Where is the Philippine Sea? western North Pacific Ocean
Philippine Sea, section of the western North Pacific Ocean, lying east and north of the Philippines. The floor of this portion of the ocean is formed into a structural basin by a series of geologic folds and faults that protrude above the surface in the form of bordering island arcs.
Nearby countries are Malaysia in the southwest, Indonesia in the south, Vietnam in the west, and Taiwan and mainland China to the north. The Philippines shares maritime borders with China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Palau, Taiwan (ROC), and Vietnam.
According to Del Rosario, the 2016 Award under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) categorically held that, “under international law, the West Philippine Sea, including Reed Bank, exclusively belongs to Filipinos, and no one else.”
What are the 4 seas in the Philippines?
It is bounded in the west by the South China Sea; in the east by the Pacific Ocean; in the south by the Sulu and Celebes Seas; and in the north by the Bashi Channel. Its capital and main port of entry is Manila.
The Philippine Sea is the largest in the world in terms of the surface area covered. It stretches 5.695 million square kilometres and lies in the western part of the North Pacific Ocean. The Philippine Sea is about 13450 feet deep and its water volume is approximately 23.5 million cubic km.
The first European to navigate the Philippine Sea was Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, who named it Mar Filipinas when he and his men were in the Mariana Islands prior to the exploration of the Philippines.[citation needed] Later it was discovered by other Spanish explorers[who?] from 1522 to 1565.
Battle of the Philippine Sea
Main article: Battle of the Philippine Sea
A historic battle between the naval fleets of the United States and Japan took place in the vicinity of the Philippine Sea. This was called The Battle of the Philippine Sea, and occurred near the Mariana Islands from 19 to 20 June 1944. It was also the largest carrier-to-carrier battle in history which featured the United States Fifth Fleet and the 1st Mobile Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Aside from the navy, aerial activity was also present in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, as hundreds of aircraft from both countries fired at each other. The Americans indisputably won, and nicknamed the aerial war the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot” due to the number of Japanese aircraft shot down.
Japan struggled to recover from the severe damages of its imperial navy and air strength suffered from the battle. This heavily attributed to the victory of the United States in the Battle of the Philippine Sea which was a vital part of the Americans’ reclamation of the Philippines, and the Mariana Islands from Japan.
Post-World War II
In 1989, the United States Department of Defense revealed the loss of a one-megaton nuclear bomb in the Philippine Sea during the 1965 Philippine Sea A-4 incident.
Following an escalation of the Spratly Islands dispute in 2011, various Philippine government agencies started using the designation “West Philippine Sea” to refer to parts of the South China Sea. However, a PAGASA spokesperson said that the sea east of the Philippine archipelago will continue to be called the Philippine Sea.
Biodiversity
The Philippine Sea is a centre of marine biodiversity as well as a biodiversity hotspot. However, at least 418 species are being threatened because of unsustainable practices.
The rise in temperature change caused shifts in the marine ecosystems. which could cause corals to die due to changing sea temperature. As fish and other marine life rely on corals for sustenance and habitat, communities that rely on fishing are heavily affected as well. As the Philippine Sea is situated in a particularly active Western Pacific tropical cyclone basin, the physical damage caused by typhoons coming from the east can further destroy the marine habitats.
Who owns Philippine Sea?
According to Del Rosario, the 2016 Award under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) categorically held that, “under international law, the West Philippine Sea, including Reed Bank, exclusively belongs to Filipinos, and no one else.”
Why Philippines is famous in the world?
The Philippines is known for having an abundance of beautiful beaches and delicious fruit. The collection of islands is located in Southeast Asia and was named after King Philip II of Spain.
Why is China taking over West Philippine Sea?
The conflict between China and the Philippines in the Western Philippine Sea (a.k.a. the South China Sea) is the result of years of territorial dispute over the Spratly Islands – a group of 7,500 islands and reefs that multiple countries have claimed as their own.
Is West Philippine Sea rich in oil?
Department of Energy (DOE) data show that there is an estimated 6,203 million barrels of total oil resources and 12,158 billion cubic feet of total gas resources in the West Philippine Sea as of 2021.
How many seas are on earth?
In general, a sea is defined as a portion of the ocean that is partly surrounded by land. Given that definition, there are about 50 seas around the world. But that number includes water bodies not always thought of as seas, such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Hudson Bay.
