Bohai Sea

Bo Hai (zh-cp|c=|p=Bó Hăi), also known as Bohai Sea or Bohai Gulf, is the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea on the coast of northeastern China. It is approximately 78,000 km² in area and its proximity to Beijing, the capital of China, makes it one of the busiest seaways in the world.

In recent decades, petroleum and natural gas deposits have been discovered in Bo Hai.

Geography

The gulf is formed by the Liaodong Peninsula to the northeast and the Shandong Peninsula to the south. Bo Hai consists of three bays: Laizhou Bay to the south, Liaodong Bay to the north, and Bohai Wan to the west. The rivers Huang He, Liao He, Hai He and Luan River empty into Bo Hai.

Bo Hai borders the Chinese provinces of Shandong, Liaoning, and Hebei, and Tianjin municipality. Port cities on Bo Hai coast include:

* Hebei: Qinhuangdao
* Liaoning: Dalian, Huludao, Jinzhou, Yingkou
* Shandong: Longkou, Weihai, Yantai
* Tianjin: Tanggu

Islands include:
* Zhifu Island, part of Yantai City, Shandong Province

History

In literature until the early 20th century, Bo Hai was sometimes called the Gulf of Chihli (直隸 "Zhílì") or the Gulf of Pechihli (北直隸 "Běizhílì"). Zhili and Beizhili were old names for the contemporary Chinese province of Hebei.

Pollution

In October, 2006, experts predicted that a failure to control pollution will cause large areas of the Bo Hai to become dead seas within a decade.Fact|date=May 2007

A Xinhua News Agency report in February, 2007, painted a terrible scene: “Effluent has turned the sea a dark red and given it an acrid stench at Guanxi’s Silver Beach, a national tourist attraction. Local staff say it is not the first time this has happened – sometimes it occurs every few days. They blame the run-off from nearby shellfish processing plants.” [http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/832-China-s-water-resources-environmental-security-needed]

Jiaozhou Bay-Laizhou Bay Canal

In April, 2004, an official of the "Shandong" province raised the possibility of constructing a canal between Jiaozhou Bay and Laizhou Bay as a means of easing the pollution problem in the Bo Hai. [http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/www.sd.xinhuanet.com/news/2007-07/12/content_10557525.htm] The proposed canal will also be open to ships traveling between Bo Hai and the Yellow Sea. A meeting held in Qingdao in October, 2006, was attended by more than a hundred members of academia.

ee also

* Bohai Bay
* Balhae
* Bijia mountain

External links

* [http://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/832-China-s-water-resources-environmental-security-needed] 中国与世界，环境危机大家谈 - China's water resources - environmental security needed
* [http://www.takungpao.com/news/07/11/23/ZM-827370.htm] 國家擬投千億 開鑿運河連通渤黃 Retrieved November 23, 2007.