Yellow Sea

Yellow Sea (Chinese Huang Hai), arm of the Pacific Ocean, bordered on the west and north by China, and on the east by North Korea and South Korea. The Yellow Sea merges with the East China Sea (see China Sea) on the south. Bohai Strait, which separates Shandong and Liaodong peninsulas, provides access to the Bo Hai gulf and the Gulf of Liaodong. Korea Bay, the northeastern extremity of the Yellow Sea, lies between Liaodong Peninsula and North Korea.

The greatest width of the Yellow Sea is 640 km (400 mi); it is comparatively shallow, the greatest depth being 80 m (250 ft). Among the rivers emptying into the sea are the Huang He, the Yalu, and the Han. A number of small islands are found off the Korean coast, and extensive sand shoals are near the Chinese coast. Major ports on the sea include Yantai, Dalian, Tianjin (Tientsin), Qingdao, and Yingkou, all in China; Namp’o (formerly Chinnamp’o), in North Korea; and Inch’ŏn, in South Korea. The Yellow Sea is so named because of the yellowish coloration caused by the vast amount of sediment deposited by the Huang He.