Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective, does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
The sea is a salt water body connected to one of the 5 oceans that exist on the planet. Some are located inside the continents, others are part of the ocean. There are about 90 marine bodies of water in the world, with different salinity, depth and size. Today we will talk about the largest seas on the planet.
Water giants of our planet: 9 largest seas
| Nomination | a place | Sea | Area | Maximum depth |
| 9 largest seas | 1 | Sargassovo | 6,000,000 (7,000,000) km2 | 6 995 m. |
| 2 | Filipino | 5,695,000 km2 | 10 994 ± 40 m. | |
| 3 | Arabian | 3,862,000 km2 | 5 803 m. | |
| 4 | Weddell Sea | 2,800,000 km2 | 6820 m. | |
| 5 | Caribbean | 2,753,000 km2 | 7687 m. | |
| 6 | Mediterranean | 2,500,000 km2 | 5121 m. | |
| 7 | Tasmanovo | 2,300,000 km2 | 6000 m. | |
| 8 | Beringovo | 2,000,000 km2 | 4151 m. | |
| 9 | Okhotsk | 1,583,000 km2 | 3916 m. |
Sargasso Sea
Rating: 5.0
- Area: 6,000,000 (7,000,000) km2
- Maximum depth: 6995 m
The Sargasso Sea is a real miracle of nature – a sea in the ocean. The only sea in the world that has no shores. It was it that served as the inspiration for the creation of the famous 'Island of the lost ships'. Unfortunately, this is not such a fantasy: a huge number of sailing ships died in the Sargasso waters due to the constant calm that reigns in these latitudes.
Interesting fact. The water of the Sargasso Sea is incredibly rich in algae, the supply of which, according to some estimates, exceeds 11 million tons. Until recently, oceanographers believed that they were brought by whirlpools from Cuba, the Antilles, from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, etc. But it turned out that algae are born in the Sargasso Sea. The sailors began to call them 'Sargassos'.
Since the Sargasso Sea is surrounded on all sides by the ocean, its currents bring a huge amount of garbage into the sea waters. A whole garbage island has already formed, which is considered a serious environmental problem.
For some unknown reason, eels from Europe and America come to the Sargasso Sea every year to lay eggs, and the hatched offspring floats back to their homeland. In general, this route takes about 3 years of life from young fish.
Philippine sea
Rating: 4.9
- Area: 5,695,000 km2
- Maximum depth: 10,994 ± 40 m
The sea is not of particular interest to the inhabitants of Europe and the countries of the former USSR, which is not surprising, because geographically it is too remote and the Red and Mediterranean Seas are often preferred. And in vain, because those who were lucky enough to have a rest on the coast of the Philippine Sea forever fell in love with its natural beauty – almost unparalleled in the entire World Ocean.
Pure clear water, luxurious coral lagoons, riotous greenery and powerful tropical storms – all this is the Philippine Sea. Among all the seas of the planet, it is it that is considered the largest in area, if we talk about seas with shores. If we exclude this factor, Sargassovo will certainly be the most impressive.
It is noteworthy that the waters of the Philippines have almost identical salinity throughout the entire area – in different parts of it, salinity fluctuations do not exceed 1%. Underwater eruptions are not uncommon for the local territories. At the same time, incredible volcanic bombs fly to the surface, sometimes even real islands of ash are washed up. True, they blur very quickly.
Despite the magnificent seascapes, the Philippine Sea is not very friendly: from May to October (during the rainy season), some of the most powerful hurricanes in the world rage here. In addition, the Pacific Ring of Fire passes through the waters of the sea – the zone of the highest seismic activity.
Interesting fact. It is here that the deepest point of the planet is located – the Mariana Trench, or as it is also called the Challenger Abyss. According to the latest data, the depth of this place is 10994 m.
Arabian Sea
Rating: 4.8
- Area: 3,862,000 km2
- Maximum depth: 5,803 m
The Arabian Sea got its name because from the 9th century until the late Middle Ages it was one of the important shipping destinations for Arab sailors. But it was not always known to the world as Arabian: it was also called Persian, Indo-Arab, Green.
Arabian waters are characterized by consistently high temperatures: it is warm here all year round. The water temperature fluctuates between 22-29 ° C with a plus sign (the hottest month is May). Despite the year-round warmth, you can only swim in the sea between October and May (in the rest of the months, dangerously high waves rise on the water).
The Arabian Sea suffers greatly from its proximity to two major ports, Mumbai (India) and Karachi (Pakistan). Companies that refine oil and transport it from the Gulf countries are making their negative contribution. Nevertheless (fortunately, perhaps) the Arabian Sea is considered one of the cleanest seas in the world.
An interesting fact for those who like to relax in the Maldives – they are washed not by the Indian Ocean, but by the Arabian Sea.
Weddell Sea
Rating: 4.8
- Area: 2,800,000 km2
- Maximum depth: 6820 m
One of the least explored seas – harsh climatic conditions and practically not leaving ice significantly complicate the study of its waters. Located in West Antarctica. Almost all year round it is covered with a layer of ice, and the average monthly water temperature near the coast sometimes reaches -30 0С.
The Weddell Sea is considered the cleanest on the planet: the water here is so transparent that it allows you to see objects at a depth of 80 m. A chemical study of water has shown that it is close in composition to distilled water. In this respect, the Weddell Sea can compete with Lake Baikal.
It is deep enough (the average depth is 3 km) and, in addition, the coldest in the world: the water temperature drops to minus, which leads to the formation of a thick layer of ice (sometimes it reaches 2 m). During such a period, staying in the Weddell Sea becomes mortally dangerous, since it is often the manifestation of an exciting and frightening phenomenon at the same time – a 'flash freeze' – the instantaneous freezing of waves. If a ship falls into such a trap, it cannot get out of it on its own.
Interesting fact. Seafarers pass on from mouth to mouth an old legend: for a whole century, researchers have periodically talked about what they see in the sea waters, a mermaid, and a male.
You can see the cold sea expanses only as part of a research group, which are sent to these waters not so often.
Caribbean
Rating: 4.7
- Area: 2,753,000 km2
- Maximum depth: 7,687 m
The Caribbean has always been steeped in pirate romance: it was here that the largest number of filibusters and pirates lived in ancient times. Although the life of a pirate is certainly difficult to call romantic. Nevertheless, to this day, at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea, untold treasures are hidden under a layer of sand, which got there along with sunken ships (according to rough estimates, their number reaches several tens of thousands).
And, although many divers hunt for treasure, it is not so easy to find something valuable here: the thickness of the seabed sediments in some places reaches one kilometer. In addition, the Caribbean Sea is one of the most 'inhospitable' in the world: ferocious storms often occur here, with wind speeds sometimes reaching 120 km / h.
There are many islands in Caribbean waters, 98% of which are uninhabited. But more than 100 million people live on the shores of the sea.
Interesting fact. Global warming has a negative impact on the waters of the oceans and the Caribbean is no exception. Its many coral reefs are threatened: more than 95% are affected by climate change.
Mediterranean
Rating: 4.6
- Area: 2,500,000 km2
- Maximum depth: 5121 m
The cradle of modern civilization is the name of the Mediterranean Sea. Whole civilizations were born and died on its shores, and perhaps the largest number of naval battles in the entire world took place in the waters. It is the Mediterranean Sea that washes the largest number of countries on the planet – as many as 22. In addition, it is the only one that can surprise even seasoned sailors: due to the specifics of the local climate, mirages are not uncommon here.
Scientists associate the emergence of the sea with an ancient cataclysm that occurred more than 5 million years ago: as a result of a powerful earthquake on the mainland, its part in Gibraltar sank down and was flooded by the oceanic waters that rushed into the resulting breach.
Despite the mesmerizing view, the Mediterranean Sea can hardly be called friendly: sometimes the height of the waves in its waters can reach 8 meters. They sent more than one hundred ships to the bottom. Their exact number has not yet been calculated – but the remains are found constantly.
Interesting fact. The ancient Romans modestly referred to the Mediterranean as 'theirs'.
The Mediterranean Sea impresses with the richness of the underwater world. There are over 550 species of fish alone. Unfortunately, the conditions in which underwater life develops are not the best. After all, the sea seems clean only when you are on the Greek or Spanish coast. In fact, the waters of the Mediterranean are some of the dirtiest in the world.
An interesting thing happened after the Suez Canal was dug: the Red Sea 'merged' with the Mediterranean. As a result, there was an insignificant exchange of flora and fauna – about 2% of the inhabitants of the latter got there from Krasnoye.
Tasmanovo
Rating: 4.5
- Area: 2,300,000 km2
- Maximum depth: 6000 m
The southernmost sea of the Pacific Basin. Washes the New Zealand, Australian coast, and the lands of New Caledonia. For the Tasman Sea, tides are frequent, and not small: in some places they reach 5 m. The underwater world of these waters is very diverse, due to the geographical location of the sea: it is located in three climatic zones at once. This also affects the temperature of the water: the temperature difference in opposite parts of the sea reaches 15-18 degrees.
The northern part of the sea is not particularly impressive with a variety of flora and fauna. But the water there is warm, the abundance of plankton attracts representatives of the tropics – sperm whales, flying fish, sailboats, whales, etc. Tourists are offered many boat trips and interesting excursions that allow them to observe sharks and whales in their natural environment.
The climate in which the water area is located is rather severe: temperatures are constantly low here. On the sea surface, in some places there are parts of icebergs, and the bottom surface is densely covered with algae. There are also many islands here, some of which are located at a distance from Australia and New Zealand. Among them is one of the most ancient volcanic islands on the planet – Lord Howe.
Beringovo
Rating: 4.4
- Area: 2,000,000 km2
- Maximum depth: 4151 m
The distant, cold and inhospitable Bering Sea remained unexplored for a long time. But that cannot stop a real explorer. The first serious attempts to study the waters of the sea were undertaken back in the 18th century, but to this day, far from all the secrets of its depths are known. The Bering Sea is washed by the territory of only two countries – the USA and Russia.
Interesting fact. In 2018, a large meteorite exploded over the waters of the Bering Sea and entered the planet's atmosphere.
The northern part of the sea is covered with ice up to 9 months a year. Even in the summer season (August), icebergs are found on the water, and the air temperature above the water surface rarely rises above 8-10 degrees Celsius. And although the Bering Sea is cold, this does not mean that it is lifeless, although there are fewer aquatic inhabitants here than in warm seas.
Commercial fishing is carried out here and there are many transport routes for vessels, not only Russian ones. Nevertheless, shipping at sea is dangerous, so it is not carried out all year round. All because of the harsh climate.
The Bering Sea is known for its dangerous and prolonged storms, sometimes lasting longer than a week. This is due to the constant collision of the warm waters of the Pacific and the cold Arctic Ocean.
Okhotsk
Rating: 4.3
- Area: 1,583,000 km2
- Maximum depth: 3916 m
Like the Bering Sea, the Okhotsk Sea is also not distinguished by its friendliness. The weather here is harsh, northern, and most of the year the water is covered with a layer of ice, so there is no passage for ships during this period. Nevertheless, many important economic navigation routes pass through these regions.
Interesting fact. The water of the Bering Sea and the ice with which it is covered sometimes glow, but very few have seen such a phenomenon. Experts believe that this may be caused by luminous plankton living in the water.
The coastal part of the Sea of Okhotsk is considered to be slightly saline, which is associated with a large number of rivers flowing into it, including large ones.
In the winter period of 2010-2011, a large-scale rescue operation took place in the waters of the sea, for which about 200 million rubles were spent and several icebreakers were involved. In the ice trap there were 15 ships and 700 people who were on board. Everything went well, and 11 out of 15 vessels escaped the ice captivity on their own, breaking the ice.
Only 2 countries – Russia and Japan – have access to the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk. But only the first has to engage in fishing and extracting minerals from the seabed. Although the Sea of Okhotsk occupies only 10th place in our rating, its dimensions are still striking: the total length of the coastline is more than 10,500 km. This is more than the length of Russia from west to east.
Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
