South China Sea

The South China Sea is a large sea.

It sits near many lands. China is to the north. The Philippines are to the east.

Many ships sail through these waters. They carry goods around the world. The sea also has oil and gas. This helps people get energy.

There are hundreds of small islands. Some are just tiny reefs. Most have no people living on them.

Many rivers flow into the sea. They bring dirt and sand with them. This helps build the land.

It is a very busy place. It is part of a big ocean.

The South China Sea is a large part of the Western Pacific Ocean.

It sits near many different lands. China is to the north. The Indochinese Peninsula is to the west. To the east are Taiwan and the Philippines. To the south are places like Borneo and Sumatra.

Many ships sail through these waters. In 2016, $3.4 trillion of world shipping passed through here. This is a very busy trade route. The sea also has oil and natural gas. People use these to make power. Many rivers flow into the sea. They bring sand and dirt to the water.

There are hundreds of small islands and reefs. Some are called the Spratly Islands. Most of these are tiny and have no people living on them.

Some parts of the sea are even underwater at high tide. Because so many countries want to own these areas, they often use different names for the sea.

This map shows where the sea sits. It shows how much oil moves through the water each day.

The South China Sea is a large part of the Western Pacific Ocean.

It sits between many different lands and waters. China is to the north of the sea. The Indochinese Peninsula lies to the west. To the east, you will find Taiwan and the Philippines. To the south, the sea meets Borneo, Sumatra, and the Bangka Belitung Islands.

This sea connects to many other places. It reaches the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea through narrow straits. It also links to the Java Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.

This sea is a very busy place for ships. In 2016, $3.4 trillion of the world's maritime shipping passed through these waters. This is a huge amount of trade. Many ships carry oil and natural gas through the sea each day.

The sea also helps provide food. In 2010, the Western Central Pacific was part of 14% of the world's commercial fishing. Large rivers like the Mekong and the Pearl flow into the sea. These rivers bring sand and dirt to the ocean floor.

People have known about this sea for a very long time. Early Chinese books from the Western Zhou dynasty mentioned it. They called it Nanfang Hai. Later, during the Spring and Autumn period, it was called Nan Hai. European sailors also visited the area a long time ago. In the 16th century, Portuguese sailors called it the China Sea. They used it as a path to trade with China. Over time, the name changed to the South China Sea to tell it apart from other waters.

There are many interesting things under the water. The sea sits above a drowned continental shelf. This means the land was once above the water. About 45 million years ago, the sea began to open up. It contains over 250 small features like islands and reefs.

Some of these are the Spratly Islands. The largest island there is Taiping Island. It is just over 1 km long. Some places, like Reed Bank, are now completely underwater. This happened about 7,000 years ago when sea levels rose.

Because the sea is so important, different countries use different names. Many countries claim parts of the sea. These include China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and Vietnam. For example, Vietnam calls it the East Sea. The Philippines calls parts of it the West Philippine Sea. Indonesia calls its northern area the North Natuna Sea. These different names show how much the area matters to everyone living nearby.

The South China Sea is a marginal sea located within the Western Pacific Ocean.

It serves as a massive maritime crossroads connecting several major bodies of water. To the north, the sea is bounded by China. The Indochinese Peninsula forms its western border. To the east, the islands of Taiwan and the northwestern Philippines sit near its shores. The southern boundary includes Borneo, eastern Sumatra, and the Bangka Belitung Islands. This sea acts as a vital link between many different regions.

Water flows through several narrow passages called straits to connect with other seas. It reaches the East China Sea via the Taiwan Strait. The Luzon Strait connects it to the Philippine Sea. It communicates with the Sulu Sea through the straits around Palawan. The Karimata and Bangka Straits link it to the Java Sea. It also connects directly to the Gulf of Thailand and includes the Gulf of Tonkin. These connections allow for the movement of water and ships across vast distances.

Geologically, the sea sits above a drowned continental shelf. This means the floor was once part of a landmass. During recent ice ages, global sea levels were hundreds of metres lower. During those times, Borneo was actually part of the Asian mainland. The South China Sea began to open approximately 45 million years ago. This happened when a feature called the "Dangerous Ground" rifted away from southern China. Scientists believe seafloor spreading occurred around 30 million years ago. This process created the V-shaped basin seen today.

There are different theories about how the basin formed. Some geologists suggest a process called tectonic extrusion. This theory argues that as India collides with Asia, it pushes Indochina toward the southeast. This movement creates shear between Indochina and China, causing the sea to open. Other geologists dispute this, arguing that Indochina did not move much relative to mainland Asia. However, studies of the Red River Fault show it was active at least 37 million years ago. This fault may have helped form the northwest part of the sea.

The sea contains over 250 small maritime features. These include islands, atolls, cays, shoals, reefs, and seamounts. Many of these are small and uninhabited. Some are even permanently submerged under the water. The Spratly Islands are a major cluster of these features. They cover an area of about 810 by 900 km. This group contains around 175 identified features. Taiping Island is the largest in this group, measuring just over 1 km long. Another massive feature is the Reed Tablemount, or Reed Bank. It is a wide seamount that is now completely submerged. It was an island until sea levels rose about 7,000 years ago.

The sea is a critical hub for global trade and resources. In 2016, $3.4 trillion of the world's $16 trillion in maritime shipping passed through these waters. By 2019, trade in the sea was equivalent to 5 percent of global GDP. Huge amounts of crude oil are traded through the sea every day. The area also contains oil and natural gas reserves. Most of the 11 billion barrels of oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of gas are near undisputed shorelines. Additionally, the Western Central Pacific accounted for 14% of the world's commercial fishing in 2010.

Because the sea is so important, many nations use different names for it. This often reflects competing claims of sovereignty, or the right to rule an area. China refers to it as the South Sea. Vietnam calls it the East Sea. In 2012, the Philippines began calling parts of it the West Philippine Sea. Indonesia renamed the northern part of its zone the North Natuna Sea in 2017. These names highlight how many different countries, including Malaysia and Brunei, have interests in these waters. The history of the sea is as complex as its geography.