South China Sea map. What is the sea like in China?

27.09.2019

Located in the western part Pacific Ocean. It covers the territory from Singapore to the island of Taiwan. The length of the sea is 3300 kilometers, the maximum width is 1600 kilometers, the greatest depth reaches 5500 meters. It has many islets, atolls and

The South China Sea is located in two climatic zones: equatorial and subequatorial. In winter the winds blow predominantly from the northeast, and in the summer from the southwest. It is thanks to them that resort towns Mui Ne and Phan Thiet are annually visited by fans of windsurfing, parasailing, and kitesurfing from all over the world. Water temperature ranges from +20 to +27 degrees in summer time. Closer to autumn, the Chinese Sea warms up to +29 degrees. Typhoons often occur in summer.

The borders of many states extend to the sea: the Philippines, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia. Passes through the sea a large number of trade routes. All this makes the South China Sea very busy. In addition, it is very rich in biological resources, which is why territorial conflicts often flare up between coastal states. This is especially true for discovered large oil reserves.

The South China Sea attracts thousands of tourists to its shores every year. Magnificent beaches will give you fairy island Koh Samui, an unforgettable experience awaits you in the city of Pattaya night life. Vietnam also has a number of resort towns. For example, Nha Chag, Phan Thiet, Danang. All of them have developed infrastructure and many travel agencies. Thanks to good financing, the exotic resorts of China located on the island of Hainan are gaining more and more popularity every year. One of the most amazing places The South China Sea is Singapore. Its area is only 720 km². Despite this, today it is one of the most economically developed countries in Asia with high level life.

The East China Sea is located between the islands of Kyushu and Ryukyu and the eastern coast of China. It has a semi-closed shape. Its total area is 836 thousand km². The greatest depth of the sea is 2719 meters. The water temperature in summer rises to +28 degrees. Daily tides reach an average of 7.5 kilometers. There is constant fishing in the sea: sardines, herring, as well as crabs, lobsters, sea cucumbers and seaweed.

Navigation in the East China Sea is poorly developed. Most of the navigation aids are located closer to the ports, on capes, on the shores of the tides. Earthquakes often occur here, which change their result - the appearance of longitudinal ones and which crush everything in their path. Tsunamis often occur here, unleashing their destructive power on the land. Typically, local tsunamis consist of a series of waves. Usually their number ranges from three to nine. They spread over land at speeds of up to 300 km/h at intervals of 10-30 minutes. The height of the waves reaches 5 meters, the maximum length is 100 kilometers.

The South China Sea is located on the map between two oceans - the Pacific and Indian. Many small islands, shallow waters, and coral reefs are home to a variety of marine life. More than 6.5 thousand species inhabit these warm waters. The sea coast attracts tourists, mineral resources lie on the shelf, and the location promotes transport activity.

What an ocean

The sea is open on one side and washes the mainland on the other. It is difficult for a non-specialist to determine which object on the map the South China Sea belongs to. It is located in the southern part of Eurasia, limited to Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan. It is connected by straits to the Pacific and Indian oceans, borders on many water systems and belongs to the Pacific Ocean.

Geography

On the continental side it washes China, Malaysia and Vietnam. The longest coastline belongs to Vietnam, which is why it is called the Vietnam Sea. On the other there are a large number of islands, seas and straits.

Among the top five large seas world, the area is 3.5 million km², the average depth is just over 1 km. A significant river of the Indochina Peninsula, the Mekong, flows into the sea. The nine-armed Mekong Delta is located in Vietnam and is home to one of the most densely populated areas in the world. To the north flow the Hongha and Xinjiang.

FACT: The area of the Mekong Delta, which the Vietnamese call the “Nine Dragon River”, is almost 40 thousand km²; in 2011, the population in the region was more than 17 million people.

Bottom relief

The bottom topography has three encircling parts:

More than 50% of the area is occupied by the continental shelf, which is widest in the northern part of the sea;
The stepped southeast Asian slope has depths of up to 3.6 km;
The central flat sea basin has mountainous elevations; in some parts the depth reaches 5 km.

The deep-sea part is located closer to the island of Luzon; on the opposite side there are many islets, reefs and banks.

The largest Chinese island, Hainan, is located in the north of the South China Sea; due to its similar climate, it can be called “East Hawaii”. In prehistoric times, the island was part of the mainland; inside there are mountains and dense forests.

All small islands basically coral atolls. The atolls are not inhabited by people, but there are a lot of marine inhabitants here. The Spratly Islands consist of hundreds of islets, and have been the subject of conflict between the countries of the water area for more than 10 years. Since 2014, China has been building artificial dams, covering corals with silt and limestone, undermining the natural life of coral reefs.

Salinity

The salinity of the South China Sea, around 32 - 34‰, varies seasonally and varies slightly in different parts. In winter, the northern parts are the saltiest due to increased evaporation. Near the Mekong Delta, the figure drops to 30 ‰. Off the coast of the Philippines, weak currents contribute to increased salinity. During the rainy season, the sea becomes fresher by about 0.7‰. Monsoons also make adjustments to the composition of water.

The circulation of the upper layer is directly related to the monsoons. Typhoons increase the speed of water flow up to 210 cm/s.

There are 3 types of circulation in the South China Sea:

The monsoon current passes through the surface as a single unit, gaining greatest strength in the west;
Horizontal circulation caused by winds;
Vertical circulation transports layers of water, moving deep water to the surface.

Water exchange with other seas is limited by the shallow depth of the straits. Since November, the northern influence of the trade wind current has been observed.

FACT: During low tide, strong “ reverse current", dangerous for swimmers. To get out of it, you need to swim parallel to the shore.

In summer, the water temperature is uniform and stays around +29°C on the surface. In winter, the sea is quite warm from +18° to +28°C, the temperature difference is associated with the change of monsoons. The winter wind brings cold waters from the north; seasonal water temperature fluctuations off the coast of Hong Kong reach 13-14°C. On Hainan Island, temperatures vary from +20°C in January to +30°C in July.

Precipitation

The islands are subject to heavy rainfall. Over 1300 mm of water falls per year. The greatest amounts fall in the southern months from June to October. On the coast of Vietnam, the rainy season begins in May and ends in November.

Monsoons

Monsoons, steady winds with a constant direction, have a huge impact on the weather in the region. The west coast is influenced by southwesterly winds from May to October, which brings warmth and heavy rainfall. In October, the northeast wind carries dry and cool weather until April. Under the influence of winds near the coast, constant waves are formed, especially strong in the southwest.

Typhoons

Typhoons cause strong waves. Storm surges are dangerous when combined with high tides. In Vietnam, water surges of up to 3 meters were observed, in China up to almost 6 meters. The typhoon season in the western Pacific lasts from late summer to late autumn and is exciting north coast South China Sea. Wind speeds can exceed 20 meters per second.

Depth

The sea beaches are mostly flat. The depth of the South China Sea on the continental side barely reaches 0.2 km, the Gulf of Thailand - less than 70 m. The reason for the shallow water is a wide shelf zone located in a ring. The deep-sea basin is located off the coast of the islands of Luzon and Taiwan. Maximum depth is about 5500 m.

The warm sea is rich in nutrients and is distinguished by its diversity nautical uniform life:

The vegetation is represented by algae from single-celled ones, including poisonous red ones, to huge kelp. Some green algae blooms are causing a real disaster in Chinese provinces.
Fishes of industrial importance. These include: eel, herring, mackerel, sardines, tuna.
Sharks, rays, jellyfish and others dangerous inhabitants. Sharks are not often seen by people; they have been spotted off the coast of the Philippine Islands. More often people suffer from poisonous fish and jellyfish.
Corals and coral reef inhabitants annually attract divers from all over the world.
Clams, crabs, shrimp.

FACT: The largest jewel, the Pearl of Allah, weighing 6.4 kg, was caught in the Philippines in 1943.

The South China Sea is washed by many exotic countries and attracts diving and snorkeling enthusiasts. In most resorts you can relax all year round.

Main directions of tourism:

On the Chinese island of Hainan in the South China Sea, tourists can improve their health with the help of traditional national medicine. The island is famous thermal springs, healing the body.
Pattaya (Thailand), beloved by tourists, is located on the coast of the South China Sea. The place is famous for its mild climate and convenient infrastructure.
Nha Trang Bay (Vietnam) amazes with its beauty. The region is actively developing, here you can combine a traditional beach holiday with extensive excursion program and mud therapy.
Singapore has been chosen by businessmen from all over the world. Fantastic city-state with snow-white beaches and ideal cleanliness, various theme parks, amazing buildings, high technology - all this is the reality of Singapore.

Disputed Islands

Heated debates over the Spratlys and Paracel Islands are being waged by several countries in the area - China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. The main reasons for disputes are fish and Natural resources, control of sea routes.

The disputed islands are classified as Chinese province Hainan. The Vietnamese provide historical documents and evidence that they also have rights to some territories. The Philippines is located closest to the subject of discussion and claims its right to the disputed areas.

The conflict escalated after China built artificial islands in the Spratly archipelago. The countries of the water area consider it unlawful to build military bases located a thousand miles from the coast of China.

Economic significance

The water area is of global importance:

The South China Sea is home to major trade routes used by Russia, China and Japan. Flows from active trade in the region amount to about 5 trillion. dollars.
The waters are rich in commercial fish species. About 10% of the world's fish is caught here.
There are deposits of oil, gas, precious and non-ferrous metals on the shelf. China and Vietnam attract international companies for production.
The islands produce and export guano, an environmentally friendly fertilizer.

FACT: World leader in catching and consuming fish in last years became China.

Let's sum it up

Many people enjoy vacationing in the warm tropical climate. The South China Sea is attractive for tourism and has global economic significance. Seafood, coral fish, exotic species, oil and heated international disputes - all this is the southern sea region.

The South China Sea in Vietnam is called East Sea and, rarely, the Vietnam Sea. It is one of the marginal seas of the western Pacific Ocean. It is of utmost importance for Vietnam and neighboring countries. This is due to the fact that it is the only sea washing Vietnam and has a large volume of biological resources and hydrocarbon deposits. In addition, it shapes the climate Indochinese Peninsula and is an important transport corridor.

The sea near the Vietnamese city of Cam Ranh south of Nha Trang

Geographical position

On the western side, the South China Sea is limited by the line of the Asian continent. China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have coastlines on this side. From the east it is limited by many islands. Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia have coastlines here. It belongs to the semi-enclosed seas, because between the islands there are many straits, including wide ones.

Fishermen of the South China Sea (Vung Tau)

From north to south, the sea extends from the Tropic of Capricorn to the equator and even extends slightly into the southern hemisphere. From west to east its length is not so great. From the northeastern to the southwestern extremity of the sea runs the Main sea route- perhaps the most intense of the sea routes, with the exception of straits and canals.

The largest bays of the South China Sea are Tonkin and Siam, which is sometimes called Thailand.
Inside the sea there is only one large island- Hainan. Most of the remaining islands are of coral origin. The islands lying on the sides of the Main Sea Route have different structures. The Paracel and Spratly Islands are low, composed of coral sand and covered with low-growing vegetation.

Vietnam occupies an advantageous central position in the South China Sea and has the longest coastline.

Natural characteristics

The area of the South China Sea is 3,537,289 km². The maximum depth is 5560 m. However, approximately two-thirds of the sea area has depths of less than two hundred meters. The northeastern part is deep-water. Typhoons are frequent in summer and autumn. Tides are irregular, diurnal and semidiurnal, up to 4 m.

The surface water temperature in January ranges from 14 °C in the north to 27 °C in the south; in August it reaches 28-30 °C over the entire area. The average water salinity is 32-34 ‰.

The climate in the South China Sea and adjacent areas is monsoonal. It means that air masses during the wet season they move from the sea to the mainland, and during the dry season - from the depths of the mainland to the sea. According to temperature characteristics, the sea is located mainly in the subtropical, tropical, subequatorial zones, and also a little in the temperate and equatorial zones.

Typhoons pose a great danger to navigation and to the economy and lives of people on land. They pass through it most intensively in October-November.

The sea is rich in biological resources. Commercial fish - tuna, herring, sardines, some types of sharks, sole and others. In addition to fish, squid, crabs, shrimp, and lobsters are caught. Coastal farms produce various types of shellfish, as well as shrimp.

Sea of Vietnam

The South China Sea is sometimes called the Sea of Vietnam. This is because its mainland coastline is the longest here.
For many centuries, the Vietnamese poorly developed their sea. We carried out coastal fishing for seafood and that was the end of it. There was even a saying: “The Vietnamese have their backs to the sea.” Among the Vietnamese, relaxation is not very common and is not the sea, although for the majority it is always nearby.
During the Nguyen dynasty, a naval expedition was undertaken to the Pracel Islands and from that time they began to be considered the territory of Vietnam.

After the August Revolution, the “Sea of Vietnam” began to be developed more actively. A fishing fleet appeared, albeit small, but numerous. His ships were already moving far from the shore.
The navy also consisted of small boats for various purposes. Currently, the “Sea of Vietnam” is already plied by medium-sized naval vessels and several new submarines built in Russia.
The tonnage of the merchant fleet is significant. Most ships are built in Vietnam.

Economic significance

IN Lately The main economic factor of the South China Sea is the production of oil and gas on its shelf. It is implemented by several countries. China is especially interested in hydrocarbon production here due to the instability of the situation in the area Persian Gulf where does he get it from? most fuel resources.

The South China Sea has long been a source of fish and other seafood for coastal populations. In modern conditions, mollusks and arthropods are grown on numerous farms in coastal waters and exported frozen to many countries around the world.

A huge amount of cargo is transported along the Main Sea Route of the South China Sea. It carries industrial goods, rice and seafood from China, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan to the countries of Europe, Asia and Africa. In the opposite direction, oil is transported from the Persian Gulf (half of the world's production), and industrial goods are transported from Europe.

Holiday seasons

A large number of foreign tourists arrive in countries washed by the South China Sea all year round. Due to the monsoon climate, not all months of the year are equal in terms of holiday comfort.

In southern China and northern Vietnam, temperature seasonality is felt, so the period from November to March for beach holiday doesn't fit. The rest of the coast, approximately south of Da Nang, has comfortable air and water temperatures all year round. But due to the monsoon factor, there is increased rainfall for several months.

In Malaysia, the wet season on the Malay Peninsula is summer. Borneo has a wet winter season.
In Cambodia, the wet season lasts from May-June to October.
Thailand experiences a humid summer monsoon from late April to mid-November.
In the Philippines, the wet season is from July to December.

The best holiday season on most of the Vietnamese coast of the South China Sea is from March to May, although Russian tourists traditionally people flock there in autumn and winter. This is likely due to the fact that beach destinations in Europe and the Middle East are unattractive at this time.

History and modernity

For a long time before the 19th century, the South China Sea was quite peaceful, except for local pirates. The sea served as routes for maritime trade between China, India and other countries. As the fleet in Europe developed, European ships began to sail there for Chinese goods.

Since the 19th century, countries South-East Asia, which are washed by the South China Sea, began to fall into colonial dependence on Great Britain, France and smaller European countries.

During World War II, naval operations of the United States and England were carried out in the sea and on the coast against Japan. During the Vietnam War, the Americans kept a significant portion of their 7th Fleet offshore, primarily to bomb North Vietnam.

Currently, the main core of the political and economic struggle of the adjacent countries is the dispute over the Spratly Islands in connection with oil and gas deposits off their coasts.

The numerous islands and mainland lands of eastern and southeastern Asia share the waters of their common basin, the South China Sea, and a common geological past. In the Precambrian period (more than 500 million years ago), the Chinese Plate, which forms the northern part of Asia, was a huge land mass. Then it divided and the places where its southern part of the South China Plate subsided were filled with water. This is how local seas were formed, including the South China Sea, the basin of which is outlined by the coastlines of China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines, as well as the chain of islands (Taiwan, Luzon, etc.) separating the continental shelf Asia from the so-called Pacific Trench. The sea is known for its depth variations. Its western and southern parts rest on the Sunda shelf (a wide continental shelf), where the bottom often begins at a level of 30-80 m (at the edge - more than 150 m). In the northeast, from the Philippines and Sulawesi, as well as from the Lesser Sunda Islands, the shelf is separated by a colossal basin (in places up to 4000 m), maximum depth which is 5560 m. Unlike the eastern part, where underwater currents are weak, the western part has a pronounced southern current in winter and a northern one in summer. At a depth of more than 2000 m, the temperature remains at 2.3 ° C, and salinity reaches 34.63%. Diurnal and semidiurnal tides can reach 5.9 m.

Story

The first Europeans to settle here were most likely the Portuguese, who in 1553 received the right to anchorage and maritime trade off the Macau Peninsula, overcoming the rule that had existed in Imperial China since the 14th century. ban on her. Perhaps Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) knew about the sea back in 1520. Then he, having rounded South America, walked through the calm waters of the ocean to the Philippine Islands. He christened the ocean he traversed the Pacific Ocean and apparently reached the South China Sea. In any case, the detailed map of the Pacific Ocean published by the Flemish cartographer Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598) in 1589 already included this sea. Over time, Macau turned into a Portuguese colony, and Europeans increasingly appeared in the waters of the South China Sea, dividing the lands of its coastline among themselves.
In 1806, the Russian sloops “Neva” and “Nadezhda” visited here - ships of the first Russian navy in the history circumnavigation under the command of Admiral Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern (1770-1846) and Captain Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky (1773-1837).
In the middle of the 19th century. The South China Sea became the front of the “Opium Wars” (1840-1842 and 1856-1860). The conflicts were initiated by Britain and France with the aim of weakening China. The Europeans won, received a multimillion-dollar indemnity in Chinese currency and reached agreements that improved the situation of foreigners in the region and increased trade turnover. The southern part of the Kowloon Peninsula with Hong Kong - “the greatest harbor in the world,” according to the hero of the novel Tai-Peng (1966) by James Clavell (1924-1994) - was ceded to Great Britain.
XX century The South China Sea remains a high-stress area due to its strategic location and the presence of minerals offshore. In 1939, the islands of the South China Sea were occupied by the Japanese. They created military communications: tracking stations, preliminary detection of objects and warnings, a seaplane port, a submarine base, runway strip. This allowed the Japanese to significantly undermine the Allied forces in the early period of World War II. The Europeans also tried to strengthen their positions. In particular, France attached great importance to the military strengthening of Indochina, which carried out large-scale military construction on the territory of its colonies (for example, since 1939 an aircraft factory operated in Hanoi), had an extensive garrison and naval base. But already in 1940, it was forced to submit to Japanese demands to stop transporting goods to China through Indochina. A number of successful actions against Japan in the sea area were carried out by the American-British allied forces in 1945. The strategically important Spratly Islands, located between Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia, have always been of particular interest: this archipelago of more than 100 small islands is still claimed today six states (Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines and Brunei). Deep-sea research gives reason to talk about the presence of about 3,100,000,000 tons of oil in the depths of the sea. One of the largest oil and gas bearing areas is the Sunda shelf. Before our eyes, the territorial conflict between China and the Philippines threatens to escalate in the South China Sea.
But any conflict in this region threatens to go beyond the local, because the main sea route connecting Asia (including China and Russia) with Australia and Africa lies here.
The most important part of the income of coastal countries is tourism. Guests can relax on the islands of coral and volcanic nature. Some of the volcanoes are active, so underwater eruptions and earthquakes that provoke tsunamis are common here. Combined with frequent typhoons and drift currents formed under the influence of monsoons, all this makes the region dangerous for sailors.
This sea scares some, but protects others. The semi-mythical figure of Madame Wong (born 1920-?) has become a legendary character. Her husband, Mr. Wong Kungkit, made a huge fortune by robbing ships in the South China Sea. After his death in 1947, his wife continued his work. She managed to organize a pirate gang in the best traditions of Chinese secret societies, the head of which was sacred and assumed mystical unquestioning obedience.
The exotic fauna of these places amazes no less than the exciting legends: strong and aggressive striped gymnomures, poisonous warty stone fish, Chinese flutefish, whistle fish and those hiding in needles sea urchins wrytails.

general information

Sea in the western Pacific Ocean. Washes coastline East and Southeast Asia.
Largest peninsulas: Indochina, Malacca.
Location between islands: Kalimantan (Borneo), Palawan, Luzon, Taiwan.
Main straits: Taiwanese, Washi, Luzon, Gelasa, Karimata.
Large bays: Bakbo (Tonkin), Siamese.
Largest island: .
Largest flowing rivers: Xijiang (South China), Hong Ha (Vietnam), Mekong (Vietnam), Chao Phraya (Thailand), Maenam (Thailand).
Countries with access to the sea: China, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia.
The most important ports and largest cities: Kaohsiung (Taiwan), (China), Zhanjian (China). and (Vietnam), (Thailand), (Republic of Singapore), (Philippines).
Major airports: international Airport Singapore (Changi), Kota Bharu Airport, Hong Kong International Airport (Chek Lap Kok), Bangkok International Airport (Suvarnabhum).

Numbers

Area: 3537 km2.
Average depth: 1024 m.
Greatest depth: 5560 m.
Water volume: 3622 km 3.
Current speed: about 1 km/h.
Salinity: from 31%-33% (summer) to 31.5%-34% (winter).
Total water area: more than 3,530,000 km 2.

Economy

Industry: light industry, food industry, oil and gas production, electronics assembly.
Agriculture: crop growing, vegetable growing, fishing, livestock farming.
Service sector: tourism, trade, transport.

Climate and weather

Tropical, in the south - equatorial monsoon.
Average January temperature:+15ºС (in the north), +25ºС (in the south)
Average temperature in July:+28ºС.
Average annual precipitation: 2000-2500 mm per year.
Average water temperature (at surface): in winter from +20ºС (in the north) to +27ºС (in the south); in summer up to +29ºС.

Typhoons are very frequent (summer and autumn).
Wind zone: northeast (in winter), south and southwest (in summer).

Attractions

National parks

Con Dao (Vietnam)

Rome and Botum Sakor (Cambodia)

Bako and Similajau (Kalimantan Island (Borneo), Malaysia)

underground river national park Puerto Princesa (Philippines)

National marine park My-Ko-Ang Thong (Thailand)

Similajau National Marine Park (Malaysia)

Curious facts

From the bottom of the South China Sea in 1934, the largest (more than 6 kg 14 x 24 cm) and expensive (about $42 million) pearl in the world, the “Head of Allah,” was recovered. It really resembles the shape of the head of a man in a turban and, like any unique natural formation, over centuries of life at the bottom of the sea it has acquired not only a mother-of-pearl layer, but also legends. They say that Lao Tse himself, the luminary of ancient Chinese philosophy, placed an amulet in the shell, and then his followers transferred the pearl to an increasingly larger mollusk. According to a sad legend, typical for countries with developed pearl fishing, it was allegedly found by the son of one of the Philippine leaders: at that time the pearl rested in a giant tridacni shell, which he could not cope with and died. Tridacnas can actually reach a length of 2 m and weigh more than 100 kg Tridacnas have traditionally been considered dangerous for pearl divers, which is why they received the nickname “death traps”.

Since 1974, the South China Sea has been blessed by the likeness of the famous Brazilian sculpture of Jesus with outstretched arms - Thanh Zoc (Vung Tau, Vietnam).

Puerto Princesa Underground River National Park on the island of Palawan (Philippines) is famous for the longest (8.2 km) navigable underground river in the world In the calcareous mountain range, she created grottoes and caves up to 60 m high and up to 120 m wide. For this, she was included in the list of objects World Heritage UNESCO.

The South China Sea (南海, Nánhǎi, Nanhai) is a semi-enclosed sea of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southeast Asia, between the Indochina Peninsula, the islands of Kalimantan, Palawan, Luzon and Taiwan. The water surface area is 3,537,289 km², the maximum depth is 5,560 meters. The Main Sea Route passes through the South China Sea, which runs from the ports of China, Korea and Japan to the Singapore Strait, from where it heads to Europe. Trade routes, wealth in fish and oil make the South China Sea very valuable, so control over its waters and numerous islands is disputed by six states at once.

The South China Sea is semi-enclosed and lies on west coast The Pacific Ocean, surrounded on different sides by islands and straits. To the north, the South China Sea borders Eurasia, particularly China. The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian, as well as the province of Hainan, located on the island of the same name, which is also the largest in the South China Sea, have access to the South China Sea. In the northeast, the South China Sea is limited by the island of Taiwan and the Taiwan Strait, in the east by the Philippine islands, in the south by the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra, as well as the Karimata and Singapore straits, and in the west by the Eurasian peninsulas of Malay and Indochina. Through the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea is connected to the East China Sea, through the Luzon and Bashi Straits to the Philippine Strait, through the Mindoro Strait to the Sulu Sea, through the Karimata Strait to the Java Sea, and through the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Andaman Sea Indian Ocean. The South China Sea is the third largest coastal sea in the world, after the Coral and Arabian Seas (the largest sea, the Philippine Sea, is not coastal). Since the shortest sea route from East Asia to Indian Ocean, it has great importance for the global economy and the defense of interested states. Sea surface area - 3,537,289 km², which is 16 times more province Guangdong. From the Chinese coast to the very south island, which China claims - James Banks (Zengmu Ansha) - more than 2000 kilometers, which is further than from Guangzhou to Beijing. The average depth of the sea is 1,024 meters, the maximum depth in the central part of the sea is 5,560 meters, the water temperature in the sea is 25-28℃, changing by no more than 5-6℃ throughout the year. The salinity of the water is 35‰, the magnitude of the tides is about 2 meters. Frequent and powerful typhoons, most often in summer and early autumn.

There is a territorial dispute over the waters of the South China Sea, and especially over the Spratly Islands archipelago located in its center. The PRC stands behind a border called the “Nine-Dash Line.” According to it, China owns almost the entire sea area, all the Spratly and Paracel Islands, the Pratas archipelago and the Macclesfield Bank. The same territory within the same borders is claimed by the Republic of China (Taiwan). In addition, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei claim part of the Spratly Islands and the waters of the sea. Each of these countries, except Brunei, actually controls several islands.