Key Facts about East China Sea

About the East China Sea:

• It is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located in East Asia.
• It covers an area of roughly 1,249,000 square kilometers (482,000 sq mi).
• It is situated between the eastern coast of China, including the Shanghai coast, and the southwestern coast of Japan, including the Ryukyu Islands.
• The Korean peninsula, China, Japan, and Taiwan lie within or border the East China Sea.
• The East China Sea and the South China Sea together form the China Sea.
• It connects with the Japan Sea via the Tsushima Strait and the South China Sea via the Taiwan Strait.
• Its northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea.
• It is largely a shallow sea. The western edge of the sea is a continuation of the shelf that extends between the South China Sea and the Yellow Sea.
• Rivers: The Yellow River (Huanghe) and the Yangtze River (Changjiang) discharge into the East China Sea, providing much fresh water and suspended particles.
• Weather is dominated by the monsoon wind system, the result of differential heating between land and water. 
• Islands: The sea contains several islands, with the most significant being the Ryukyu Islands, which are part of Japan, and the Diaoyu Islands (known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan), which are a source of territorial dispute between China and Japan.