Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  74. Gulf of California – Script error: No such module "convert".
  75. Balearic Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".
  76. Adriatic Sea – Script error: No such module "convert".

Marginal seas by ocean

Template:Expand list

Seas may be considered marginal between ocean and land, or between oceans in which case they may be treated as marginal parts of either. There is no single ultimate authority on the matter.[9]

File:Europäisches Nordmeer mit Grenzen.png
The Norwegian Sea
File:Ionian Sea map.png
The Aegean, Adriatic, Ionian, and Tyrrhenian are all marginal seas within the Mediterranean Sea.
File:IrishSeaReliefmap.png
The Irish Sea
File:Arabian Sea map.png
The Arabian Sea as a marginal sea of the Indian Ocean.
File:Coral Sea map.png
Coral Sea

Arctic Ocean

Template:Div col start (clockwise from 180°)

Atlantic Ocean

In addition to the marginal seas listed in the three subsections below, the Arctic Ocean itself is sometimes also considered a marginal sea of the Atlantic.[10][11]

Africa and Eurasia

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Americas

Template:Div col start (coast-wise from north to south)

Northern islands

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Indian Ocean

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Pacific Ocean

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Americas

Australia and Eurasia

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Southern Ocean

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Defined by ocean currents

While all other seas in the world are defined at least in part by land boundaries, there is only one sea which is defined only by ocean currents:[13]

Not included

Entities called "seas" which are not divisions of the World Ocean are not included in this list. Excluded are:

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ↑ INTERNATIONAL HYDROGRAPHIC ORGANIZATION – LIMITS OF OCEANS AND SEAS
  2. ↑ OCEANS & SEAS OF THE WORLD
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Often treated as a part of the Mediterranean Sea.
  13. ↑ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – What is the Sargasso Sea?

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External links

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