What is another name for the South China Sea? East China Sea: geographical characteristics, climate, features

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, maximum width 1600 kilometers, nai great depth reaches 5500 meters. It contains many islets, atolls and

The South China Sea is located in two climatic zones: equatorial and subequatorial. In winter, mainly northeast winds blow, and in summer - southwest. It is thanks to them that resort towns Mui Ne and Phan Thiet are annually visited by windsurfers, parasailers and kitesurfers from all over the world. The water temperature ranges from +20 to +27 degrees in summer time. Closer to autumn, the China Sea warms up to +29 degrees. Typhoons often occur in summer.

The borders of many states go to the sea: 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 and because of which between coastal states often flare up territorial conflicts. This is especially true of discovered large oil reserves.

The South China Sea attracts thousands of tourists to its shores every year. Magnificent beaches will give you a fabulous Koh Samui, in the city of Pattaya you will find an unforgettable night life. Vietnam also has a number of resort towns. For example, Nha Chag, Phan Thiet, Da Nang. All of them have developed infrastructure and many travel agencies. Thanks to good funding, they are gaining more and more popularity every year. exotic resorts China, located on the island of Hainan. One of the most amazing places 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 a high standard of living.

Between the islands of Kyushu and Ryukyu and the east China coast is the East China Sea. It has a semi-closed shape. Its total area is 836 thousand km². Greatest depth sea ​​is 2719 meters. The water temperature in summer rises to +28 degrees. Daily tides reach an average of 7.5 kilometers. Fishing is constantly carried out in the sea: the extraction of sardines, herring, as well as crabs, lobsters, trepangs and seaweed.

Navigation in the East China Sea is poorly developed. Most of means of navigation is closer to ports, on capes, on the shores of sea 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, bringing down their destructive power on land. As a rule, local tsunamis consist of a series of waves. Usually their number ranges from three to nine. They spread over land at speeds up to 300 km / h with an interval of 10-30 minutes. The height of the waves reaches 5 meters, the maximum length is 100 kilometers.

The area of ​​the South China Sea is 3537 thousand km², the maximum depth is 5560 m. The water temperature on the surface in February is from 20 ° C in the north to 27 ° C in the south, in August it reaches 28-29 ° C over the entire area. Salinity of water - 32-34 ‰. Typhoons are frequent in summer and autumn. The tides are irregular, diurnal and semidiurnal, up to 4 m.

Vessels proceeding from the ports of China, Japan and Russia to the Strait of Singapore and to reverse direction in the South China Sea adhere to the so-called Main Sea Route. This route is the shortest and safest and is used by the courts.

The islands lying on the sides of the Main Sea Route have a different structure. The Paracel Islands (Xisha) and the Spratly Islands (Nansha) are low, composed of coral sand and covered with stunted vegetation. Between them lie many coral reefs, banks and underwater atolls. There are especially many reefs among the Nansha Islands, a vast area of ​​which is almost unexplored.

The soil at great depths is silt and sand, and near islands and reefs - coral. Silt, sand and shells prevail in the southern part of the path, coral is on the banks, and rocky soil is found off the coast of rocky islands. Monsoons are the main factor influencing navigation along the Main Sea Route. Great danger when sailing the South China Sea, they represent typhoons. Therefore, the paths of typhoons, as well as signs of their approach, should be well known to navigators. Under the influence of monsoons, drift currents are formed in the South China Sea.

The largest bays of the South China Sea are Bakbo (Tonkin) and Siam.

The largest island is Hainan.

The sea is rich biological resources. Commercial fish - tuna, herring, sardines and others.

The South China Sea (南海, Nánhǎi, Nanhai) is a semi-enclosed sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the South East Asia, between the Indochina Peninsula, the islands of Kalimantan, Palawan, Luzon and Taiwan. The water surface area is 3,537,289 km², the maximum depth is 5,560 meters. The Main sea ​​route, which goes from the ports of China, Korea and Japan to the Singapore Strait, from where it goes to Europe. trade routes, wealth in fish and oil make the South China Sea very valuable, so control over its water area and numerous islands is contested by six states at once.

The South China Sea is semi-enclosed and is located on west coast The Pacific Ocean, surrounded on different sides by islands and straits. In the north, the South China Sea washes Eurasia, in particular, 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, moreover, is the largest in the South China Sea, have access to the South China Sea. In the northeast, the South China Sea is bounded 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, in the west by the peninsulas of Eurasia - Malay and Indochinese. Through the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea connects with the East China Sea, through the Luzon and Bashi Straits with the Philippine Sea, through the Mindoro Strait with the Sulu Sea, through the Karimata Strait with the Java Sea, and through the Singapore and Malacca Straits with the Andaman Sea. 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 the Indian Ocean passes through the South China Sea, it has great importance for the world economy and the defense of the states concerned. The sea surface area is 3,537,289 km², which is 16 times the size of Guangdong. From Chinese coast all the way south island, which China claims - banks James (Zengmu Ansha) - more than 2000 kilometers, which is further than from Guangzhou to Beijing. The average depth of the 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 of all in summer and early autumn.

There is a territorial dispute over the waters of the South China Sea, and especially over the archipelago of the Spratly Islands located in its center. The People's Republic of China stands behind the border, called the Nine-Dotted Line. According to it, China owns almost the entire water area of ​​the sea, all the Spratly and Paracel Islands, the Pratas archipelago and Macclesfield Bank. The Republic of China (Taiwan) claims the same territory within the same borders. 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, in fact control several islands.

Geography

Bottom relief

The seabed is divided into three concentric parts: the continental shelf, the continental slope, and the central sea ​​trench. The central depression is displaced to the east from the center of the sea, elongated from the northeast to the southwest, surrounded on all sides by the continental slope. In shape, it resembles a rhombus with an area of ​​\u200b\u200babout 400,000 km². The seabed is tilted and drops from the northeast to the southwest. In the northeast, the depth is 3,400 meters, in the south - 4,200 meters, and the deepest in the northwest is 5,560 meters. The continental shelf near the coast of Eurasia and near the island arcs differs in inclination, near the islands it is steeper. There is a steep continental slope between the Central Sea Basin and the continental shelf. During geological processes on Earth, the central sea basin of the South China Sea has not been affected for a long time, so it is flat and flat. Despite this, sea mountains rise on a generally flat depression, some of them reach 3,500 meters in height above the surrounding bottom, there are 27 more than 1,000 meters, and about 20 more have a height of 400 - 1,000 meters. Some of these mountains form islands on the surface of the sea, others - shoals and banks.

Islands and reefs

In the north of the South China Sea, on the northern continental slope is the Pratas Atoll (Dongsha, 东沙群岛), consisting of three small islets. It is controlled by the Republic of China (Taiwan). On the western continental squabble are the Paracel Islands (Xisha), and the Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha). The Paracel Islands of the PRC in 1974, during the battle of the Paracel Islands, recaptured from Vietnam, and still controls it. On the southern continental slope are the Spratly Islands (Nansha), their territorial affiliation is the most confused. In the north, on the continental shelf of Eurasia, is Hainan Island - the most large 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 - this is the Riau archipelago, the large Bunguran island, the Tujuh archipelago, also consisting of several island groups. In addition, along all the coasts there are numerous coastal islets, one of which is Hong Kong.

In the Spratly (Nansha), Zhongsha and Xisha archipelagos, there are a total of about 200 islands, mainly the Spratly Islands. The islands are divided into five types. These are the islands themselves, surrounded on four sides by water and having a high coast. They are formed for a long time, relatively unchanged, with large area and long-lived vegetation. Islands are divided into coral, sandy, rocky and volcanic. Sand islands are made up of coral debris, shells, and other debris collected from a coral reef. Constantly accumulating, they form sandy coral islands, such islands among the Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha archipelagos are the majority. 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 of this type.

the only volcanic island in the South China Sea is the Gaojianshi (Pyramid Rock) of the Paracel Islands. Volcanic islands, unlike sandy islands, usually do not flood during high tides, this only happens during high tide or typhoon.

Sand banks and islands are composed of coral fragments, shells, and other remains resting on a base of coral reef. Differences between banks and sand islands 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 most south point China's Zengmu Ansha Bank (James Bank) is just such a sinkhole. Its area is 2.12 km², and the shallowest place reaches 17.5 meters deep.

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 maritime tropical monsoon.

Temperature

Due to the fact that the South China Sea is close to the equator, the heat coming from the sun is large and it is very hot here. Average annual temperature is 25-28℃, the lowest monthly average is over 20℃, the highest is 33℃. Although the air temperature is very high, but thanks to constant strong winds the heat from the sea is easily tolerated. Annual temperature fluctuations are not strong. Comes to the sea in winter cold air from Mongolia, but already weakened, and his influence is not strong. locals They say: "The four seasons are all called summer." The water temperature is also high and changes little throughout the year - in the northern part of the sea 23-25℃, in the central - 25-26℃ and in the south - 27-28℃

Precipitation

The South China Sea, like the rest of the Pacific Ocean, is a vast source of water vapor, which falls in various forms as precipitation. One third are typhoon showers. On the islands of the South China Sea, more than 1300 mm of precipitation falls annually, but it is extremely heterogeneous. Most of the rain comes in summer. For example, on the island of Yongxing from the Paracel Islands, 1392 mm of precipitation falls annually, of which 1040 mm falls from June to October.

Monsoons

In the South China Sea, the climate is pronounced monsoonal. This means that at certain times of the year the winds of a certain direction blow. After October, a northeast wind blows, originating in Siberia and Mongolia, although reaching the sea it warms up and loses cold, but is dry continental. This season ends in March. From May to September, a southwest wind blows, bringing heat and moisture from the equatorial regions. In April and October the wind direction is changeable. The flow of water in the South China Sea also has a monsoonal 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, east of Philippine Islands and in 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, the most powerful wind blows, there is a huge tropical downpour, huge waves rise, causing great disasters for air and sea transport and land infrastructure. However, typhoons are of great benefit - 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 canon "Shi-jing" of the Zhou Dynasty. It tells that the king of the Zhou Dynasty Xuan-wang, during a campaign to the south, reached south sea. During the Qin Dynasty, Emperor Qin Shi Huang conquered the Bai Yue tribes, reached the shores of the South China Sea, and established the Nanhai district. 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 Islands and the 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.

Asking what kind of sea is in Vietnam, any person by no means betrays his ignorance. On the contrary, it shows interest in one of the geographical problems. At first glance, the answer is obvious - Vietnam washes the South China Sea in the east of the Pacific Ocean. And what basin does the Sinai Gulf in the southwest of the country belong to? It turns out that scientists have been deciding for a long time how to draw the border between the two parts of the oceans south of the peninsulas of Indochina and Malacca.

What is the sea in Vietnam?

In the east of the Pacific Ocean there are many ledges of land and islands that limit the water areas that have received their names. The archipelagos separate the large South China Sea from the basin. On its shores there is a country with beautiful nature, ancient history and richest culture. This is Vietnam, the state coastline which stretches for 3000 km along the shelf of the South China Sea. Its coast is famous for its convenient bays, azure bays and dozens of kilometers of wonderful beaches.

As you move away from the coast, the relief of the territory of Vietnam rises. Near the coast, rocks rise from the water, reminiscent of famous mountains from James Cameron's Avatar. Answering the question “Is there a sea or an ocean in Vietnam?”, some features of the South China Sea should be clarified. It is semi-enclosed, surrounded by large and small islands, other seas. Behind the chain of the Philippine archipelago are the sea of ​​the same name and deep sea trench, at the bottom of which Cameron visited. The famous American-Canadian director and producer also dived alone on board deep-sea vehicle in the Challenger Basin at the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the eastern Philippine Sea.

Bakbo Bay (Tonkinsky)

The South China Sea in the northwest deeply protrudes into the land. The length of this water area is 330 km, the depth reaches 82 m. To the east is the Leizhou Peninsula, to the south is Hainan Island, separated from the mainland by the strait of the same name. On different maps, such Vietnamese and Chinese names of the bay can be indicated: Vinbakbo, Vinhainam, Beibuvan, Tonkin. The last hydronym on the list comes from former name Hanoi - Tonkin. The term is sometimes applied to all of North Vietnam. The largest port city in Bakbo Bay is Haiphong. It happens that the question “What is the sea in Vietnam?” there are several different answers. The thing is that each of the many peoples in this basin gave its name to the water area.

Gulf of Thailand

Between Indochina and the Malacca Peninsula lies the Gulf of Thailand, which is sometimes referred to as the Indian Ocean basin. The abundance of seas, bays, bays and islands between Asia and Australia sometimes makes it difficult to accurately draw the boundaries between the two parts of the oceans. As the researchers note, the biggest problems arise when delimiting in the area Malay Archipelago. The fact is that geographers, biologists and oceanographers had different opinions on the question of the dividing line between the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Usually the border area is considered to be the water area Gulf of Thailand and further southeast to the Java Sea. Some researchers consider the Makassar Strait, which separates the islands of Kalimantan and Sulawesi, to be the boundary. Only to the question "What is the sea in Vietnam?" scientists give an unequivocal answer: "South China!" Other water areas washing the shores of the country are bays and straits.

South China - the best sea in Vietnam

The country's coastline abounds beautiful beaches strewn with silky sand. The depth of the South China Sea is impressive - about 5500 meters. Swimming near the coast is safe if you do not swim far. Salinity sea ​​water- about 34 ppm, which corresponds to the average for the entire oceans. Even in winter, the sea off the coast of Vietnam is warm, its temperature is 20-22 °C. In summer, the water on the beaches heats up to 28-30 °C.

Hainan Island in the South China Sea is one of largest resorts pool. But this beautiful piece of land belongs to the territory of China. To the east, the depth of the water area increases, in the west it is shallower, and numerous coral structures come to the surface. Like everything Pacific coast monsoon climate prevails in Vietnam. Constant winds from the ocean bring heavy rainfall at the beginning of summer, sometimes there are typhoons. In winter, the monsoons blow in the opposite direction - from land to sea.

coral islands

South China is a calm sea in Vietnam. The water area is very beautiful, it looks unusual due to the numerous islands and different shades of water. Near the shore, azure and greenish colors predominate. As the depth increases, the bright emerald hue intensifies. Undersea world coral buildings in the South China Sea surprises and amazes with its diversity. There are predatory fish - moray eel, stone fish and others, which bathers and divers should be wary of.

Holidays on the coast of Vietnam

The most important and most popular Vietnamese resorts: Halong Bay, Nha Trang, Phan Thiet. The coastline in the south-east of the country enjoys the favorable attention of tourists. Nha Trang is one of the most famous resorts where the sea is better in Vietnam - clean, gentle and warm. Here you can swim and sunbathe on well-maintained beaches with white and golden sand, improve your health. This is one of tourist centers countries, with big amount historical sights, beautiful nature, colorful national traditions.

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 how it will look political map. in the waters of which lobsters and giant crabs are caught, trepangs and algae are collected, where pearls are grown and salt is evaporated - a real natural treasure. Let's take a closer look at this 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 if this is an inland sea, then the map shows us that it is semi-enclosed. It is separated from the main part of the Pacific Ocean Japanese islands Ryukyu and Kyushu. In the West natural boundary serves the coast of China. The southern cordon is 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. It should be said that the straits near are very deep - up to 1572 meters. On the sea is located between China, Korea and Japan. This explains the many names of the water area. After all, every nation calls it depending on its location relative to the country. The Chinese word "Donghai" means "East Sea", the Korean "Namhae" - "South". And since 2004, the Japanese Foreign Ministry has been calling this water area quite ornate. Because of territorial disputes with the PRC because of Senkaku Island, and with Korea because of Socotra, in official documents it is called the "Sea of ​​the East Side".

Geographic characteristics

The water area is more than eight hundred thirty thousand square kilometers. At medium depth 349 meters, the bottom is very uneven. In the west, reefs, shoals, banks are not uncommon. It exacerbates the complexity of navigation and the turbidity of the Yangtze - the most abounding and long river Eurasian continent. Reefs and bottom sediments, which are rich in the East China Sea in its western part, are difficult to map on the map. Earthquakes often occur here, which not only change the relief of the shelf, but also cause tsunamis. In addition, about three or four times a year, typhoons sweep through the water area, causing major damage. The maximum depth (2719 meters) is in the east of the sea. The average salinity of the water is 33 ppm, at the mouth major rivers this indicator drops to 5 ‰. On west bank there are semi-diurnal tides up to seven and a half meters.

Climate

In the subtropical zone, the sea, the water never freezes. Even in its northern part in winter the temperature does not drop below +7 °C. The coldest time here is in February. But even then, in the south of the water area, the water has a temperature index of + 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 fogs, rains, drizzle in winter period. In summer, the East China Sea is in the monsoon zone. In the tropical belt, typhoons are born, which move in a northerly direction, causing heavy winds, storms and heavy rains. This makes navigation much more difficult. But nevertheless, the water area is the most important transport artery. Through it pass the paths to the Yellow, Japanese and Therefore, because of it, conflicts arise.

biological resources

Due to the warm climate, the East China Sea boasts a variety of flora and fauna. The number of phytoplankton, as well as green, red and brown algae, increases from west to east. Fishing, pearling and shellfish mining have long been carried out in this water area. On an industrial scale, tuna, sardine, mackerel, herring, flounder, and many types of sharks are caught here. Especially appreciated is the local "milk" fish hanos with very tender meat. It is even grown in artificial conditions. The East China Sea is also rich in waterfowl. Among them, dugongs, seals and numerous species of dolphins should be noted. But since the water area is poor in plankton, the waters of the sea never attract blue whales.