Yellow Sea

Gulf of the Pacific Ocean between China and Korea; length approximately 1,000 km/620 mi, greatest width 700 km/435 mi; area 466,200 sq km/180,000 sq mi. To the north are the gulfs of Korea, Chihli, and Liaotung. There are many small islands to the east near the Korean coast. It receives the Huang He (Yellow River) and Chang Jiang (Yangtze Kiang), which transport yellow mud (derived from the soil known as loess, which was originally wind-blown from central Asia) down into the shallow waters (average depth 44 m/144 ft).