East China Sea

The East China Sea is a marginal sea in East Asia Pacific.

Geography

The sea between mainland China to the west, South Korea in the north, the south-western parts of Japan ( Kyushu region, including the Ryukyu Islands) to the east and Taiwan in the south. It is separated on the Formosastraße the north by the Sea of ​​Japan through the Korea Strait and on the south by the South China Sea.

The sea north-west between the Korean Peninsula and the People's Republic of China is no longer counted them. This other sea is called yellow sea. Together they form together with the South China Sea an area, which is called China Sea.

Data

The total area of ​​the East China Sea is about 1.25 million km ². It extends over wide areas as shallow shelf sea, which is filled by sediments of the Chinese flows more and more. It has an average depth of about 275 meters. To the southeast of the ocean floor near the Ryukyu Islands runs much deeper. Thus, the lowest point is at 2719 meters in the Okinawa trench.

1980 have been discovered in this area extensive oil deposits. By accessing the mineral resources arguing the littoral states. This conflict led to a dispute over the ownership of the Socotra Felses, which is claimed by South Korea and the People's Republic of China and is controlled since 2003 de facto of South Korea.

On November 23, 2013 China declared an Air Defense Identification Zone to the East China Sea, including disputed areas such as the Socotra rock or the Senkaku Islands.