Sea of Okhotsk

The Sea of Okhotsk (named after Okhotsk, the first Russian settlement in the Far East) is a part of the western Pacific Ocean, lying between the Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, the island of Hokkaido to the far south, the island of Sakhalin along the west, and a long stretch of eastern Siberian coastline along the west and north.

Related Topics:
Okhotsk - Russia - Far East - Pacific Ocean - Kamchatka Peninsula - Kuril Islands - Island - Hokkaido - Sakhalin - Siberia

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The Sea of Okhotsk is connected to the Sea of Japan on either side of Sakhalin: on the west, it's through the Sakhalin Gulf and the Gulf of Tartary; on the south, it's via the La Pérouse Strait.

Related Topics:
Sea of Japan - Sakhalin Gulf - Gulf of Tartary - La Pérouse Strait

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In winter, navigation on the Sea of Okhotsk becomes difficult, or even impossible, due to the formation of large ice floes. The distribution and thickness of ice floes depends on many factors, including: the location, the time of year, water currents, and the sea temperatures.

Related Topics:
Winter - Ice floe

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With the exception of Hokkaido, one of the Japanese Home Islands, the sea is surrounded on all sides by territory administered by the Russian Federation. For this reason, it is generally considered as being under Russian sovereignty.

Related Topics:
Japan - Home Islands

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