Sea · China, Taiwan, Philippines
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a large sea in South-East Asia, between China, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. It is dotted with hundreds of tiny islands and reefs and crossed by countless ships.
Picture credit: Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Mustang Joe (CC0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is South China Sea?
Part of: Pacific Ocean.
Countries on its coasts: China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam.
The story behind it
The South China Sea covers about 3.5 million km². Many big rivers flow into it, including the Pearl River in China, the Red River in Vietnam and the mighty Mekong. More than 250 small islands, atolls, sandbanks and coral reefs rise from the water. The Spratly Islands alone spread over an area about 810 by 900 km, with around 175 islands, reefs and rocks. Many of them are so small that nobody lives there. The countries around the sea do not agree on who owns some of these islands. The South China Sea is one of the busiest seaways on Earth: in 2016, about a fifth of the value of all goods carried by ship worldwide passed through it. Fishing boats catch plenty of fish here too. Big cities such as Hong Kong, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore lie near its shores.
Find it on the globe
South China 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 South China Sea?
The South China Sea covers about 3.5 million km². Its deepest point is about 5 560 m deep; measurements give between 5 559 and 5 567 m.
Which rivers flow into the South China Sea?
Many rivers do, including the Pearl River, the Red River and the Mekong. Other rivers that end here include the Min and the Jiulong in China.
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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