Sea · Russia, Japan
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk is a cold sea in the north-western Pacific, between Russia and the Japanese island of Hokkaido. In winter, much of it freezes and drifting ice floats along the coasts.
Picture credit: JukoFF (CC BY 4.0) · Benford Choi (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Sea of Okhotsk?
Part of: Pacific Ocean.
Countries on its coasts: Russia, Japan.
The story behind it
The Sea of Okhotsk is named after the Russian port town of Okhotsk, which takes its name from the Okhota River. It is framed by the Kamchatka Peninsula in the east, the Kuril Islands in the south-east, Hokkaido in the south and Sakhalin Island in the south-west. It is one of the coldest seas in East Asia. The Amur River brings in lots of fresh water, which helps ice to form. Between mid-January and early February, the drift ice reaches Hokkaido, the most southerly place in the Northern Hemisphere where drifting sea ice can be seen. Visitors ride boats through the ice at Abashiri. In summer, thick fog often lies over the water. The sea is full of salmon, cod, herring and crabs. Fur seals, sea lions and whales swim here, and Steller’s sea eagles breed on the islands.
Find it on the globe
Sea of Okhotsk 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 Sea of Okhotsk?
The Sea of Okhotsk covers about 1.58 million km², although some sources give a little less. Its deepest point is about 3 372 m deep.
Where does the drift ice at Hokkaido come from?
Is there less drift ice today?
Yes. Since the late 1980s, the amount and thickness of the drift ice reaching Japan have gone down a lot because of climate change.
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.
Last checked: