Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Despite the proverbial “seven seas,” there are many more seas in the world. “Seven seas” is actually
a colloquial expression relating not to the seas but to the oceans: the Arctic, Indian, North Pacific, South
Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Antarctic, which isn't even an ocean. So while the expression
may be familiar, it is far from geographically accurate.
The World's Principal Seas
Estimates of the size of the seas vary widely because seas don't have clearly defined boundaries. The
following list of the world's major seas is in approximate size order.
South China Sea
An arm of the Pacific covering more than 1 million square miles, it is a tropical sea,
subject to frequent typhoons.
Caribbean Sea
Named after the Carib Indians, a tribe Columbus discovered when he arrived in 1492,
the Caribbean is an arm of the Atlantic. From the tip of Cuba, lying some ninety miles from Florida, to
the island of Trinidad, just off the coast of Venezuela, the islands of the Caribbean Sea stretch out like a
necklace whose jewels have been the source of war, conquest, and exploitation since Columbus reached
these waters five hundred years ago. The vestiges of the Caribbean's colonial past remain in the continued
possession of several of these islands by other countries. The Gulf Stream—the warming ocean current
that influences climate on both sides of the Atlantic—originates here.
Mediterranean Sea
The world's largest inland sea, lying between Africa, Europe, and Asia, it is con-
nected to the Atlantic by the narrow Strait of Gibraltar and to the Indian Ocean by the Red Sea via the
Suez Canal. Its name, meaning “middle of the earth,” reflects its central importance to early history and
the development of civilizations on its shores, from Egypt and the Phoenicians to the Greeks, Romans, and
Arabs.
Bering Sea
An extension of the Pacific, the Bering lies between Siberia and Alaska. It is also connected
to the Arctic Ocean by the Bering Strait, the narrow (53 miles) passage between Alaska and Siberia, once
presumed to have been frozen over, allowing the first wandering Asiatic tribes to find their way to the
Americas. Named for Danish explorer Vitus Bering (1681-1741), who first sailed these waters in 1725,
the Bering Sea is icebound from November to May.
It should not be confused with the much smaller Barents Sea, a shallow part of the Arctic Ocean to the
north of Russia named for a Dutch navigator who sailed there in the sixteenth century. Warmed by currents
from the south, the Barents remains ice-free in winter, historically giving it enormous strategic value to the
Russians.
Gulf of Mexico
Although not called a sea, this vast basin, bounded by Mexico and the American south-
ern states from Texas to Florida, is more than 600,000 square miles (c. 1,560,000 square km) in area, larger
than many seas. The rich oil and gas reserves beneath its surface have produced great wealth, but the pol-
lutants related to these industries have also threatened the rich fishing grounds of the Gulf, important both
as an industry and for the tourist economy.
Sea of Okhotsk
Another large, icy sea off the Siberian coast and north of Japan, this arm of the Pacific
is separated from the Bering by the Kamchatka Peninsula, which juts out of Siberia.
