BOHAI GULF (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Geography)

Context: UNESCO has recently added China's Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf (Phase II) to its World Heritage List. 

Bohai Gulf

• About: It is the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea, located on the coast of Northeastern and North China.
• Also known as: Bohai Sea or Bo Hai for short; historically, it was called the Gulf of Chili or the Gulf of Pechili.
• Area: The gulf spans approximately 78,000 sq.km and is one of the busiest seaways in the world due to its proximity to Beijing, China's capital.
• Boundaries: It is enclosed by the Liaodong Peninsula to the northeast and the Shandong Peninsula to the south.
• Important Bays: The gulf's shores feature three renowned bays: Liaodong Bay, Bohai Bay, and Laizhou Bay.
• River Inflow: The Yellow River, China’s second longest river, flows into the Bohai Gulf.

Yellow Sea

• About: The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean.
• Location: It lies between mainland China to the west and north, the Korean Peninsula to the east, and the Shandong Peninsula and Liaodong Peninsula to the south. It connects with the Bohai Sea to the northwest.