Every body of water in the Territories collection: oceans, seas, gulfs, bays, straits, canals, lakes and rivers. This table is the master data: water facts are edited here, nowhere else, and Dashboard Waters is generated from it on every build. Each row’s tag must also be in Places List.
- Basin: the ocean the water belongs to or ends up in (Mediterranean waters count as Atlantic). “Endorheic” means it never reaches the sea (Caspian, Dead Sea, Titicaca). Straits and canals list every basin they join.
- Continents: every continent on its shores (or, for rivers, that it crosses). The Sargasso Sea has none: it is the only named sea without land boundaries.
- Oceans: five, with the Southern Ocean as everything south of 60°S (the 2000 IHO draft, used by National Geographic since 2021 and the CIA World Factbook). That’s why Antarctica touches only the Southern Ocean here; under the older 1953 IHO limits, still formally in force, the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian reach its coast too.
- Disputed cases, decided this way: Hudson Bay is Arctic (IHO 2002 draft; some authorities say Atlantic); the Norwegian Sea is grouped with either ocean, so it carries both; the Java Sea is Pacific (the usual view; occasionally Indian); the Murray ends in the Southern Ocean (Australian usage).
- Salinity: salt, fresh or brackish (in between, like the Baltic or the Black Sea). The Sea of Marmara is brackish at the surface (about 22 per thousand, Black Sea water) over a salty Mediterranean bottom; Titicaca stays “Fresh” as everyone calls it, although at about 5 per thousand it is technically slightly brackish.
| Common name | Type | Tag | Basin | Continents | Salinity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific Ocean | Ocean | #place/Earth/H2O/Ocean/Pacific-Ocean | Pacific | America, Asia, Oceania | Salt |
| Atlantic Ocean | Ocean | #place/Earth/H2O/Ocean/Atlantic-Ocean | Atlantic | America, Europe, Africa | Salt |
| Indian Ocean | Ocean | #place/Earth/H2O/Ocean/Indian-Ocean | Indian | Africa, Asia, Oceania | Salt |
| Southern Ocean | Ocean | #place/Earth/H2O/Ocean/Southern-Ocean | Southern | Antarctica | Salt |
| Arctic Ocean | Ocean | #place/Earth/H2O/Ocean/Arctic-Ocean | Arctic | America, Europe, Asia | Salt |
| Mediterranean Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Mediterranean-Sea | Atlantic | Europe, Africa, Asia | Salt |
| Caribbean Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Caribbean-Sea | Atlantic | America | Salt |
| South China Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/South-China-Sea | Pacific | Asia | Salt |
| Arabian Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Arabian-Sea | Indian | Africa, Asia | Salt |
| Black Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Black-Sea | Atlantic | Europe, Asia | Brackish |
| Caspian Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Caspian-Sea | Endorheic | Europe, Asia | Brackish |
| Red Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Red-Sea | Indian | Africa, Asia | Salt |
| Adriatic Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Adriatic-Sea | Atlantic | Europe | Salt |
| Aegean Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Aegean-Sea | Atlantic | Europe, Asia | Salt |
| North Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/North-Sea | Atlantic | Europe | Salt |
| Dead Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Dead-Sea | Endorheic | Asia | Salt |
| Baltic Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Baltic-Sea | Atlantic | Europe | Brackish |
| Balearic Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Balearic-Sea | Atlantic | Europe | Salt |
| Alboran Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Alboran-Sea | Atlantic | Europe, Africa | Salt |
| Tyrrhenian Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Tyrrhenian-Sea | Atlantic | Europe | Salt |
| Ionian Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Ionian-Sea | Atlantic | Europe | Salt |
| Irish Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Irish-Sea | Atlantic | Europe | Salt |
| Norwegian Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Norwegian-Sea | Atlantic, Arctic | Europe | Salt |
| Barents Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Barents-Sea | Arctic | Europe | Salt |
| Sea of Marmara | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Sea-of-Marmara | Atlantic | Europe, Asia | Brackish |
| Sargasso Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Sargasso-Sea | Atlantic | Salt | |
| Labrador Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Labrador-Sea | Atlantic | America | Salt |
| Bering Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Bering-Sea | Pacific | Asia, America | Salt |
| Sea of Okhotsk | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Sea-of-Okhotsk | Pacific | Asia | Salt |
| Sea of Japan | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Sea-of-Japan | Pacific | Asia | Salt |
| East China Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/East-China-Sea | Pacific | Asia | Salt |
| Yellow Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Yellow-Sea | Pacific | Asia | Salt |
| Philippine Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Philippine-Sea | Pacific | Asia, Oceania | Salt |
| Java Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Java-Sea | Pacific | Asia | Salt |
| Coral Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Coral-Sea | Pacific | Oceania | Salt |
| Tasman Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Tasman-Sea | Pacific | Oceania | Salt |
| Andaman Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Andaman-Sea | Indian | Asia | Salt |
| Weddell Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Weddell-Sea | Southern | Antarctica | Salt |
| Ross Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Ross-Sea | Southern | Antarctica | Salt |
| Aral Sea | Sea | #place/Earth/H2O/Sea/Aral-Sea | Endorheic | Asia | Salt |
| Gulf of Mexico | Gulf | #place/Earth/H2O/Gulf/Gulf-of-Mexico | Atlantic | America | Salt |
| Persian Gulf | Gulf | #place/Earth/H2O/Gulf/Persian-Gulf | Indian | Asia | Salt |
| Gulf of Thailand | Gulf | #place/Earth/H2O/Gulf/Gulf-of-Thailand | Pacific | Asia | Salt |
| Gulf of Aden | Gulf | #place/Earth/H2O/Gulf/Gulf-of-Aden | Indian | Africa, Asia | Salt |
| Gulf of Guinea | Gulf | #place/Earth/H2O/Gulf/Gulf-of-Guinea | Atlantic | Africa | Salt |
| Gulf of Bothnia | Gulf | #place/Earth/H2O/Gulf/Gulf-of-Bothnia | Atlantic | Europe | Brackish |
| Gulf of Finland | Gulf | #place/Earth/H2O/Gulf/Gulf-of-Finland | Atlantic | Europe | Brackish |
| Gulf of Lion | Gulf | #place/Earth/H2O/Gulf/Gulf-of-Lion | Atlantic | Europe | Salt |
| Gulf of California | Gulf | #place/Earth/H2O/Gulf/Gulf-of-California | Pacific | America | Salt |
| Gulf of Alaska | Gulf | #place/Earth/H2O/Gulf/Gulf-of-Alaska | Pacific | America | Salt |
| Bay of Bengal | Bay | #place/Earth/H2O/Bay/Bay-of-Bengal | Indian | Asia | Salt |
| Bay of Biscay | Bay | #place/Earth/H2O/Bay/Bay-of-Biscay | Atlantic | Europe | Salt |
| Hudson Bay | Bay | #place/Earth/H2O/Bay/Hudson-Bay | Arctic | America | Salt |
| Bay of Fundy | Bay | #place/Earth/H2O/Bay/Bay-of-Fundy | Atlantic | America | Salt |
| Ha Long Bay | Bay | #place/Earth/H2O/Bay/Ha-Long-Bay | Pacific | Asia | Salt |
| San Francisco Bay | Bay | #place/Earth/H2O/Bay/San-Francisco-Bay | Pacific | America | Brackish |
| Strait of Gibraltar | Strait | #place/Earth/H2O/Strait/Strait-of-Gibraltar | Atlantic | Europe, Africa | Salt |
| Strait of Hormuz | Strait | #place/Earth/H2O/Strait/Strait-of-Hormuz | Indian | Asia | Salt |
| Strait of Malacca | Strait | #place/Earth/H2O/Strait/Strait-of-Malacca | Indian, Pacific | Asia | Salt |
| Singapore Strait | Strait | #place/Earth/H2O/Strait/Singapore-Strait | Indian, Pacific | Asia | Salt |
| Strait of Magellan | Strait | #place/Earth/H2O/Strait/Strait-of-Magellan | Atlantic, Pacific | America | Salt |
| Bosphorus | Strait | #place/Earth/H2O/Strait/Bosphorus | Atlantic | Europe, Asia | Salt |
| Dardanelles | Strait | #place/Earth/H2O/Strait/Dardanelles | Atlantic | Europe, Asia | Salt |
| Bering Strait | Strait | #place/Earth/H2O/Strait/Bering-Strait | Pacific, Arctic | Asia, America | Salt |
| Strait of Dover | Strait | #place/Earth/H2O/Strait/Strait-of-Dover | Atlantic | Europe | Salt |
| English Channel | Strait | #place/Earth/H2O/Strait/English-Channel | Atlantic | Europe | Salt |
| Bab-el-Mandeb | Strait | #place/Earth/H2O/Strait/Bab-el-Mandeb | Indian | Africa, Asia | Salt |
| Drake Passage | Strait | #place/Earth/H2O/Strait/Drake-Passage | Atlantic, Pacific, Southern | America, Antarctica | Salt |
| Taiwan Strait | Strait | #place/Earth/H2O/Strait/Taiwan-Strait | Pacific | Asia | Salt |
| Suez Canal | Canal | #place/Earth/H2O/Canal/Suez-Canal | Atlantic, Indian | Africa, Asia | Salt |
| Panama Canal | Canal | #place/Earth/H2O/Canal/Panama-Canal | Atlantic, Pacific | America | Fresh |
| Lake Superior | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Superior | Atlantic | America | Fresh |
| Lake Michigan | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Michigan | Atlantic | America | Fresh |
| Lake Huron | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Huron | Atlantic | America | Fresh |
| Lake Erie | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Erie | Atlantic | America | Fresh |
| Lake Ontario | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Ontario | Atlantic | America | Fresh |
| Great Bear Lake | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Great-Bear-Lake | Arctic | America | Fresh |
| Great Slave Lake | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Great-Slave-Lake | Arctic | America | Fresh |
| Great Salt Lake | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Great-Salt-Lake | Endorheic | America | Salt |
| Lake Nicaragua | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Nicaragua | Atlantic | America | Fresh |
| Lake Titicaca | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Titicaca | Endorheic | America | Fresh |
| Lake Victoria | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Victoria | Atlantic | Africa | Fresh |
| Lake Tanganyika | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Tanganyika | Atlantic | Africa | Fresh |
| Lake Malawi | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Malawi | Indian | Africa | Fresh |
| Lake Chad | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Chad | Endorheic | Africa | Fresh |
| Lake Baikal | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Baikal | Arctic | Asia | Fresh |
| Sea of Galilee | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Sea-of-Galilee | Endorheic | Asia | Fresh |
| Lake Ladoga | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Ladoga | Atlantic | Europe | Fresh |
| Lake Geneva | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Geneva | Atlantic | Europe | Fresh |
| Loch Ness | Lake | #place/Earth/H2O/Lake/Loch-Ness | Atlantic | Europe | Fresh |
| Nile | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Nile | Atlantic | Africa | Fresh |
| Congo | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Congo | Atlantic | Africa | Fresh |
| Niger | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Niger | Atlantic | Africa | Fresh |
| Zambezi | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Zambezi | Indian | Africa | Fresh |
| Amazon | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Amazon | Atlantic | America | Fresh |
| Paraná | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Parana | Atlantic | America | Fresh |
| Orinoco | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Orinoco | Atlantic | America | Fresh |
| Mississippi | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Mississippi | Atlantic | America | Fresh |
| St. Lawrence | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/St-Lawrence | Atlantic | America | Fresh |
| Rio Grande | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Rio-Grande | Atlantic | America | Fresh |
| Colorado | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Colorado | Pacific | America | Fresh |
| Mackenzie | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Mackenzie | Arctic | America | Fresh |
| Yangtze | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Yangtze | Pacific | Asia | Fresh |
| Yellow River | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Yellow-River | Pacific | Asia | Fresh |
| Mekong | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Mekong | Pacific | Asia | Fresh |
| Ganges | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Ganges | Indian | Asia | Fresh |
| Indus | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Indus | Indian | Asia | Fresh |
| Tigris | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Tigris | Indian | Asia | Fresh |
| Euphrates | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Euphrates | Indian | Asia | Fresh |
| Jordan | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Jordan | Endorheic | Asia | Fresh |
| Yenisei | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Yenisei | Arctic | Asia | Fresh |
| Ob | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Ob | Arctic | Asia | Fresh |
| Lena | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Lena | Arctic | Asia | Fresh |
| Volga | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Volga | Endorheic | Europe | Fresh |
| Danube | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Danube | Atlantic | Europe | Fresh |
| Rhine | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Rhine | Atlantic | Europe | Fresh |
| Thames | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Thames | Atlantic | Europe | Fresh |
| Seine | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Seine | Atlantic | Europe | Fresh |
| Tagus | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Tagus | Atlantic | Europe | Fresh |
| Douro | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Douro | Atlantic | Europe | Fresh |
| Ebro | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Ebro | Atlantic | Europe | Fresh |
| Guadalquivir | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Guadalquivir | Atlantic | Europe | Fresh |
| Murray | River | #place/Earth/H2O/River/Murray | Southern | Oceania | Fresh |