Sea · Russia, United States
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a cold sea in the far north of the Pacific Ocean, between Alaska and Russia. In the north, the narrow Bering Strait links it to the Arctic Ocean.
Picture credit: Allan Shimada, NOAA NMFS/OST/AMD. (Public domain) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Bering Sea?
Part of: Pacific Ocean.
Countries on its coasts: Russia, the United States.
The story behind it
The sea is named after Vitus Bering, a Danish-born sailor who explored it for Russia in 1728. In the south, the long chain of the Aleutian Islands closes it off like a fence, and the International Date Line runs right across it. Floating ice is common in the north. At the Bering Strait, Asia and North America are only about 85 km apart. In the last ice age the sea level was so low that people could walk from Asia to North America here. Today the sea is full of life: walruses, Steller sea lions, fur seals and polar bears live here, along with beluga, humpback, grey and blue whales. About 20 million seabirds of more than 30 kinds nest on its coasts. Fishers catch Pacific cod, salmon and herring, as well as red king crabs and snow crabs.
Find it on the globe
Bering Sea is there as a name written across its water — tap the water and its card opens. From far away the planet is only a blue ball; detail arrives as you zoom in, and this one appears once you are close enough. Open it on the globe.
Questions children ask
How big is the Bering Sea?
The Bering Sea covers about 2.3 million km². In its deepest parts it goes down more than 4 000 m.
Could people once walk across the Bering Sea?
Yes, at its northern end. In the last ice age the sea level was so low that people could walk from Asia to North America where the Bering Strait is today.
Which animals live in the Bering Sea?
Walruses, seals, sea lions, polar bears and many kinds of whales live here. About 20 million seabirds nest on its coasts, and the water is full of fish and crabs.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page was checked against public reference sources before publication. Where sources genuinely disagree, the text says so.
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