There are several terms used for bulges of ocean that result from indentations of land, which overlap in definition, and which are not consistently differentiated:
Many features could be considered to be more than one of these, and all of these terms are used in place names inconsistently; especially bays, gulfs, and bights, which can be very large or very small. This list includes large areas of water no matter the term used in the name.
Seas may be considered marginal between ocean and land, or between oceans in which case they may be treated as marginal parts of either. There is no single ultimate authority on the matter.
While all other seas in the world are defined at least in part by land boundaries, there is only one sea which is defined only by ocean currents:
Entities called "seas" which are not divisions of the World Ocean are not included in this list. Excluded are:
OCEANS & SEAS OF THE WORLD https://www.blue-growth.org/Oceans_Rivers_Seas/Index_Oceans_Seas_Bays_Gulfs_Of_The_World_%20A_To_Z_Lists.htm
There is no accepted technical definition of sea among oceanographers. A rather weak definition is that a sea is a subdivision of an ocean, which means that it must have oceanic basin crust on its floor. This definition, for example, accepts the Caspian Sea, which was once part of an ancient ocean, as a sea.[3] The Introduction to Marine Biology defines a sea as a "landlocked" body of water, adding that the term "sea" is only one of convenience, but the book is written by marine biologists, not oceanographers.[4] The Glossary of Mapping Sciences similarly states that the boundaries between seas and other bodies of water are arbitrary.[5] /wiki/Oceanic_basin
"What's the difference between an ocean and a sea?". Oceanservice.noaa.gov. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2013. http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/oceanorsea.html
American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (1994). Glossary of the mapping sciences. ASCE Publications. p. 469. ISBN 978-0-7844-0050-0. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 978-0-7844-0050-0
Vukas, B (2004). The Law of the Sea: Selected Writings. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. ISBN 9789004138636. 9789004138636
Gupta, Manoj (2010). Indian Ocean Region: Maritime Regimes for Regional Cooperation. Springer. ISBN 9781441959898. 9781441959898
"Discover The Seven Seas of the Earth". Geography.about.com. Retrieved 2013-04-19. http://geography.about.com/od/waterandice/a/sevenseas.htm
According to this definition, the Caspian would be excluded as it is legally an "international lake".[11]
"gulf – coastal feature". https://www.britannica.com/science/gulf-coastal-feature
Wang, James C. F. (1992). Handbook on Ocean Politics & Law. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-313-26434-4. 978-0-313-26434-4
James C. F. Wang (1992). Handbook on ocean politics & law. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 14–. ISBN 9780313264344. Retrieved 9 December 2010. 9780313264344
Longhurst, Alan R. (2007). Ecological Geography of the Sea. Academic Press. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-12-455521-1. 978-0-12-455521-1
Often treated as a part of the Mediterranean Sea. /wiki/Mediterranean_Sea
Often treated as a part of the Mediterranean Sea. /wiki/Mediterranean_Sea
Often treated as a part of the Mediterranean Sea. /wiki/Mediterranean_Sea
Often treated as a part of the Mediterranean Sea. /wiki/Mediterranean_Sea
Often treated as a part of the Mediterranean Sea. /wiki/Mediterranean_Sea
Often treated as a part of the Mediterranean Sea. /wiki/Mediterranean_Sea
Often treated as a part of the Mediterranean Sea. /wiki/Mediterranean_Sea
Often treated as a part of the Mediterranean Sea. /wiki/Mediterranean_Sea
Often treated as a part of the Mediterranean Sea. /wiki/Mediterranean_Sea
Proposed names to the IHO 2002 draft. This draft was never approved by the IHO (or any other organization), and the 1953 IHO document (which does not contain these names which mostly originated from 1962 onward) remains currently in force.[17] Leading geographic authorities and atlases do not use these names, including the 2014 10th edition World Atlas from the National Geographic Society and the 2014 12th edition of the Times Atlas of the World. But Soviet and Russian-issued state maps do include them.[18][19]
Proposed names to the IHO 2002 draft. This draft was never approved by the IHO (or any other organization), and the 1953 IHO document (which does not contain these names which mostly originated from 1962 onward) remains currently in force.[17] Leading geographic authorities and atlases do not use these names, including the 2014 10th edition World Atlas from the National Geographic Society and the 2014 12th edition of the Times Atlas of the World. But Soviet and Russian-issued state maps do include them.[18][19]
Proposed names to the IHO 2002 draft. This draft was never approved by the IHO (or any other organization), and the 1953 IHO document (which does not contain these names which mostly originated from 1962 onward) remains currently in force.[17] Leading geographic authorities and atlases do not use these names, including the 2014 10th edition World Atlas from the National Geographic Society and the 2014 12th edition of the Times Atlas of the World. But Soviet and Russian-issued state maps do include them.[18][19]
Proposed names to the IHO 2002 draft. This draft was never approved by the IHO (or any other organization), and the 1953 IHO document (which does not contain these names which mostly originated from 1962 onward) remains currently in force.[17] Leading geographic authorities and atlases do not use these names, including the 2014 10th edition World Atlas from the National Geographic Society and the 2014 12th edition of the Times Atlas of the World. But Soviet and Russian-issued state maps do include them.[18][19]
Proposed names to the IHO 2002 draft. This draft was never approved by the IHO (or any other organization), and the 1953 IHO document (which does not contain these names which mostly originated from 1962 onward) remains currently in force.[17] Leading geographic authorities and atlases do not use these names, including the 2014 10th edition World Atlas from the National Geographic Society and the 2014 12th edition of the Times Atlas of the World. But Soviet and Russian-issued state maps do include them.[18][19]
Proposed names to the IHO 2002 draft. This draft was never approved by the IHO (or any other organization), and the 1953 IHO document (which does not contain these names which mostly originated from 1962 onward) remains currently in force.[17] Leading geographic authorities and atlases do not use these names, including the 2014 10th edition World Atlas from the National Geographic Society and the 2014 12th edition of the Times Atlas of the World. But Soviet and Russian-issued state maps do include them.[18][19]
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – What is the Sargasso Sea? https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sargassosea.html