Sea of Japan*
The Sea of Japan sits enclosed between Japan and the Asian mainland. It is connected to the East China Sea, the North Pacific Ocean, and Sea of Okhotsk by surrounding straits. The shallower northern and southern portions of the sea are important fishing areas. The sea has depths of more than 10,000 ft (3,050 m). A branch of the warm Japan Current flows northeast through the sea, modifying the climate of the region.
Area: 389,100 sq. mi. or 1,007,800 sq. km
Average depth: 4,429 ft. or 1,350 m
Greatest known depth: 12,276 ft. or 3,742
m
Place of greatest known depth: 2 Central Basin
More information:
- Physical and geographical characteristics and hydrometeorological conditions of the Okhotsk Sea provided by the Far Eastern Seas.
- Satellite images, visualizations, and animations (Visible Earth)
Reference: Infoplease.com
*Note: The Sea of Japan is also known by other names, such as East Sea. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) has a strict policy of approving only one name for any high seas features, both to minimize potential confusion and to serve the purpose of name standardization for such features that potentially have several different names in local languages. The BGN has determined that the most widely used English language name for the body of water surrounded by the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago is "Sea of Japan."
In May 2000, the U.S. Department of State made a request to the BGN that it discourage use of any variant names for the Sea of Japan, e.g., East Sea, in U.S. Government maps or documents. For any questions regarding this policy, please contact Leo Dillon, State Department Member to the BGN, at (202) 647-2156."