Philippine Sea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Philippine Sea
Philippine Sea Location in Pacific Ocean Show map of Pacific Ocean Philippine Sea Location in Philippines Show map of Philippines
Coordinates	20°N 130°E / 20°N 130°E / 20; 130
Part of	Pacific Ocean
Basin countries	Federated States of Micronesia Guam Indonesia Japan Northern Mariana Islands Palau Philippines Taiwan
Islands	List Bonin Islands Catanduanes Dinagat Islands Guam Halmahera Homonhon Honshu Kyūshū Leyte Luzon Mariana Islands Mindanao Morotai Palau Polillo Islands Ryukyu Islands Saipan Samar Siargao Shikoku Taiwan Tinian Ulithi Yap
Trenches	Izu-Bonin Trench Mariana Trench Nankai Trough Philippine Trench Ryukyu Trench

The Philippine Sea is a huge part of the Pacific Ocean. It lies to the east and northeast of the Philippines. This sea covers a massive area, about 5 million square kilometers (1.9 million square miles).

The bottom of the Philippine Sea is formed by a large piece of the Earth's crust called the Philippine Sea Plate. Many islands and countries surround this sea. These include:

• The Philippines (like Luzon, Samar, and Mindanao) to the southwest.
• Islands like Palau and Guam to the southeast and east.
• Parts of Japan (like Honshū and the Ryūkyū Islands) to the north and northwest.
• Taiwan to the west.

The Philippine Sea has a very interesting and varied bottom. It's shaped by many geologic faults and deep cracks in the Earth.

Undersea Features

The Philippine Sea is known for its amazing undersea landscape. It has several special features:

• Island Arcs: These are long chains of islands that rise above the ocean surface. They are formed by plate tectonic activity, where huge pieces of the Earth's crust move and collide. Examples include the Ryūkyū Islands and the Mariana Islands.
• Deep Sea Trenches: These are some of the deepest parts of the ocean. The Philippine Sea is home to the Philippine Trench and the famous Mariana Trench. The Mariana Trench contains the deepest known point on Earth, called the Challenger Deep.

Geography and Location

An image captured from the ISS while flying over the Philippine Sea

The Philippine Sea is surrounded by many different landmasses.

• To its west are the Philippines and Taiwan.
• To the north is Japan.
• To the east are the Mariana Islands.
• To the south is Palau.

Other seas are also nearby. The Celebes Sea is to the south, separated by the island of Mindanao. The South China Sea is to the west, separated by the Philippines. The East China Sea is to the northwest, separated by the Ryūkyū Islands.

Location of the Philippine Sea

Related pages

• Kyushu-Palau Ridge

Images for kids

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  Philippine Sea plate

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  View of the beach, rocky coastline and the Philippine Sea in Pingtung County, Taiwan

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  Japanese Carrier Division Three under attack by United States Navy aircraft from Task Force 58, late afternoon, 20 June 1944. The heavy cruiser circling at right, nearest to the camera, is either Maya or Chōkai. Beyond that, is the small aircraft carrier Chiyoda.

See also

In Spanish: Mar de Filipinas para niños