Sea
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This article is about the body of water. For other uses, see Sea (disambiguation) and SEA
The term sea refers to certain large bodies of water, but there is inconsistency as to its precise definition and application. Most commonly, a sea may refer to a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, but it is also used sometimes for a large saline lake that lacks a natural outlet, e.g. the Caspian Sea. Colloquially, the term is used as a synonym for ocean. Additionally, large lakes, such as the Great Lakes of North America, are occasionally referred to as "inland seas".
Contents |
[edit] List of seas
[edit] Atlantic Ocean
[edit] Arctic Ocean
[edit] Antarctic Ocean
[edit] Indian Ocean
[edit] Pacific Ocean
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[edit] Landlocked seas
(Alphabetical (June 2009))
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[edit] Bodies of water and their sizes
| Rank | Body of water | Square miles (square kilometres) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pacific Ocean | 64,196,000 sq mi (166,266,877 km²) |
| 2 | Atlantic Ocean | 33,400,000 sq mi (86,505,603 km²) |
| 3 | Indian Ocean | 28,400,000 sq mi (73,555,662 km²) |
| 4 | Arctic Ocean | 5,100,000 sq mi (13,208,939 km²) |
| 5 | Arabian Sea | 1,491,000 sq mi (3,861,672 km²) |
| 6 | South China Sea | 1,148,000 sq mi (2,973,306 km²) |
| 7 | Caribbean Sea | 971,000 sq mi (2,514,878 km²) |
| 8 | Mediterranean Sea | 969,000 sq mi (2,509,698 km²) |
| 9 | Bering Sea | 873,000 sq mi (2,261,060 km²) |
| 10 | Gulf of Mexico | 582,000 sq mi (1,507,373 km²) |
| 11 | Sea of Okhotsk | 537,000 sq mi (1,390,824 km²) |
| 12 | Sea of Japan | 391,000 sq mi (1,012,685 km²) |
| 13 | Hudson Bay | 282,000 sq mi (730,377 km²) |
| 14 | East China Sea | 257,000 sq mi (665,627 km²) |
| 15 | Andaman Sea | 218,100 sq mi (564,876 km²) |
| 16 | Red Sea | 175,000 sq mi (453,248 km²) |
| 17 | North Sea | 165,000 sq mi (427,348 km²) |
| 18 | Baltic Sea | 147,000 sq mi (380,728 km²) |
| 19 | Yellow Sea | 113,500 sq mi (293,964 km²) |
| 20 | Persian Gulf | 88,800 sq mi (229,991 km²) |
| 21 | Gulf of California | 59,000 sq mi (152,809 km²) |
[edit] Nomenclature
- The Sea of Galilee is a small freshwater lake with a natural outlet, which is called Lake Tiberias or Lake Kinneret on modern Israeli maps, but its original name remains in use.
- The Sea of Cortés is more commonly known as the Gulf of California.
- The Persian Gulf is a sea.
- The Dead Sea is actually a lake, as is the Caspian Sea.
[edit] Science
The term "sea" has also been used in quantum physics. Dirac sea is an interpretation of positron emission states that comprises the vacuum.
[edit] See also
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Seas |
| Look up maritime in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
| Look up sea in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Oceanography
- Inlet
- International Maritime Organization
- List of places on land with elevations below sea level
- Pole of inaccessibility: the locations farthest from any coastline
- Marine debris
- Sea level
- Sea level rise
- Sea salt
- Seven Seas
[edit] References
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