Sea

The term sea refers to certain large bodies of water, but there is inconsistency as to its precise definition and application. Most commonly, a sea may refer to a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, but it is also used sometimes of a large saline lake that lacks a natural outlet, e.g. the Caspian Sea. Colloquially, the term is used as a synonym for ocean. Additionally, large lakes, such as the Great Lakes, are occasionally referred to as inland seas.

The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) is the international authority that sets forth nomenclature and definition of bodies of water.[1] The IHO's Limits of Oceans and Seas was first published in 1928, with its current working document the third edition published in 1953.[2] A fourth draft edition was proposed in 1986 but has yet to be ratified due to outstanding issues such as the Sea of Japan naming dispute

Body of water Square miles Andaman Sea 218,100 Indian Ocean 28,400,000 Arctic Ocean 5,100,000 Mediterranean Sea 969,000 Atlantic Ocean 33,400,000 North Sea 165,000 Baltic Sea 147,000 Pacific Ocean 64,196,000 Bering Sea 873,000 Persian Gulf 88,800 Caribbean Sea 971,000 Red Sea 175,000 East China Sea 257,000 Sea of Okhotsk 537,000 Gulf of California 59,000 Sea of Japan 391,000 Gulf of Mexico 582,000 South China Sea 1,148,000 Hudson Bay 282,000 Yellow Sea 113,500 Some bodies of water that are called "seas" are not actually seas; there are also some seas that are not called "seas".

The following is an incomplete list of such potentially confusing names.The Sea of Galilee is a small freshwater lake with a natural outlet, which is called Lake Tiberias or Lake Kinneret on modern Israeli maps, but its original name remains in use. The Sea of Cortés is more commonly known as the Gulf of California. The Persian Gulf is a sea. The Dead Sea is actually a lake, as is the Caspian Sea.