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East China Sea

Pronounced (Wade-Giles) Tung Hai,  or (Pinyin) Dong Hai in Chinese meaning "eastern sea".

The East China Sea is connected to the South China Sea by the Taiwan Strait and with the Sea of Japan by the Korea Strait. It opens in the north to the Yellow Sea but is separated from the North Pacific Ocean by the Ryukyu Islands. The Chang River empties into the sea. It is less than a few hundred meters deep.

Area: 482,300 sq. mi. or 1,249,200 sq. km
Average depth: 617 ft. or 188 m
Greatest known depth: 9,126 ft. or 2,782 m
Place of greatest known depth: 25°16'N; 125°E

map of the East China Sea

More information:

  • Modeling Studies of the East China Sea and Changjiang Estuary (MEDM UMASS)
  • Satellite images, visualizations, and animations (Visible Earth)
  • Reference: Infoplease.com



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    [Last updated: 2007-07-03]