Philippine Sea

Description

This sea, part of the Pacific Ocean, is as much defined by subsea landforms as those above sea level. To its north are the Japanese islands of Kyūshū, Shikoku and southern Honshū. To its east are the South Honshu Ridge--which includes the Marianas; minor Japanese islands like Iwo;¹ the Yap Ridge and the Palau Islands. Its south follows a line from Tobi in Micronesia to Talaud Island (part of the Northern Sulawesi² Province of Indonesia). Its west borders the Pilipinas,³ a line from Pilipinas to Taiwan, Taiwan and the Nansei Islands of ⽇夲 (Nippon or Japan).

Near the Philippines and Ryuku⁴ Islands are trenches of the same names. Otherwise most of the sea bottom is a deep basin--deeper than 8000 meters at its maximum. One exception is a central ridge running north to south, the Kyushu-Palau Ridge. There are also some very minor Japanese islands in the northwest of the sea like Daitō.

Around the Area

northwest and north
east from the northeast of the sea
east from the center of the sea
east from the south of the sea
south
southwest from the southwest corner of the sea
southwest from northwest of the southwest corner of the sea
west of the south of the sea
west of the center of the sea
west from the southwest end of the Ryukus Trench

Footnotes

1. Jima means island in Japanese, so the island is often called Iwo Jima in English.
2. Celebes in English.
3. The Philippines in English.
4. More properly transliterated as Ryūkyū. In English it is used for the entire Nansei Island chain; in Japanese for a sub-set of the Nanseis.