Sea of Japan
Encyclopedia : S : SE : SEA : Sea of Japan
| Sea of Japan | |
|---|---|
| |
| Japanese name | |
| Kanji | |
| Hiragana | |
| Hepburn Romanization | Nihonkai |
| Korean name (North Korea) | |
| Hanja | |
| Hangul | |
| Revised Romanization | Joseon Donghae |
| McCune-Reischauer | Chosŏn Tonghae |
| Korean name (South Korea) | |
| Hanja | |
| Hangul | |
| Revised Romanization | Donghae |
| McCune-Reischauer | Tonghae |
| Russian name | |
| Russian | |
| Romanization | Yaponskoye more |
The Sea of Japan (East Sea) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea it has almost no tides owing to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific.
Physical characteristics
The sea is bound by the Japanese islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, and Kyushu and the Russian island of Sakhalin to the east, and the Korean peninsula and mainland Russia to the west.It is connected to other seas by five shallow straits: the Strait of Tartary between the Asian mainland and Sakhalin; La Perouse Strait between the islands of Sakhalin and Hokkaido; the Tsugaru Strait between the islands of Hokkaido and Honshu; the Kanmon Strait between the islands of Honshu and Kyushu; and the Korea Strait between the Korean peninsula and the island of Kyushu. The Korea Strait is composed of the Western Channel and the Tsushima Strait, on either side of Tsushima Island.
- Deepest point: 3742 metres below sea level
- Mean depth: 1752 metres
- Surface area: about 978,000 km².
On the eastern shores, the continental shelves of the sea are wide, but on the western shores, particularly along the Korean coast, they are narrow, averaging about 30 kilometres wide.
Tsushima Warm Current, a branch of Kuroshio Current, flows northward through the Korea Strait along the Japanese shore, and Liman Cold Current flows southward through Strait of Tartary along the Russian shore.
Economy
The areas in the north and the south east are rich fishing grounds. The importance of the fishery in the sea is well illustrated by the dispute over Takeshima (Dokdo). The sea is also important for its mineral deposits, particularly magnetite sands. There are also natural gas and a few petroleum fields. Since the growth of the East Asian economies, the Sea of Japan has become an important commercial waterway.Naming
There is a controversy between Korea and much of the international community over what the name for this sea should be. Over the centuries, this sea has been called by various names. Most countries use the name Sea of Japan, but South Korea insists on East Sea. North Korea supports South Korea's position but uses East Sea of Korea. [The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan][CHOSON SINBO]
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