South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea, part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from Singapore to the Strait of Taiwan of around 3,500,000 km². It is the largest sea body after the five oceans. The minute South China Sea Islands, collectively an archipelago, number in the hundreds.

Geography

The International Hydrographic Bureau defines the sea as stretching in a southwest to northeast direction, whose southern border is 3 degrees South latitude between South Sumatra and Kalimantan (Karimata Strait), and whose northern border is the Strait of Taiwan from the northern tip of Taiwan to the Fujian coast of mainland China. The Gulf of Thailand covers the western portion of the South China Sea.

Related Topics:
International Hydrographic Bureau - Sumatra - Kalimantan - Karimata Strait - Strait of Taiwan - Taiwan - Fujian - Mainland China - Gulf of Thailand

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States and territories with borders on the sea (clockwise from north) include: the People's Republic of China, Macao, Hong Kong, Republic of China (Taiwan), the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Related Topics:
People's Republic of China - Macao - Hong Kong - Republic of China (Taiwan) - Philippines - Malaysia - Brunei - Indonesia - Singapore - Thailand - Cambodia - Vietnam

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Islands

Within the sea, there are over 200 identified islands and reefs, most of them within the Spratly Islands. The Spratly Islands spread over a 810 by 900 km area covering some 175 identified insular features, the largest being Taiping Island (Itu Aba) at just over 1.3 km long and with its highest elevation at 3.8 metres.

Related Topics:
Spratly Islands - Taiping Island

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Non-insular structures

There is a 100-km wide seamount called Reed Tablemount in NE Spratlys, separated from Palawan Island of the Philippines by the Palawan Trench. Now about 20m under the sea level it was an island until it sunk about 7,000 years ago due to the increasing sea level after the last ice age.

Related Topics:
Km - Seamount - Reed Tablemount - Palawan - Philippines - Ice age

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Rivers

Many rivers flow into the South China Sea, including:

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• Pearl River
• Min River
• Jiulong River
• Red River
• Mekong, etc.