All the water in the world is called the World Ocean. The sea is a part of the world's oceans, a huge salty body of water, which is separated by land or conventionally elevated underwater terrain. Each sea has a different climatic and hydrological regime and has its own flora and fauna.
Classification of seas
Modern science uses several classifications of seas:
- By isolation. There are intercontinental and interisland, peripheral and inland seas,
- By temperature conditions . There are polar, temperate and tropical
- According to water salinity. The seas are divided into slightly and highly salted,
- By ruggedness coastline . There are weakly and strongly indented coastlines. This classification is very conditional, since some seas have no coastline at all, for example, Sargasso,
- Oceanic. There are 4 oceans in the world - Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic (although in Lately many geographers separately highlight South ocean ). Each sea is conventionally classified as a basin of one of the oceans.
How many seas are there in the world?
So, how many seas are there in the world? Answer this question not easy, since science has identified several classifications. Besides Caspian, Aral, Galilean, Dead Many people know them as seas, but they are actually classified as lakes. There are also some bays that would be more logical to be classified as seas. Small seas, which are part of large ones, are also often not taken into account. For example, Mediterranean Sea consists of 7 inland waters, you can sail on a ship from one body of water to another without obstacles, but at the same time remain on the territory of the Mediterranean Sea.
In total, there are 94 seas on Earth. Of them
- Atlantic Ocean belongs to 32 seas, for example, Marmara, North, Aegean, Baltic.
- Pacific Ocean– 30 seas, such as the Yellow, Bering, Japanese, Okhotsk
- The basins of the North Arctic Ocean belongs to 13 seas, such as Kara, Barents, White, Chukotka
- South ocean also has 13 seas, for example, Cosmonauts, Ross, Lazarev. The Indian Ocean has 6 seas, among which the Red Sea is considered the largest.
- Indian Ocean— 6 seas, among them the Red Sea is considered the largest.
Important! Today the International Geographical Community It is customary to distinguish 54 seas, without taking into account bays and inland seas.
The Mediterranean Sea is considered the dirtiest, as at least 500 tons of various petroleum products enter it annually. Moreover, a great danger to the flora and fauna of the Mediterranean Sea is posed by plastic waste that has literally filled the coastal areas.
The most dangerous sea is considered to be the Sea of Marmara, which is located on the border of Asia and Europe and serves as a connection between the Aegean and Black Seas. The Sea of Marmara was formed by a fault that was subsequently filled with water; it is sometimes more than 1,300 meters deep. Danger is provided frequent earthquakes and tsunami. It is believed that this sea has been disturbed by earthquakes at least 300 times.
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What are the names of the seas of our planet and where are they located:
Below Full description seas with the name and table of the most large seas in area and depth.
All about the seas of our planet:
According to the degree of isolation and characteristics of the hydrological regime, the seas are divided into 3 groups: internal seas (Mediterranean seas and semi-enclosed seas), marginal seas and interisland seas. By geographical location Mediterranean seas are sometimes divided into intercontinental seas and inland seas.
From a geological point of view, modern seas are young formations. In outlines close to modern ones, they were all determined in the Paleogene-Neogene time, and finally took shape in the Anthropocene. Most deep seas(e.g. Mediterranean Sea) formed in places major faults earth's crust, and shallow seas arose when the marginal parts of continents were flooded by the waters of the World Ocean and are usually located on the continental shallows
Classification by ocean
The division of the World Ocean into separate oceans was carried out by the International Hydrological Organization (IHO) in 1953 (with subsequent changes)
There are 63 seas in the world (not counting the Caspian, Aral, as well as the Dead and Galilee seas) - of which 25 are in the Pacific, 16 in the Atlantic, 11 in the Indian and 11 in the Arctic Ocean. To the seas according to tradition due to large sizes include the Caspian and Aral Sea-lakes, which are the remainders ancient ocean Tethys. In addition, the names of the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee have historically developed.
Exist various classifications seas.
Seas included in the oceans (seas across oceans)
Pacific Ocean
· Sea of Aki
· Sea Bali
· Sea Banda
· Bering Sea
· Visayan Sea
· Inland Sea of Japan
· East China Sea
· Yellow Sea
· Camotes Sea
· Coral sea
· Koro Sea
New Guinea Sea
Mindanao Sea
· Molucca Sea
Sea of Okhotsk
· Sea of Savu
Sea Samar
Sea Seram
· Sibuyan Sea
· Solomon Sea
· Sulawesi Sea
· Sulu Sea
· Tasman Sea
Sea of Tuvalu
· Fiji Sea
· Philippine Sea (the largest and deepest sea on Earth)
Sea Flores
· Halmahera Sea
· South China Sea
Java Sea
· Japanese Sea
Atlantic Ocean
Sea of Azov
· Baltic Sea
Sea of Hebrides
· Irish sea
· Caribbean Sea
· Celtic Sea
· Irminger Sea
Sea Labrador
Sea of Marmara
· Sargasso Sea
· North Sea
· Wadden Sea
· Mediterranean Sea
Adriatic Sea
· Alboran
Balearic Sea
· Ionian Sea
· Cyprus Sea
· Cilician Sea
Levantine Sea
Ligurian Sea
Tyrrhenian Sea
· Aegean Sea
· Icarian Sea
· Cretan Sea
Myrtois Sea
· Thracian Sea
· Black Sea
Indian Ocean
· Andaman Sea
· Arabian Sea
Arafura Sea
· Red sea
· Laccadive Sea
Timor Sea
Arctic Ocean
Border of White and Barents Sea
· Barencevo sea
Pechora Sea
· Baffin Sea
· White Sea
· Beaufort Sea
· Vandel Sea
· East-Siberian Sea
· Greenland Sea
· Prince Gustav Adolf Sea
· Sea of Crown Prince Gustav
· Kara Sea
· Laptev sea
· Lincoln Sea
Norwegian Sea
Chukchi Sea
South ocean
Island in the Ross Sea
· Amundsen Sea
· Ross Sea
· Weddell Sea
· Sea of Scotia
· Lazarev Sea
· Davis Sea
· Bellingshausen Sea
· Mawson Sea
Rieser-Larsen Sea
· Commonwealth Sea
· Sea of Cosmonauts
· Somov Sea
Sea of D'Urville
Bays, according to hydrological, hydrochemical and other characteristics, related to the seas
Bay of Bengal (Indian Ocean)
· Hudson Bay (Arctic Ocean)
· Gulf of Mexico (Atlantic Ocean)
· Persian Gulf (Indian Ocean)
Bay of Biscay (Atlantic Ocean)
Classification by degree of isolation from the ocean
Seas are distinguished according to the degree of isolation internal, peripheral, intercontinental and interisland.
Inland seas- seas, for the most part closed from communication with the ocean, which have limited (compared to marginal seas) water exchange with the World Ocean. In such seas, the depth of the strait connecting them to the ocean is small, which limits deep-sea currents that lead to the mixing of deep waters. Examples of such seas are the Mediterranean and Baltic seas.
Depending on the number of continents whose seashores wash, inland seas are divided into intercontinental(Mediterranean and Red Seas) and inland(Yellow and Black Seas).
Depending on the connection with other seas or the World Ocean, inland seas are divided into isolated(closed) (Dead Sea, Aral Sea) and semi-insulated(semi-closed) (Baltic, Sea of Azov). In fact, isolated seas are lakes.
marginal seas- these are seas that are characterized by free communication with the ocean and, in some cases, separated from them by a chain of islands or peninsulas. Although the marginal seas lie on the shelf, the character bottom sediments, climatic and hydrological regimes, fauna and flora of these seas strong influence not only the continent, but also the ocean. Outlying seas inherent ocean currents, which arise due to oceanic winds. Seas of this type include, for example, the Bering, Okhotsk, Japanese, East China, South China, and Caribbean seas.
Intercontinental seas(sometimes called Mediterranean seas) are seas that are surrounded on all sides by land and connected to the ocean by one or more straits. These seas include the Mediterranean, Red, and Caribbean.
Interisland seas- seas surrounded by a more or less dense ring of islands, the rise of the relief between which prevents the free exchange of water between these seas and open part ocean.
Most of the interisland seas are found among the islands of the Malay Archipelago. The largest of them: Javanese, Banda, Sulawesi.
Classification by temperature surface waters
There is also a classification of seas depending on the temperature of their surface waters (tropical seas, seas temperate zone, polar seas), but it is practically not used.
Classification by water salinity
According to the degree of salinity they distinguish highly salted And lightly salted seas.
Highly salty seas- seas that have a higher salinity than the ocean due to active evaporation, and their water exchange consists of the outflow of more saline water sea water into the lower layers, and the influx of more fresh water into the surface layers through straits from the ocean. An example of such a sea is the Red Sea.
Lightly salted seas- seas that have less salinity than the ocean due to the fact that the influx of fresh water with river runoff and precipitation is not compensated by evaporation. In this case, water exchange consists of the outflow of less saline sea water into the surface layers and the influx of more saline water into the bottom layers through the straits. In such basins, water exchange with the bottom layers is often insufficient to maintain the majority of biological species oxygen content. An example of such a sea is the Black Sea.
Classification by coastline ruggedness
Distinguish strongly rugged and weakly rugged coastline. It should be noted that, for example, the Sargasso Sea has no coastline at all.
Coastline
The coastline of the seas is characterized by the presence of bays, lagoons, coves, estuaries of flowing rivers, peninsulas, spits, estuaries, beaches or cliffs and other forms of relief.
Bay- this is a part of the sea that extends deeply into the land, but has free water exchange with the main part of the sea. The hydrological and hydrochemical conditions of the bay are identical to the conditions of the sea of which they are part. In some cases local peculiarities climate and continental runoff can give the hydrological characteristics of the surface layer of bays some specific features.
Depending on the topography of the coast and other geographical conditions Bays are divided into several types:
· Bay- a small part of the sea, separated from open waters With three sides parts of the land (shore protrusions, rocks and nearby islands) and protected by them from waves and wind. Most small bays are formed in soft rocky soils or clays washed out by waves. Examples of bays are Sevastopol and Balaklava bays in the Black Sea, Zolotoy Rog Bay in the Sea of Japan. A small bay can be part of a larger bay, such as the Yuzhnaya Bay as part of the Sevastopol Bay.
· Liman- a bay delimited from the sea by a sand spit (bar). More often, an estuary is a flooded part of the section of a river valley closest to the sea (for example, the Dnieper and Dniester estuaries on the Black Sea coast). Distinguish estuaries open type (estuarine type) - having constant water exchange with the sea, and closed type(lagoon type) - separated from the sea by a sand spit or bar. The hydrological regime of the estuary is largely influenced by the river that flows into it.
· Lagoon- a shallow part of the sea, separated from it by a bar, spit, or coral reef and often connected to it by a narrow strait. Lagoons differ from other bays to a greater extent isolation from the sea. Often found inside the atoll (for example, Kiritimati, Kwajalein atolls).
· Estuary- a single-arm, funnel-shaped mouth of a river that flows into the sea. An estuary is formed when the sea floods the mouth of a river, and tidal forces carry out sedimentary rocks into the sea and prevent the estuary from filling up and turning into a delta. This happens when the part of the sea adjacent to the estuary has great depth. The estuary is formed by rivers such as the Amazon (Atlantic Ocean) and Thames (North Sea).
· Fjord- a long, narrow sea bay, often extending far inland. A fjord is formed as a result of a valley being flooded by the sea. former glacier. Many fjords are very deep - they were formed when glaciers crushed valleys with their weight, and then the valleys were flooded by the sea. Typically, the length of a fjord is several times greater than its width. Examples of typical fjords are the fjords of the Norwegian Sea.
· Lip- a common name in northern Russia for a bay that cuts deeply into the land (for example, Nevskaya in Gulf of Finland, Obskaya in the Kara Sea).
Strait- comparatively narrow strip water separating land areas and connecting adjacent water pools or parts thereof (for example, the English Channel, Magellan, Bering Straits).
Island- a piece of land (often natural origin), surrounded on all sides by water and constantly rising above the water even during the highest tide (for example, Greenland, Madagascar). Different from continents small in size, for example, Greenland is three times smaller than itself small continent Australia( islands-mainland). They vary in origin, shape and type (for example, coral island).
· Atoll- is a rise on the ocean floor, usually conical in shape, formed an extinct volcano, crowned with a coral superstructure that forms a reef with a group of islets (motu), separated by straits that connect the ocean with the lagoon. If there are no straits, then the land is closed in a continuous ring, and the water in the lagoon may differ in composition from the surrounding ocean.
· Archipelago- a group of closely located islands having a similar geological structure.
· Skerries- (from Nor. sker - rock in the sea) - an archipelago consisting of small rocky islands, separated by narrow straits and covering a significant part of the coastal sea strip, bordering fjord-type shores. Each of these islands is individually called " skerry" As a rule, skerries are suitable for navigation, but the passage of ships in them requires certain skills and is fraught with many dangers. During the Great Patriotic War torpedo boats Baltic Fleet successfully fought against the invaders, using skerries for cover.
· artificial island - separate group islands created by man (for example, Kansai Airport in the middle of Osaka Bay in Japan and the elite Palm Jumeirah beach created off the coast of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates).
Scythe- a low alluvial strip of land on the shore of a sea or lake, connected at one end to the shore. It is formed as a result of the movement of debris along the coast by waves. It is composed of sediment (sediment) of bulk materials moved by currents: sand, pebbles, gravel, shells. The spit, formed as a result of the simultaneous entry of sediment from both sides, protrudes into the open sea almost perpendicular to the shore and is called arrow. Can be created artificially.
Cape- a piece of land that cuts into the sea. Can be formed by either sediment or sediment. Capes, as a rule, owe their existence to erosion processes. A prerequisite for the appearance of a cape is the presence of both soft and hard rocks on the coastline. Soft rocks, such as sand, are destroyed by waves much faster than hard rocks. As a result, a cape is formed (for example, Horn, Good Hope).
Peninsula- a part of the continent that protrudes far into the sea and is washed on three sides by water and is often geologically integral with the mainland (for example, the Iberian Peninsula or the Scandinavian Peninsula).
Mainland- a large area of land, often washed on all sides by seas or oceans (for example, Eurasia is separated from Africa by the Suez Canal, and the two Americas are separated by the Panama Canal).
We all know from school that there are four “colored” seas on our planet: White, Black, Red and Yellow.Many people even remember why they are named that way (see under the cut).
It would seem that that’s it, the question is settled. But... Nothing like that!
I will try to prove, using history, toponymy and etymology,
that there are at least six more (!) “colored seas”.
1. White Sea.
The inland sea of the Arctic Ocean basin in the north of European Russia.
Some researchers suggest that the sea is called White because it
covered with ice and snow 6-7 months a year.
Others believe the name comes from the whitish color of the water, reflecting the northern sky.
And indeed, at any time of the year it remains white: sometimes snow, sometimes rain, sometimes fog.
2. Black Sea
.
Inland sea of the Atlantic Ocean basin.
Washes the shores of Russia, Ukraine, Romania,
Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Abkhazia.
From the point of view of sailors, the sea is called Black because of strong storms,
during which the water in the sea darkens.
They also claim that the sea was called Black because of the black silt,
which remains on the shore after a storm.
One of the hypotheses is related to the “color” designation previously adopted in a number of Asian countries
cardinal directions, where “black” meant the north, respectively, the Black Sea - the northern sea.
In the “Geography” of the ancient Greek scientist Strabo (1st century BC) it is assumed
that the sea received its name due to difficulties with navigation,
as well as the wild hostile tribes that inhabited its shores.
However, most likely, the Greeks adopted the local Scythian name for the sea,
representing the reflex of ancient Iran. axšaina - “dark blue”, “dark”.
According to another historical hypothesis, modern name The Turks gave the Black Sea
who tried to conquer the population of its shores, but were met with such furious
resistance that the sea was nicknamed Karaden-giz - Black, inhospitable.
But hydrologists offered their version, according to which
the sea is called Black because any metal objects,
sunk to great depths, they rise to the surface blackened.
The reason is hydrogen sulfide, which is saturated in the Black Sea water at a depth of more than 200 m.
3. Red Sea.
Inland Sea Basin Indian Ocean,
located between Arabian Peninsula and Africa.
Washes the shores of Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea,
Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Israel, Jordan.
Is the most salty sea World ocean.
There are several versions of the origin of the name of the Red Sea.
1) From misreading a Semitic word consisting of three letters: “x”, “m” and “r”. From these letters in ancient inscriptions the name of the Semitic people of the Himyarites, who lived in Southern Arabia before its conquest by the Arabs, was composed. In ancient South Arabian writing, short vowel sounds were not represented graphically in writing. Therefore, there was an assumption that when the Arabs deciphered the South Arabian inscriptions, the combination of “x”, “m” and “r” was read as the Arabic “ahmar” (red).
2)
Another version makes the name of the sea dependent on one or another part of the world. In the myths of many peoples of the world, the cardinal directions are associated with certain color shades.
So, red symbolizes the south .
And therefore the word “red” apparently indicates the southern location of this sea, and not at all the color of the sea water. Although beautiful reddish algae float to its surface from time to time.
4. Yellow Sea.
Semi-enclosed marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean basin
off the east coast of Asia west of the Korean Peninsula.
It washes the shores of China, North Korea and the Republic of Korea.
The name comes from the color of the water caused by sediment from Chinese rivers and dust storms.
Yellow in spring dust storms here they are so strong
that ships have to stop moving.
5. Timor Sea.
It is located in the Indian Ocean between Australia and the island of Timor.
It washes the coasts of Australia, East Timor and Indonesia.
Mar Timor(Portuguese) - “orange sea”.
The name is due to the fact that most of it is occupied by a continental shelf with numerous reddish-orange banks (shoals), atolls and reefs.
This color scheme has evolved here over many millennia.
due to the presence of red clay and quartz sand at the bottom.
6. Coral sea.
Located in the Pacific Ocean.
It washes the coasts of Australia, New Guinea and New Caledonia.
It contains numerous coral reefs and islands
(hence the name “Coral”).
One of the most famous is the Great Barrier Reef,
largest coral reef in the world.
Corals of almost all shades of the spectrum allow
this sea is also classified as a “colored sea.”
7. Sargasso Sea.
This is an area of the anticyclonic water cycle in the Atlantic Ocean,
limited by the Gulf Stream, North Atlantic,
Canary and North Passat currents.
Area 6-7 million square meters. km depending on current dynamics
(the largest sea in the World Ocean).
It is located at a considerable distance from the coast.
(In the northwestern part - Bermuda).
The color of the sea surface is usually greenish-brown, which is associated
with large clusters
floating brown algae Sargassum(about 11 million tons).
Sargassums are attached to the bottom by their root part.
And when torn off, they form so-called thalli,
which swim freely throughout the vast water area.
8. Sea of Marmara.
Inland sea of the Atlantic Ocean basin,
located between the European and Asian parts of Turkey.
In the northeast it is connected by the Bosphorus Strait to the Black Sea,
in the southwest - the Dardanelles Strait with the Aegean Sea.
On Turkish- Marmara Denizi ,
from the name of the island Marmara,
where large-scale developments of white marble were carried out.
9. Sea of Flores.
between the southern tip of the island of Sulawesi in the north
and the islands of Kabia, Sumbawa and Flores in southern Indonesia.
In 1544 the eastern edge of the present island of Flores
first noticed a Portuguese merchant ship,
whose captain named him "Cabo des Flores"— Cape of Flowers.
The diverse and beautiful flora of the islands subsequently gave
the name of this sea itself.
And besides, the most famous volcano on Flores island is Kelimutu (height 1639 m)
has three crater lakes that change color from time to time.
And it is not yet fully understood what exactly leads to this change.
10. Solomon Sea.
Interisland Sea of the Pacific Ocean basin,
located between the Solomon Islands, New Britain and New Guinea.
The Solomon Islands were discovered in 1568 by the Spanish navigator A. Mendaña de Neira
who traded with local residents gold and called these islands Solomon,
comparing them to the “Golden Country of King Solomon.”
There are still large deposits of lead, zinc, nickel and gold here.
The sea itself has numerous coral reefs
and surface water temperature 27-29 °C.