South China Sea facts for kids

Quick facts for kids South China Sea
A map of the South China Sea
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	南中國海
Simplified Chinese	南中国海
Hanyu Pinyin	Nán Zhōnggúo Hǎi
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Nán Zhōnggúo Hǎi Yue: Cantonese Jyutping naam4 zong1 gwok3 hoi2
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese	Biển Đông
Malay name
Malay	Laut China Selatan
Filipino name
Tagalog	Timog Dagat Tsina ('Dagat Kanlurang Pilipinas', meaning "West Philippine Sea", for the portion within Philippine waters)
Portuguese name
Portuguese	Mar da China Meridional

The South China Sea is a large part of the Pacific Ocean. It is located south of China. This sea is home to many islands and reefs.

Many countries believe these islands and reefs belong to them. These countries include China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei. Because of these different claims, the sea and its islands have many different names.

What is the South China Sea?

The South China Sea is one of the biggest seas in the world. It is almost as large as the five main oceans. It stretches from Singapore all the way to the Taiwan Strait. The sea covers about 3,500,000 square kilometers.

There are hundreds of small islands in the South China Sea. These islands are grouped together and called an archipelago. Some of the larger islands have people living on them. Most of the smaller islands are empty and have no one living there.

A map of the South China Sea

Why are there different names for the sea?

The name "South China Sea" is used by most countries around the world. However, some countries have their own names for it.

Names in Vietnam and the Philippines

In Vietnam, the sea is called "Biển Đông". This name means "East Sea".

In the Philippines, the part of the sea west of Luzon island used to be called "Luzon Sea". The rest of the sea was still called "South China Sea". In 2012, the Philippines started calling the eastern part of the sea the "West Philippine Sea". This was done to support their claims over islands like the Spratly Islands and the Scarborough Shoal. Sometimes, this name is used for the entire sea in the Philippines.

Related islands

• Paracel Islands
• Spratly Islands

Coordinates: 12°11′N 113°13′E

Images for kids

• 

  Sunset on the South China Sea near Mũi Né village in Vietnam.

• 

  Millions of barrels of crude oil are moved through the South China Sea every day.

• 

  Map showing which countries claim parts of the Spratly Islands.

See also

In Spanish: Mar de la China Meridional para niños