The largest and deepest sea in the world. The deepest seas in the world
IN modern world You can often meet people who have subordinated their lives to the desire for perfection - perfectionism. For example, it is important to buy not just a car, but the most expensive (beautiful, fast), to conquer not just the peak, but the highest. And so on: make the longest parachute jump, swim the longest wide river, kiss the most beautiful girl- everyone has their own dreams. Where should people go who would like to swim in the largest sea? To leave no doubt, you will have to swim in several seas.
Miracle of nature - Sargasso Sea
The Sargasso Sea is unique a natural phenomenon: This is a sea that has no shores. More precisely, not in the traditional sense. This is a part of the Atlantic Ocean, separated on all sides by currents: the North Atlantic from the north, the North Trade Wind from the south, the Gulf Stream from the west and the Canary from the east. The Sargasso Sea got its name from the name of algae - sargassum, which float in huge quantities in the waters of the sea. There are so many sargassums that Columbus, who first saw the sea, called it “a jar of algae.” Aristotle, who mentioned the Sargasso Sea in his writings much earlier than Columbus, poetically called it “meadows of the ocean.”
Square Sargasso Sea fluctuates between 6-7 million square meters. km is the largest sea in the world.
The Sargasso Sea is a densely populated area: thanks to the accumulation of algae, various shrimps, crabs, Sea Horses, jellyfish, flying fish. There are also traveler crabs and several species of sea turtles. In addition, the Sargasso Sea is a breeding ground for eels.
Philippine Sea
The largest interisland sea is the Philippine Sea. Its area is 5.7 million square meters. km is the largest sea by area. Water Philippine Sea connect the shores of the islands of Taiwan, Luzon, Nampo, Yap, Ryukyu, Mindanao, Palau, Kyushu, Halmahera, and the Mariana Islands.
The bottom topography of the Philippine Sea is remarkable: it consists of numerous underwater mountains, volcanoes, depressions, including the deepest in the world Mariana Trench, from the east separating the waters of the Philippine Sea from Pacific Ocean. By the way, due to the Mariana Trench, the Philippine Sea is the deepest sea in the world: its depth in this place is 11,022 m, although its average depth is 4,108 m. And such a difference between the average and the deep point allows us to give several answers as to which sea is the deepest. After all, the depth coral sea is 9174 m.
For comparison, the smallest sea in the world is Marmara. Its area is 10,900 sq. km. On the one hand, the Sea of Marmara connects the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea, and on the other, it separates Europe and Asia. Unfortunately, “smallest” does not mean “smallest.” In the Sea of Marmara, cases of water tremors and tsunamis are not uncommon: over the history of observations, about 300 cases of tremors and 40 tsunamis have been recorded. IN last time The tsunami occurred on August 17, 1999. The wave height was 2.5 m and did not lead to serious devastating consequences. However, in 2030 a wave is predicted enormous power. And the Turkish government should seriously think about possible consequences.
And the shallowest sea in the world is the Azov Sea, its maximum depth- only 15 meters.
Have you ever wondered where the deepest sea in the world is? What are its features? Who lives there? No? Would you like to?
Answers to all these questions can be obtained by reading the materials in this article.
Section 1. What is the sea?
Before we talk about the deepest sea in the world, we suggest defining the concept itself. So, by sea we mean a part of the world's oceans, separated by land or elevated underwater reliefs.
In general, it should be noted that the seas differ from the world ocean in climatic, meteorological and hydrological regimes. This is due to the fact that they tend to be located at the edges of the oceans, and due to limited communication with the open part expanse of water They are characterized by a slowdown in water exchange.
And the definition from a geography textbook says that the sea should be understood great amount salt water, which is connected to water shell Earth, or great salt Lake, completely isolated from the world ocean and having no exit.
The seas, of course, differ from each other in their flora and fauna.
Section 2. Philippine Sea
Now, perhaps, any schoolchild can name the deepest sea on Earth. This is Philippine, which is located between the islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Thanks to warm currents, the water here has average temperature 25 o C, and its salinity in some places reaches 35.1%.
The most great depth recorded in or in the so-called Mariana Trench. Probably everyone has heard about this point on the map at least once in their life. And directors of modern cinema often populate it with unprecedented monsters, strange fish, and shroud it in mysticism and riddles.
The depth of this trench is 11,022 m. But these data are approximate. Some scientists insist that in fact the figure may be much higher, it’s just that humanity is not yet technically ready to measure such lengths.
Meanwhile, the deepest sea in the world has more than seven thousand very picturesque islands with rich flora and fauna.
Among its advantages one can also highlight the unique Pangaskhan waterfalls, lakes, volcanoes, caves and a rich underwater world represented by whales, turtles, sharks, dolphins, huge stingrays, Japanese eels, etc.
Section 3. Coral Sea
If we talk about what is the deepest sea in Southern Hemisphere, then one cannot fail to mention Coral. It is located in the tropics of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of more than 5 million square meters. km. Some depressions discovered by scientists in its depths reach a depth of 9000 m.
Geographically, it stretches from the coast of Australia to the Solomon Islands, the islands of New Guinea and the New Hebrides, and in the northwest it opens into the Indian Ocean.
The sea water is well warmed almost all year round. Average monthly temperature ranges from +20 o C to +28 o C.
The name of the Coral Sea is far from accidental. Due to the abundance of coral colonies, reefs, atolls, petrified islands coral polyps, it received such a name.
By the way, we should not forget that in this part of the world’s oceans there is the largest coral structure on the planet - the Great barrier reef. Today its width is from 60 to 80 km, and it stretches parallel to the coast of Australia at a distance of 30-60 km from the coast of more than 2000 km. Scientists say that this is far from the limit, because from year to year the reef is only becoming larger.
In addition to different types of corals, sharks and crabs, many representatives of the underwater world live here: sea anemones, stars, cows, hedgehogs, flying fish, sea cucumbers, huge sea turtles, tridacni, poisonous stone fish, prilipial fish, pterois, etc.
Section 4. Tasman Sea
Between the shores of the island of New Zealand and Australia, in the south Pacific Ocean, there is another deepest sea in the world - Tasmanovo.
Its area is 3340 square meters. km and resembles a rhombus shape. In some places its depth reaches a colossal figure of 6000 m. It is difficult to even imagine that this is exactly the distance that an airplane flying, for example, from Moscow to Khabarovsk is forced to cover.
Climate in different parts sea is significantly different. Why is this happening? The thing is that it geographically lies in different climatic zones.
The surface of the sea water in the north warms up to +27 o C, in the south - in summer only to +15 o C, and in winter it drops to +9 o C. It should be noted that the variety of inhabitants of the Tasman Sea is very similar to the variety of species of the Coral Sea.
The underwater world consists of corals, sharks, atolls, sperm whales, whales, killer whales, tuna, mackerel and many other sea creatures.
Section 5. Sea Banda
In the western Pacific Ocean is the Banda Sea, which is connected by straits to other parts of the world's oceans.
Its area is 714 thousand km 2. In principle, this sea is considered deep-sea with a maximum depth of 7440 m, although the average is 2737 m, i.e., almost the same as the deepest sea washing Russia, the Bering Sea.
Scientists have found that there are 6 basins in Banda, going deeper to a distance of more than 4000 m. All of them are separated by ridges and rapids.
One more characteristic feature one could say that the sea is located in an area of active volcanic activity, so most of the islands are of volcanic origin.
The Banda Sea has a diverse flora and the richest fauna represented by many fish different sizes, colors and shapes. Marine living organisms mainly live in the coastal shallow water zone.
Among the representatives of the underwater world there are different types bottom and reef sharks, stingrays, moray eels, corals, brittle stars, sea anemones, sea snakes, hedgehogs, stars, etc.
Section 6. Caribbean Sea
In the western Atlantic Ocean near the equator is the Caribbean Sea with many islands, sandy beaches, pure water, tropical climate, the richest underwater world and picturesque places.
It is unlikely that any of the modern travelers realize that when they go here on vacation, they simultaneously get the opportunity to visit one of the deepest seas on the planet.
Sea water remains virtually unchanged throughout all year round and ranges from +23 o C to +28 o C.
About 500 species of different fish live here, among which we can note the moray eel, several rare species sharks, dolphins, sperm whales, whales.
Section 7. The Bering Sea is the deepest sea in Russia
The Bering Sea is one of the most biologically productive and diverse ecosystems in the world.
It is located between Russia and Alaska and rightfully bears the title “The Deepest Arctic Sea.”
Its area is approximately one thousand km 2.
In general, the sea consists of arctic and subarctic waters. Surprisingly, it is very rich in its living organisms. True, of course, by those who can physiologically live at such low temperatures.
Experts note that there are all conditions for the existence of more than 450 species of fish, mollusks, crustaceans, whales, dolphins, walruses, seals, polar bears, more than 200 species of birds from all continents and 26 species of marine mammals.
The Bering Sea is one of the largest semi-enclosed bodies of water, bounded by the coasts of two continents, which is considered the northern extension of the Pacific Ocean.
There are 90 seas in total on Earth. At the same time, the largest sea in the world is significantly different from all others. All of them are located inside the continents, and Sargasso is separate part ocean. However, its uniqueness lies not only in this.
The value ranges from 6 to 7,000,000 km2. In second place is Philippine, its size is 5,276,000 km2. In third position is the sea in the Indian Ocean: the Arabian, with an area of 4,862,000 km2.
The largest seas of the Pacific Ocean share fourth and fifth place in the ranking. These are Coral - 4,791,000 km2 and Tasmanovo - 3,336,000 km2. The Wedell Reservoir is in sixth place, its area is 2,920,000 km2. Another representative from the Atlantic Ocean is the Caribbean - 2,754,000 km2, occupying seventh position. The area of the Mediterranean, which is in eighth place in the ranking, is 2,500,000 km2.
The largest sea in Russia- Beringovo with an area of 2,315,000 km2, Okhotsk completes the ranking of ten giants, its area is 1,603,000 km2.
From everything that has been said previously, in response to the question: which sea is the largest in area, we can give the corresponding list:
- Sargasso;
- Philippine;
- Arabian;
- Coral;
- Tasmanovo;
- Wedell;
- Caribbean;
- Mediterranean;
- Beringovo;
- Okhotsk.
Attention! The waters of the Bering Reservoir are covered with ice almost all year round!
Depth and location
The Pacific Basin includes deepest sea in the world- Filipino. It is here that the largest depression on planet Earth is located - its depth is 11,035 m. The second place is occupied by the largest sea in the Pacific Ocean - the Coral Sea, its depth at the lowest point is 9,174 m. It is considered the most beautiful because large quantity coral reefs.
The largest sea, located in the Indian Ocean, has a depth of 5,800 m. Area Arabian Sea larger than the Wedell reservoir, but the latter is more than 1 km deeper, and the largest point is located at a depth of 6,820 m. Interestingly, the depths predominate in the northern part, the southern part is generally no more than 500 m.
The depth of the Philippine Sea is almost 2 times greater than the others. Conclusion: The Sargasso Sea is the largest, but not the deepest.
The maximum depth of the Tasman Sea, located between Australia and New Zealand, is 5,200 m, the so-called Australian Basin. Another body of water in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, is located in the semiring formed by the South and Central America. 7687 m is the maximum depth of this abyss, the average is only 1,200. Because of this, the reservoir is considered shallow. What is the maximum depth of the Mediterranean Sea, washing the coast more than 10 European countries? Total 5,121 m.
Attention Despite the intercontinental location of the Mediterranean Sea, it belongs to the basin of the Atlantic Ocean, connected to it by the Strait of Gibraltar.
Philippine Sea
Short description
To more than 90 seas, differing from each other in shape, size, depth, presence or absence of banks. Each of them is individual in its own way: one is the shallowest, the other is the deepest, the third is the largest, the fourth is the smallest. One of them does not have clear boundaries at all.
Sargasso
The Sargasso Sea of the Atlantic Ocean is the only one bankless, it is located between the 23rd and 35th parallel northern latitude, 62 and 78 meridian of western longitude. It is surrounded on all sides by currents, in the west by the Gulf Stream, in the south by the North Trade Wind, in the east by the Canary Wind, and in the north by the North Atlantic.
Clockwise rotating streams of water separate the largest body of water in the Atlantic Ocean basin, forming a so-called backwater with a motionless surface. Temperature in summer season- 27 - 30 ⁰С, and in winter - 19 - 24. The largest sea in the world has a number mysterious phenomena , for which no explanation has yet been found:
- It's always calm here;
- mirages, simultaneous sunrise and sunset, are common;
- repeated crashes of small planes are explained by suction circular movements of air;
- the beginning and end of the storm occurs instantly;
- The Sargasso Sea of the Atlantic Ocean is a zone of active seismic activity;
- the largest sea in the world negatively affects people: some become lethargic, others panic or experience inexplicable horror.
The Sargasso Sea of the Atlantic Ocean is danger zone, exactly The famous Bermuda Triangle is located here. Its approximate angles are near Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico. The site covers approximately 1,000,000 km2 body of water, which accounts for most of missing planes and sunken ships.
Attention! There are many versions explaining the strange properties Bermuda Triangle, the main one is the excess content of hydrogen sulfide and methane in sea water.
Mediterranean
As stated earlier, greatest depth Mediterranean - 5,121 m, for this sea the average depth is only 1,521 m. It divides 3: Africa, Europe and Asia. If we count the states whose shores it washes, the list will contain 21 countries. The area is interesting and attractive for tourists, since many architectural monuments.The Mediterranean basin includes 11 reservoirs, among which 2 wash the shores of Russia:
- Black;
- Azovskoe.
Philippine and Arabian
Few people know which sea is the largest in the Indian Ocean by area. This is Philippine, located between Japanese, Philippine Islands and the island of Taiwan. Favorable climate And heat water on the surface, make it the region's leader in whaling and fishing.
The entire area of the Arabian Sea is protected from strong winds and cold currents on the Hindustan and Arabian peninsulas. The average water temperature on the beaches is not lower than 20 - 22⁰С, which makes the reservoir a popular tourist destination.
Arabian Sea
Seas of Russia
It is known that the Bering Sea the largest in Russia, its waters are part of the Pacific Ocean, and its features geographical location not inferior to the Mediterranean. Here lies the border between Eurasia and North America and 3 climate zones. Opens from ice for no more than 3 months. The rest of the time it is covered with a thick layer on which you can drive a car.
The second deepest and largest sea in Russia is the Okhotsk Sea. It belongs partly to the Russian Federation and Japan. The Kuril Islands located in it still serve as a source of disputes between countries. Exactly it is considered the coldest among Far Eastern reservoirs.
Comparing what is the greatest and average depth in the Black Sea of the Atlantic basin, the difference will be insignificant: only 2,210 m versus 1,150. Its waters wash the coasts of 7 countries called “Black Sea” countries. The waters in the Black Sea are saturated with hydrogen sulfide, therefore there is no life at a depth of more than 220 m.
Most likely, you will think that in this ranking it is the oceans that are the deepest bodies of water. But get ready to be surprised - there are seas to which the oceans are significantly inferior in area and the number of kilometers from the surface of the water to their darkest depths. By the way, Wikipedia helped the authors a lot in writing this material, but in order not to open ten tabs in the browser at once, here are all the record holders in one link!
10. Arctic Ocean (average depth – 1225 m, greatest depth – 5527 m)
This ocean is the smallest ocean in terms of depth and area in the world among the five most important water bodies on Earth. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) has recognized the Arctic Ocean as an ocean, despite the fact that some oceanographers persistently call it the Arctic Mediterranean Sea or simply the Arctic Sea, classifying it as an intercontinental body of water, or even the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean.
9. Sea of Japan (average depth - 1753 m, greatest depth - 3742 m)
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Asia and Sakhalin. It is the islands that separate the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Politically it refers to Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Northern and southern waters This ocean is very different in the diversity of flora and fauna. There are many people living here starfish, shrimp, sea urchins and blennies.
8. Mediterranean Sea (average depth - 1500 m, greatest depth - 5267 m)
This sea has access to the Atlantic Ocean, is surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and is almost completely isolated by land: from the north Southern Europe and Asia Minor, from the south by North Africa and from the east by the Levantine region (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon). The Mediterranean Sea is sometimes considered integral part Atlantic Ocean, although it is more common to classify this sea as a separate water body.
7. Gulf of Mexico (average depth – 1485 m, greatest depth – 4384 m)
The Gulf of Mexico is an ocean basin surrounded by the North American mainland. In the northeast, north and northwest it washes the shores of the United States, in the southwest - Mexico, and in the southeast - Cuba. IN scientific community There is still debate about the origin of this unusually round reservoir. There is a hypothesis that it was formed as a result of a collision of the Earth with a meteorite about 300 million years ago. But most geologists believe that this water area occurred due to tectonic movement lithospheric plates.
6. Bering Sea (average depth – 1600 m, greatest depth – 4151 m)
Its area is 2,315,000 sq km and it is considered marginal sea. Located in the North Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea lies between Asia and North America. In the northeast, the Bering Sea borders the Alaska Peninsula, in the northwest it washes the shores of Chukotka, Northern Kamchatka and the Koryak Highlands. In the 18th century, this sea was called Kamchatka and Beaver, but then it received the name of the famous Vitus Bering, a navigator and scientist who explored this natural basin from 1725 to 1743. Among the animals, pinnipeds (seals, seals and walruses) love these frosty waters the most.
5. South China Sea (average depth – 1024 m, greatest depth – 5560 m)
This semi-enclosed sea, belonging to the waters of the Pacific basin, covers an area of 3,500,000 sq km. It is located from the Indochina Peninsula to the islands of Kalimantan, Palawan, Luzon and Taiwan. The South China Sea is home to a third of the world's shipping lanes and is believed to have large deposits oil and gas.
4. Caribbean Sea (average depth – 2500 m, greatest depth – 7686 m)
The Caribbean Sea belongs to the Atlantic Ocean in the tropical climatic zone Western Hemisphere. In the south and west it is surrounded by the Central and South America, in the north and east - the Greater and Lesser Antilles, in the southwest - the Panama Canal and the Pacific Ocean, in the northwest - the Yucatan Strait and the Gulf of Mexico. Today, this sea is most often associated with the azure horizons of elite resorts, but there were times when these waters were considered a haven for cruel pirates who terrified peaceful sailors.
3. Atlantic Ocean (average depth – 3646 m, greatest depth – 8486 m)
It is the world's second deepest ocean, covering an area of approximately 106,460,000 sq. m. It covers approximately 20% earth's surface and 29% of the water surface of the world's oceans. Atlantic divides Old world from the New, Europe and Africa from South and North America. To the north it borders Greenland and Iceland.
2. Indian Ocean (average depth – 3711 m, greatest depth – 7729 m)
This is the world's third largest ocean area. The Indian Ocean covers about 70,560,000 sq km, bordered by Asia to the north, Africa to the west, Australia to the east and Antarctica to the south.
The formation of this ocean began in the Early Jurassic period with the separation of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana, and its transformation continues to this day due to relentless movements tectonic plates. One of the most significant activities in this region is considered to be the 2004 earthquake, when a powerful tremor measuring 9.3 on the Richter scale caused the deadliest tsunami in history. modern history humanity.
1. Pacific Ocean (average depth – 3984 m, greatest depth – 10994 m)
Before you is the largest and most deep ocean on the ground. It stretches from the Arctic Ocean in the north to Antarctica in the south, and washes the shores of Asia and Australia in the west, and in its eastern part it borders on South and North America.
The Pacific Ocean received its deceptive name during a three-month expedition by a team of discoverers led by the Portuguese navigator Magellan. Then they were incredibly lucky with the weather and did not encounter a single storm during their journey through these waters.
In total, there are 63 seas on Earth that are part of the World Ocean.
The deepest sea on Earth is Philippine Sea, The Mariana Trench located in it set a record for the depth of the World Ocean - 11022 meters. This sea, in particular the Mariana Trench, attracts the attention of researchers around the world, but the high cost scientific works and the need for complex technical equipment become an obstacle for the vast majority of scientists.
coral sea , is one of the deepest seas of the World Ocean, being part of the Pacific Ocean. It is located off the coast of Australia and New Guinea, its depth is 9140 meters.
The attraction of the Coral Sea is the Great Barrier Reef, familiar to almost all inhabitants of the planet.
Caribbean Sea with a maximum depth of 7686 meters, is another deep-sea world record holder. Located in Atlantic Ocean, the sea gained international fame thanks to historical processes associated with the development of medieval piracy in this region. Glorified by numerous book novels and films, these fearless adventurers brought Caribbean Sea not only popularity, but also global study, which was combined with the endless search for fabulous treasures inextricably linked with pirate legends.
The next deepest record holder is sea Gang , also related to the Pacific Ocean. Its greatest depth is 7440 meters. Located between the islands of the Malay Archipelago, the sea has many unexplored areas, which in their depths, of course, cannot be compared with the Mariana Trench, but may well allow them to take third place in the ranking of the deepest seas in the world.
The study of the depths of this sea has been ongoing for 17 years and is carried out by various international organizations, while bringing constant new results of deep measurements.
Maximum depth Arabian Sea is 5803 meters. The sea is located in the Indian Ocean and is limited to the Arabian Peninsula. This region has rich history and modern economic potential.
6th place
Tasman Sea , located in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean, has a depth of 5200 meters. The sea is the border dividing New Zealand and Australia. The study of this water body began in 1770, by the famous navigator and traveler James Cook. Detailed Descriptions and he took measurements of the depths of the Tasman Sea on his first round-the-world expedition.
Beaufort Sea , located in the Arctic Ocean, its maximum depth reaches 4683 meters. Rich oil deposits spark exploration depths of the sea this water body.
The US authorities are actively sponsoring geological exploration work in this region; scientists believe that the sea has a double bottom, under which vast deposits of various minerals are hidden, presumably not only hydrocarbons, but also precious metals.
Bay of Bengal, being part Indian Ocean, in some of its areas reaches a depth of 4694 meters. Washing the shores of four countries, the bay has the longest beach in the world, the length of which exceeds 120 kilometers. Also, the Bay of Bengal is the largest in the world, its area is more than 2.1 million km 2. Thanks to its hydrochemical and hydrological characteristics, it is a sea officially recognized by the International Hydrographic Organization.