South China Sea water salinity. East China Sea: geographical characteristics, climate, features

The South China Sea in Vietnam is called East Sea and, rarely, the Vietnam Sea. It is one of the marginal seas of the western part Pacific Ocean. It is of vital importance for Vietnam and neighboring countries. This is due to the fact that it is the only sea washing Vietnam and has a large amount of bio-resources and hydrocarbon deposits. In addition, it forms the climate of the Indochinese Peninsula and is an important transport corridor.

The sea near the Vietnamese city of Cam Ranh south of Nha Trang

Geographical position

On the western side, the South China Sea is limited by the line of the Asian mainland. On this side, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have a coastline. From the east it is limited by many islands. Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia have coasts here. It refers to semi-enclosed seas, because there are many straits between the islands, including wide ones.

fishermen South China Sea(Vung Tau)

From north to south, the sea extends from the Tropic of Capricorn to the equator and even extends a little into the southern hemisphere. From west to east, its length is not so great. From the northeastern to the southwestern extremity of the sea runs the Main Sea Route - perhaps the most intense of the sea routes, with the exception of straits and channels.

The largest bays of the South China Sea are Tonkin and Siam, which is sometimes called Thailand.
Inside the sea there is only one large island- Hainan. Most of the rest of the islands are of coral origin. The islands lying on the sides of the Main Sea Route have a different structure. The Paracel Islands and the Spratly Islands are low, made of coral sand and covered with stunted vegetation.

Vietnam occupies an advantageous central position in the South China Sea and has the most great length coast.

natural characteristics

The area of ​​the South China Sea is 3,537,289 km². The maximum depth is 5560 m. However, approximately two thirds of the sea area has depths of less than two hundred meters. Deep water is the northeastern part. Typhoons are frequent in summer and autumn. The tides are irregular, diurnal and semidiurnal, up to 4 m.

The water temperature on the surface in January is from 14 °С in the north to 27 °С in the south, in August it reaches 28-30 °С over the entire area. The average salinity of water is 32-34 ‰.

The climate in the South China Sea and adjacent territories is monsoonal. This means that air masses during the wet season move from the sea to the mainland, and during the dry season - from the depths of the mainland to the sea. By temperature characteristics the sea is located mainly in the subtropical, tropical, subequatorial zones, and also a little - in the temperate and equatorial zones.

Typhoons pose a great danger to navigation and to the economy and life of people on land. Most intensively they pass through it in October-November.

The sea is rich in biological resources. Commercial fish - tuna, herring, sardines, some types of sharks, sole and others. In addition to fish, squids, crabs, shrimps, lobsters (lobsters) are caught. On the coastal farms, various types of shellfish are grown, as well as shrimp.

Sea of ​​Vietnam

Sometimes the South China Sea is called the Sea of ​​Vietnam. This is because its mainland coastline is the longest.
For many centuries, the Vietnamese poorly mastered their sea. Conducted coastal fishing for seafood and that was it. There was even a saying: "The Vietnamese stand with their backs to the sea." Among the Vietnamese, it is not very common and the rest is not the sea, although for the majority it is always nearby.
Under the Nguyen dynasty, a sea expedition was undertaken to the Pracel Islands, and from that time they began to be considered the territories of Vietnam.

After the August Revolution, the "Sea of ​​Vietnam" began to be developed more actively. A fishing fleet appeared, albeit small, but numerous. His ships were already far from the shore.
The navy also consisted of small boats for various purposes. At present, the "Sea of ​​Vietnam" is being plied by medium-sized naval vessels and several of the latest Russian-built submarines.
The tonnage of the merchant fleet is significant. Most of the ships are built in Vietnam.

Economic importance

IN Lately The main economic factor of the South China Sea is the production of oil and gas on its shelf. It is carried out by several countries. China is especially interested in hydrocarbon production here due to the instability of the situation in the Persian Gulf, from where it receives most fuel resources.

Since ancient times, the South China Sea has been a source of fish and other seafood for the coastal population. In modern conditions, on numerous farms in coastal waters, mollusks and arthropods are grown and exported in frozen form to many countries of the world.

A huge amount of cargo is transported along the Main Sea Route of the South China Sea. On it from China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan to the countries of Europe, Asia and Africa go manufactured goods, rice and seafood. IN reverse direction oil is transported from the Persian Gulf (half of the world's production), and manufactured goods are transported from Europe.

holiday seasons

In countries washed by the South China Sea, year-round arrivals a large number of foreign tourists. Due to the monsoon climate, not all months of the year are equal in terms of comfort.

In southern China and northern Vietnam, temperature seasonality is felt, so the period from November to March is not suitable for a beach holiday. The rest of the coast, approximately south of Da Nang, is comfortable year-round in terms of air and water temperature. But due to the monsoon factor, there is an increased amount of precipitation for several months.

In Malaysia, the wet season in the Malacca Peninsula is summer. Borneo has a wet winter season.
In Cambodia, the wet season lasts from May-June to October.
In Thailand, from late April to mid-November, the summer wet monsoon dominates.
In the Philippines, the wet season is from July to December.

The best holiday season on most of the Vietnamese coast of the South China Sea is the period from March to May, although Russian tourists traditionally go there in autumn and winter. This is probably due to the fact that beach destinations to Europe and the Middle East at this time are unattractive.

History and modernity

For a long time until the 19th century, the South China Sea was quite peaceful, except for local pirates. The maritime trade routes between China, India and other countries passed through the sea. With the development of the fleet in Europe, European ships began to walk on it for Chinese goods.

Since the 19th century, the countries of Southeast Asia, which are washed by the South China Sea, began to fall into colonial dependence on Great Britain, France and smaller European countries.

During World War II, US and British naval operations against Japan were carried out in the sea and on the coast. During Vietnam War the Americans kept a significant part of their 7th Fleet by the sea, primarily for the bombing of northern Vietnam.

At present, the main core of the political and economic struggle of the neighboring countries is the dispute over the Spratly Islands in connection with deposits of oil and gas off their coasts.

numerous islands and mainland Eastern and South-East Asia unite the waters of the South China Sea basin, which is common for them, and a common geological past. In the Precambrian period (more than 500 million years ago), the forming northern part Asia The Chinese platform was a huge landmass. Then it split and the places where its southern part of the South China Plate sank were filled with water. This is how local seas were formed, including the South China Sea, whose basin is outlined by the coastline of China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines, as well as the islands of the chain (Taiwan, Luzon, etc.) separating the continental shelf Asia from the so-called Pacific Trench. The sea is known for its depth differences. Its western and South part they rest on the Sunda Shelf (a wide continental shelf), where the bottom often begins at a level of 30-80 m (at the edge - more than 150 m). In the northeast, from the Philippines and Sulawesi, as well as from the Lesser Sunda Islands, the shelf is separated by a colossal basin (in some places up to 4000 m), the maximum depth of which is 5560 m. Unlike the eastern part, where the undercurrents are weak, the western one has a pronounced south current in winter and north in summer. At a depth of more than 2000 m, the temperature is kept at the level of 2.3 ° C, and the salinity reaches 34.63%. Diurnal and semidiurnal tides are capable of advancing by 5.9 m.

Story

The first of the Europeans settled here, most likely, the Portuguese, who in 1553 received the right to anchorage and maritime trade near the Macau Peninsula, overcoming the imperial China that had existed since the 14th century. ban on it. Perhaps, Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) knew about the sea as early as 1520. Then, having rounded South America, he reached the calm waters of the ocean to Philippine Islands. He christened the Pacific Ocean he had crossed and, apparently, reached the South China Sea. In any case, the detailed map of the Pacific Ocean published by the Flemish cartographer Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598) in 1589 already had this sea drawn. Over time, Macau turned into a Portuguese colony, and Europeans increasingly appeared in the waters of the South China Sea, dividing the lands of its coastline among themselves.
In 1806, the Russian sloops "Neva" and "Nadezhda" - the ships of the first in the history of the Russian military fleet - visited here. circumnavigation under the command of Admiral Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern (1770-1846) and Captain Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky (1773-1837).
In the middle of the XIX century. The South China Sea became the front of the Opium Wars (1840-1842 and 1856-1860). The conflicts were initiated by Britain and France in order to weaken China. The Europeans won, received a multi-million dollar indemnity in Chinese currency and reached agreements that improved the position of foreigners in this region and increased trade turnover. Great Britain withdrew the southern part of the Kowloon Peninsula with Hong Kong - "the greatest harbor in the world", according to the hero of the novel by James Clavell (1924-1994) "Tai-Pan" (1966).
20th century The South China Sea is still an area of ​​high stress due to its strategic location and the presence of offshore minerals. In 1939, the islands of the South China Sea were occupied by the Japanese. They created military communications: tracking stations, preliminary detection of objects and warnings, a seaplane port, a submarine base, runway strip. This, in the initial period of the Second World War, allowed the Japanese to significantly undermine the forces of the allies. The Europeans also tried to strengthen their positions. In particular, France attached great importance to the military strengthening of Indochina, which conducted large-scale military construction on the territory of its colonies (for example, an aircraft factory operated in Hanoi from 1939), had an extensive garrison and a naval base. But already in 1940, she was forced to obey the demand of Japan to stop the transportation of goods to China through Indochina. Against Japan itself in the waters of the sea, a number of successful actions were carried out by the American-British allied forces in 1945. Of particular interest have always been strategic important islands Spratly, located between Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia: this archipelago of more than 100 small islands is still claimed by six states (Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei). Deep-sea research gives reason to talk about the presence of about 3,100,000,000 tons of oil in the bowels of the sea. One of the largest oil and gas fields is the Sunda shelf. Before our eyes in the South China Sea threatens to escalate territorial conflict between China and the Philippines.
But any conflict this region threatens to go beyond the local, because here lies the main sea route connecting Asia (including China and Russia) with Australia and Africa.
The most important part of income coastal countries constitutes tourism. Guests can relax on the islands of coral and volcanic nature. Some of the volcanoes are active, so it is not uncommon here submarine eruptions and earthquakes causing tsunamis. In combination with frequent typhoons and drift currents formed under the influence of monsoons, all this makes the region dangerous for sailors.
This sea frightens some, patronizes others. The semi-mythical figure of Madame Wong (born 1920-?) has become a legendary character. Her husband, Mr. Wong Kungkit, made a huge fortune by robbing ships in the South China Sea. After his death in 1947, his wife continued his business. She managed to organize a pirate gang in the best traditions of Chinese secret societies, the head of which was sacred and assumed mystical unquestioning obedience.
The exotic fauna of these places is no less impressive than the fascinating legends: strong and aggressive striped hymnomurens, poisonous warty stone fish, Chinese flute fish, whistle fish and hiding in needles sea ​​urchins cranktails.

general information

Sea in the western Pacific Ocean. Washes the coastline of East and Southeast Asia.
Largest peninsulas: Indochina, Malacca.
Location between islands: Kalimantan (Borneo), Palawan, Luzon, Taiwan.
Major straits: Taiwanese, Vashi, Luzon, Gelasa, Karimata.
Large bays: Bakbo (Tonkinsky), Siamese.
Largest island: .
Major flowing rivers: Xijiang (South China), Hongha (Vietnam), Mekong (Vietnam), Chao Phraya (Thailand), Menam (Thailand).
Countries with access to the sea: China, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia.
The most important ports and largest cities: Kaohsiung (Taiwan), (China), Zhanjian (China). and (Vietnam), (Thailand), (Republic of Singapore), (Philippines).
The most important airports: international Airport Singapore (Changi), Kota Bharu Airport, Hong Kong International Airport (Chek Lap Kok), Bangkok International Airport (Suvarnabhum).

Numbers

Area: 3537 km2.
Average depth: 1024 m.
Maximum depth: 5560 m
Volume of water: 3622 km3.
Current speed: about 1 km/h.
Salinity: from 31% -33% (summer) to 31.5% -34% (winter).
Total water area: more than 3,530,000 km2.

Economy

Industry: light, food, oil and gas, electronics assembly.
Agriculture: plant growing, vegetable growing, fishery, animal husbandry.
Service sector: tourism, trade, transport.

Climate and weather

Tropical, in the south - equatorial monsoon.
January average temperature:+15ºС (in the north), +25ºС (in the south)
July average temperature:+28ºС.
Average annual rainfall: 2000-2500 mm per year.
Average water temperature (on the surface): in winter from +20ºС (in the north) to +27ºС (in the south); in summer up to +29ºС.

Typhoons are very frequent (summer and autumn).
Wind zone: northeast (winter), south and southwest (summer).

Attractions

National parks

Con Dao (Vietnam)

Rome and Botum Sakor (Cambodia)

Bako and Similajau (Kalimantan Island (Borneo), Malaysia)

Underground river national park Puerto Princesa (Philippines)

National marine park My-Ko-Ang Thong (Thailand)

Similajau National Marine Park (Malaysia)

Curious facts

From the bottom of the South China Sea in 1934, the largest (more than 6 kg 14 x 24 cm) and expensive (about $ 42 million) pearl in the world, the “Head of Allah”, was extracted. It really resembles in shape the head of a man in a turban and, like any unique natural formation, over the centuries of life on the bottom of the sea, it has acquired not only a mother-of-pearl layer, but also legends. They say that Lao Tsey himself - the torch of ancient Chinese philosophy - put an amulet into the shell, and then his followers shifted the pearl to an ever larger mollusk. According to a sad legend, characteristic of countries with a developed pearl industry, it was supposedly found by the son of one of the Philippine leaders: at that time, the pearl rested in a giant tridacna shell, which he could not cope with and died. Tridacna can indeed reach a length of 2 m and weigh more than 100 kg Tridacni have traditionally been considered dangerous for pearl divers, for which they received the nickname "death traps".

The South China Sea has been blessing the likeness of the famous Brazilian Jesus sculpture since 1974. with outstretched arms- Thanh Zoc (Vung Tau, Vietnam).

Puerto Princesa Underground River National Park on the island of Palawan (Philippines) is famous for the longest (8.2 km) navigable underground river in the world In the limestone mountain range, she created grottoes and caves up to 60 m high and up to 120 m wide. For this, she was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The South China Sea is located on the map between two oceans - the Pacific and the Indian. Many small islands, shallow waters, coral reefs - home to a variety of marine life. More than 6.5 thousand species inhabit these warm waters. The coast of the sea attracts tourists, minerals lie on the shelf, the location contributes to transport activity.

What an ocean

The sea is open on one side and washing the mainland on the other. It is difficult for a non-specialist to determine which object on the map the South China Sea belongs to. It is located in the southern part of Eurasia, bounded by Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan. It is connected by straits with the Pacific and Indian Oceans, borders on many water systems and belongs to the Pacific Ocean.

Geography

On the continental side, it washes China, Malaysia and Vietnam. The longest coastline belongs to Vietnam, which is why it is called the Vietnam Sea. On the other side there are a large number of islands, seas and straits.

Included in the top five major seas world, the area is 3.5 million km², the average depth is just over 1 km. A significant river of the Indochina peninsula, the Mekong, flows into the sea. The nine-armed Mekong Delta is located in Vietnam, one of the most densely populated areas in the world. To the north, Hongha and Xinjiang flow into.

FACT: The area of ​​the Mekong Delta, which the Vietnamese call the "River of the Nine Dragons", is almost 40 thousand km², in 2011 the population in the region was more than 17 million people.

Bottom relief

Three girdle parts are distinguished in the bottom topography:

• More than 50% of the area is occupied by the continental shelf, the widest in the northern part of the sea;
• The stepped southeast Asian slope has depths of up to 3.6 km;
• On the central plain sea ​​trench there are mountain elevations, in some parts the depth reaches 5 km.

The deep-water part is located closer to the island of Luzon, in opposite side there are many islets, reefs and banks.

In the north of the South China Sea is the largest Chinese island - Hainan, due to the similarity of the climate, it can be called "Eastern Hawaii". In prehistoric times, the island was part of the mainland, inside there are mountains and dense forests.

All small islands in general coral atolls. The atolls are not inhabited by people, for which there are many marine inhabitants. The Spratly Islands consist of hundreds of islets; for more than 10 years they have been the subject of conflict between the countries of the water area. Since 2014, China has been building artificial dams, covering corals with silt and limestone, undermining the natural life of coral reefs.

Salinity

The salinity of the South China Sea is about 32 - 34 ‰ varies seasonally and varies slightly in different parts. In winter, the northern parts are the most salty due to increased evaporation. Near the Mekong Delta, the figure drops to 30 ‰. Off the coast of the Philippines, a weak current contributes to an increase in salinity. In the rainy season, the sea becomes fresher by about 0.7‰. Monsoons also make adjustments to the composition of water.

The circulation of the upper layer is in direct relationship with the monsoons. Typhoons increase the speed of water flow up to 210 cm/s.

There are 3 types of circulation in the South China Sea:

• The monsoon current passes through the surface as a single whole, gaining the greatest strength in the west;
• Horizontal circulation caused by winds;
• Vertical circulation transports layers of water, moving deep water toward the surface.

Water exchange with other seas is limited by the small depth of the straits. Since November, the northern influence of the trade wind has been observed.

FACT: At low tide, a strong "reverse current" is formed, dangerous for bathers. To get out of it, you need to swim parallel to the shore.

In summer, the water temperature is uniform and on the surface it stays around +29°C. In winter, the sea is quite warm from +18° to +28°C, the temperature difference is associated with the change of monsoons. The winter wind brings cold waters from the north, the fluctuation of seasonal water temperatures off the coast of Hong Kong reaches 13-14°C. On Hainan Island, temperatures range from +20°C in January to +30°C in July.

Precipitation

The islands are subject to heavy rainfall. Over 1300 mm of water falls annually. The greatest amount falls in the southern months from June to October. On the coast of Vietnam, the rainy season opens in May and ends in November.

Monsoons

Monsoons, steady winds with a constant direction, have a huge impact on the weather in the region. West Coast is under the influence of the southwest wind from May to October, which brings warmth and heavy rainfall. In October, the northeast wind carries dry and cool weather until April. Under the influence of winds, constant waves are formed near the coast, especially strong in the southwest.

Typhoons

Typhoons cause strong waves. Storm surges are dangerous when combined with high tide. In Vietnam, water surges up to 3 meters were noted, in China, almost up to 6 meters. The typhoon season in the western Pacific Ocean lasts from late summer to late autumn and captures north coast South China Sea. The wind speed can exceed 20 meters per second.

Depth

Sea beaches are mostly gentle. The depth of the South China Sea on the continental side is barely 0.2 km, Gulf of Thailand- less than 70 m. The reason for shallow water is a wide shelf zone located in a ring. The deep-sea basin is located off the coast of the islands of Luzon and Taiwan. The maximum depth is about 5500 m.

The warm sea is saturated with nutrients, stands out with a variety of marine life forms:

• The vegetation is represented by algae from unicellular, including poisonous red ones, to huge kelp. The bloom of some green algae results in a real disaster for the Chinese provinces.
• Fish of industrial importance. These include: eel, herring, mackerel, sardines, tuna.
• Sharks, rays, jellyfish and other dangerous inhabitants. Sharks are not often seen by people, they were noticed off the coast of the Philippine Islands. More often people suffer from poisonous fish and jellyfish.
• Corals and coral reef inhabitants annually attract divers from all over the world.
• Shellfish, crabs, shrimp.

FACT: In the Philippines in 1943, the largest jewel, the Pearl of Allah, weighing 6.4 kg, was caught.

The South China Sea is washed by many exotic countries, attracts lovers of diving and snorkeling. In most resorts you can relax all year round.

The main directions of tourism:

• On the Chinese island of Hainan in the South China Sea, tourists can improve their health with the help of traditional national medicine. The island is famous for its thermal springs, which heal the body.
• Pattaya (Thailand), beloved by tourists, is located on the coast of the South China Sea. The place is famous for its mild climate and convenient infrastructure.
• Nha Trang Bay (Vietnam) is striking in its beauty. The region is actively developing, here you can combine a traditional beach holiday with an extensive excursion program and mud treatment.
• Singapore has been chosen by businessmen from all over the world. Fantastic city-state with white sandy beaches and perfect cleanliness, various theme parks, amazing buildings, high technology - all this is the reality of Singapore.

disputed islands

A heated debate over the Spratlys and the Paracel Islands is being conducted by several countries of the water area at once - China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. The main causes for disputes are fish and Natural resources, control of sea routes.

The disputed islands are classified as Chinese province Hainan. Vietnamese lead historical documents and evidence that they also have rights to certain territories. The Philippines are located closest to the subject of discussion and claim their right to disputed zones.

The conflict escalated after China built artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago. The countries of the water area consider it illegal to build military bases a thousand miles away from the coast of China.

Economic importance

The water area has global importance:

• The South China Sea is home to major trade routes used by Russia, China and Japan. Flows from active trade in the region amount to about 5 trillion. dollars.
• The waters are rich in commercial fish species. About 10% of the world's fish is caught here.
• There are deposits of oil, gas, noble and non-ferrous metals on the shelf. For mining, China and Vietnam attract international companies.
• The islands produce and export guano - an environmentally friendly fertilizer.

FACT: The world leader in the catch and consumption of fish in last years became China.

Summing up

Many enjoy relaxing in the warm tropical climate. The South China Sea is attractive for tourism and is of world economic importance. Sea delicacies, coral fish, exotic species, oil and heated international disputes - all this is the southern maritime region.

South China Sea on the map can be found in Asia. This is a large body of water washing the coast of several countries at once. Over the course of many centuries, important historical events took place in its expanses, from pirate raids to maritime operations.

Nowadays, the main trade route between several states, and on land there are numerous resorts.

South China Sea on the world map in Russian

The South China Sea has many geological and geographic features, and many interesting legends are associated with its origin.

Where is it located and what ocean does it belong to?

According to common map world, this body of water is located in southeast Asia - between the Indochina peninsula and. It is considered incredibly important and valuable object.

Ownership of this water area and numerous small areas of land located in it, wish to receive several countries.

South China Sea marginal, and its waters belong to the Pacific Ocean - more precisely, its western borders. Both of these water areas are interconnected by several straits at once - Taiwan, Singapore and Karimata. At the same time, the Singapore Strait is considered the most valuable object, since it is through its expanses that the largest trade route from Asian countries to Indian Ocean.

With this body of water borders more than one inland sea of ​​Asia. Which seas does the South China Sea belong to:

• The Taiwan Strait connects East China Sea;
• Luzon Strait and Bashi - with Philippine sea(Sibuyan);
• through the Mindoro Strait are borders with the sea Sulu;
• the Karimata Strait connects with Java Sea.

In addition, along the Strait of Singapore and Malacca there are water boundaries with another well-known body of water - - the water area that flows into Indian Ocean.

In the Precambrian period, land was located on the site of this sea - the territory that forms the northern part of Asia. Later in this place there was break of two plates, as a result of which the space between them was filled with water and all the nearby seas were formed.

Square The surface of the reservoir is quite impressive - 3,537,289 km², and its average depth is 1024 meters. At the same time, its depth differences are ambiguous. In the west and in the southern part, located on the Sunda shelf, the depth near the coast reaches 30-80 meters.

In the north and east, a giant basin reaches a depth of 2000 meters, and the maximum depth is 5500 meters.

Throughout the year, sea surface temperatures are quite warm- it keeps at around + 18-28 degrees. In the coldest time of the year (in January) on the northern coast, the water on the surface reaches +14 degrees, while in the summer season these figures rise to +27 degrees, and sometimes up to +29°C.

This temperature is maintained throughout the sea. However, on depth reservoir, these indicators change markedly - at a depth of more than 2000 meters, the water temperature is about +2 degrees.

Other Interesting Facts about the sea are:

1. 2/3 of the sea has a depth of about 200 meters;
2. most big bays– Tonkin and Siamese;
3. most large peninsulas - Indochina and Malacca, islands -;
4. there are many small ones in the sea land areas, some of which are coral, and the other is of volcanic origin;
5. salinity is 34 percent.

It is worth noting that the reservoir has one feature - tides from 4 to 5 meters. Among them are diurnal and semidiurnal. Also in the summer and autumn seasons are often observed typhoons – disaster, which makes it difficult to move around the open spaces of the water area.

Washed countries

Being one of largest reservoirs, The South China Sea washes the coastline of many popular resort countries. Tourists from all over the world come to rest on its coast to enjoy warm weather and clear days, superb beaches, excursions and entertainment.

What countries is washed by?

On west The South China Sea borders are limited to the Asian mainland - such countries:

• China;
• Vietnam;
• Thailand;
• Singapore.

In the east, there are mainly islands - the Philippines, part of Indonesia, Taiwan, as well as mainland countries - China and Brunei.

The most popular resort islands located at sea are:

1. Hainan;
2. kalimantan;
3. Sumatra;
4. Palawan;
5. Puerto Princess.

Sometimes the sea is called Vietnamese, because it land borders along the coast of the country have the most great length. The Vietnamese themselves did not particularly develop the resources of this reservoir - they only carried out coastal fishing for seafood.

Disputed territories

Currently, between several Asian countries, whose coast is washed by this body of water, are regularly conducted heated debate for possession of the territory of several islands at once - the Spratly archipelago and the Paracel Islands. China, Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei are competing countries in this issue.

If you are lucky enough to be in Singapore, read where you can stay.

To date, the islands are considered the territory of China, and the country itself classifies them as part of the province of Hainan. According to their map, there are two island groups that are within its territory - their borders are called "Nine Dotted Line".

The Chinese government claims that the possession of this archipelago goes back centuries. However, each of the countries involved in the dispute, in fact, controls the smaller and less popular islands. In total, the archipelago contains about 200 land areas- most of them are uninhabited.

China began to create artificial islands in the area of ​​the Spratly archipelago. According to the Chinese version, these islands will facilitate rescue operations at sea in the region and meteorological forecasts. But according to countries leading territorial disputes, these territories are being built by China for military purposes.

The dispute over the islands exists for several reasons:

• the sea is rich enough for fish resources;
• the islands have natural resources;
• pass around the islands important trade routes.

Particularly fierce disputes take place between China and Vietnam, and each country brings historical documents as an argument confirming information about the possession of this territory.

The Philippines has claims to these islands because geographical proximity Spratly and Paracel Islands to this state is much less than to - 100 miles and 500 miles, respectively. From 1974 to the present day, incidents periodically occurred on the territory of the islands, during which sailors died.

underwater inhabitants

One of the reasons for the special attraction of the South China Sea is the rich undersea world and fish resources. Recently, in the vastness of this reservoir, the largest pearl was discovered - head of Allah(weight 6 kg, cost about $42 million). In addition, fishing is one of the livelihoods of the inhabitants of this region.

Who lives in the deep sea?

Exploring the underwater world of this reservoir, scientists discovered an abundant number of algae species - from single-celled to green, red and brown. This is due to the fact that the sea is incredibly saturated minerals and oxygen.

No less varied fauna reservoir - at least 4,000 species of fish and other inhabitants of the underwater world were found in its expanses. A variety of mollusks, jellyfish and polyps live in the water, as well as many cephalopods, gastropods, bivalves, shellfish, echinoderms, hedgehogs and serpentine.

Off the coast you can find sea crayfish, shrimps and crabs - daily locals they are caught for sale or for food. Among commercial fish in large numbers in the water are found:

1. tuna;
2. sardines;
3. mackerel;
4. sea ​​eel;
5. southern herring.

Are there sharks?

There are also dangerous inhabitants in the reservoir. Stingrays, moray eels, swordfish and saberfish have been found in the sea, as well as sharks. Among the last representatives stand out - blue, mako, large white and brindle. Many of them prefer to be near the Philippines, in particular near Palawan and Puerto Princesa.

In this region, you can use the services of diving centers and even swim among these predators, as they are fed and tamed here.

Thus, the South China Sea is considered quite valuable object on the world map, because in its expanses there are not only excellent coastal resorts with a pleasant climate. This reservoir has importance for many countries, due to the fact that trade routes pass through it, and its waters are inhabited by thousands of commercial fish and marine life.

Finally look video O disputed islands in the South China Sea:

If we move from East China Sea further south along the coast of Eurasia, then, having passed the island of Taiwan, through the Taiwan Strait, we will get into the South China Sea. Here in his warm and clear waters, the real holiday of underwater life begins! And if on the banks northern seas often you can see a pandemonium of birds in the form of bird markets, then the South China Sea opens the gates to the underwater world, in some places not inferior in population to these markets.
The West Indian part of the Pacific Ocean, including the tropical belt of both hemispheres, is the most densely populated area of ​​the World Ocean.

The location of the sea complete map Pacific - .

This region, which includes southern coasts Eurasia, the islands between Eurasia and Australia are called the Malay Archipelago, a special country of islands and seas in the Ocean. This term - the Malay Archipelago - we will use when traveling through the numerous seas in the border region of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

But let's get back to the South China Sea.

This sea is "hidden" between the peninsulas of Indochina and Malacca in the west, a group of Philippine Islands in the east, and the islands of Kalimantan and Palawan in the south.
The sea is very large, covering an area of ​​3537 thousand km2. The average depth is 1024 m, the maximum depth is 5560 m (west of the Philippines).
The water area of ​​the sea in the southern part is located on a shallow continental shelf, and only in the north, west of the Philippine archipelago is a deep-water basin, where depths exceed 4000 m. Surface water currents in the South China Sea are seasonal, often changing direction. The tides are average, sometimes reaching 6 m. Due to the location of the sea in a warm climate zone, the water temperature in it does not fall below +20 degrees C, reaching +28-+29 degrees C in some places.

The coastline is slightly indented. The shores are mostly low-lying. Most large bays- Siamese and Tonkinese. Of the many rivers flowing into the South China Sea, one can note Xijiang, Hongha, Mekong.
There are many small islands on the territory of the sea, as, indeed, throughout Oceania. The islands are mostly of coral origin.
The bottom soil is sandy, silty-sandy, in some places pebbly and rocky. On great depths muddy bottom.

As in all the southern seas, the South China Sea has a large species diversity of all forms of aquatic life. However, the number of each species is not large.
Flora is represented by a wide variety of algae - from unicellular to brown, red, green. And again, the law of the colonization of the seas by phytoplankton clearly applies here - south seas, as a rule, are very poorly represented by phytoalgae in mass terms. This is due to the low saturation of surface waters (namely, phytoalgae live here) with oxygen and minerals, without which these organisms cannot exist.
Nevertheless, the species diversity of coastal vegetation is impressive in many places.

To list the inhabitants of shallow waters and coastal waters of the South China Sea within one page is a thankless job. In the Gulf of Tokin alone, zoologists have described more than 1,000 species of fish. And if you take the trouble to count all the aquatic animals that inhabit these places, then the numbers will be even more impressive.
Mollusks of all stripes live here - coelenterates (polyps, jellyfish and siphonophores), gastropods, cephalopods, shellfish, bivalves, etc. Many species of aquatic worms, snakes, arthropods (crabs, sea crayfish and crustaceans, shrimps, etc.) forms and species of echinoderms - sea urchins, stars, serpentine. And, of course, a huge variety of fish world.

One of the illustrations available in the materials of the site shows some of the inhabitants of reefs and warm tropical waters. You can admire these animals (Image can be enlarged to better see the name of the species).

The commercial fish of these places are tuna, southern herring, sardines, mackerel, conger eels, croakers, etc. sea ​​turtles and trepangs.

Among the large fish that live in the South China Sea, one can note a large species diversity of stingrays (stingrays, electric, limms, etc.), moray eels, tuna, swordfish, saberfish, marlin, and, of course, sharks

There are many and very different sharks here - from pelagic species, rarely appearing off the coast, to deep, bottom and coastal ones. Here are just the most famous types of sharks. which can be found in the waters of the South China Sea: large white, tiger, mako, long-finned oceanic, blue (blue), big variety gray sharks, including - reef, feline, prickly, bearded, hammerhead, zebra, nanny and many others. Of course, such a dense population of sea waters by these toothy predators sometimes leads to unpleasant conflicts between humans and sharks.

However, in the waters of the South China Sea, as well as all the seas of the Malay Archipelago, troubles from communication with other dangerous marine animals - poisonous spiny fish (scorpionfish, lionfish, stingrays), jellyfish and siphonophores, some species of which "armed" with an extremely strong poison of stinging cells (cubomedusa, physalia), blue-ringed octopus - one of the most poisonous animals on the planet, poisonous cone molluscs and others.
Therefore, when going on vacation to the southern seas of the Malay Archipelago, do not forget to carefully read the description of those types of dangerous animals, the meeting with which is more real than with a large man-eating shark.

Sharks, for the most part, are shy and shy fish that are not easy to get close to. And if somewhere, in some resort place on the planet, a person will suffer from shark teeth, such an event will certainly take the first place in the newspaper pages and news clips on TV, causing a worldwide stir. The death or injury of people from conflict with other inhabitants of the planet is less exaggerated and does not attract everyone's attention. Yes, it is necessary to know about the danger of sharks, but, once again, I want to emphasize that there are no less dangerous animals. After all, if you touch a transparent box jellyfish in the water, the size of which does not exceed a tennis ball, or decide to hold a cute baby in your palms - a blue-ringed octopus, there will be very little chance of staying alive.

However, the southern seas are not so terrible as they are often scared. Yes, in the Russian seas, incomparably fewer people die from conflicts with aquatic animals. But hundreds of times more people die on the roads of any country than on the beaches. And yet, no one refuses to use the four-wheeled benefits of civilization.