40 THE OCEAN 



the Celebes Sea has depths over 2000 fathoms, 

 with a maximum depth of 2795 fathoms, and 

 the miaximum depth of the Sulu Sea, just 

 north of the Celebes Sea, is 2381 fathoms ; 

 the channels between the numerous islands 

 cutting off these two seas from the Pacific are 

 all shallow. 



Enclosed Seas of the N.W. Pacific. — 

 Another series of enclosed seas comparable 

 with those of the Malay Archipelago runs along 

 the whole of the western and northern 

 borders of the Pacific to the shores of Alaska. 

 Of these the Yellow Sea is the shallowest, the 

 greater part of it having a depth less than 100 

 fathoms, with only a small area in the south 

 where the depth exceeds 1000 fathoms, and 

 where the maximum depth of about 1300 

 fathoms occurs. It is cut off from the 

 open ocean by a line of islands, the Luchu 

 Islands, stretching from Japan to Formosa, 

 and the channels between these are generally 

 between 100 and 500 fathoms deep. The 

 Sea of Japan is to a great degree landlocked, 

 the only communication with the Pacific 

 being through the comparatively very narrow 

 passages between the Japanese Islands and 

 through the Korea Strait, in none of which 

 does the depth exceed 100 fathoms. The 

 greatest depth of the Sea of Japan is 1955 

 fathoms. The Sea of Okotsk is cut off from 



