Philippine Sea

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The first European to navigate the Philippine Sea was Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, who named it Mar Filipinas when he and his men were in the Mariana Islands prior to the exploration of the Philippines. Later it was discovered by other Spanish explorers from 1522 to 1565. A historic battle between the naval fleets of the United States and Japan took place in the vicinity of the Philippine Sea. This was called The Battle of the Philippine Sea, and occurred near the Mariana Islands from 19 to 20 June 1944. It was also the largest carrier-to-carrier battle in history which featured the United States Fifth Fleet and the 1st Mobile Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Americans indisputably won, and nicknamed the aerial war the 'Great Marianas Turkey Shoot' due to the number of Japanese aircraft shot down. Japan struggled to recover from the severe damages of its imperial navy and air strength suffered from the battle. Typhoon Cobra, also known as 'Halsey's Typhoon,' was a tropical cyclone that struck the U.S. Pacific Third Fleet in the Philippine Sea in December 1944, resulting in the deaths of 790 sailors. In 1989, the United States Department of Defense revealed the loss of a one-megaton nuclear bomb in the Philippine Sea during the 1965 Philippine Sea A-4 incident.

Reader's Guide

The Philippine Sea has a marine territorial scope of over 679,800 square kilometers (262,500 sq mi), and an EEZ of 2.2 million km2. Attributed to an extensive vicariance and island integrations, the Philippines contains the highest number of marine species per unit area relative to the countries within the Indo-Malay-Philippines Archipelago, and has been identified as the epicenter of marine biodiversity. With its inclusion in the Coral Triangle, the Philippine Sea encompasses over 3,212 fish species, 486 coral species, 800 seaweed species, and 820 benthic algae species, wherein the Verde Island Passage is dubbed as 'the center of the center of marine fish biodiversity'. Within its territory, thirty-three endemic species of fish have been identified, including the blue-spotted angelfish (Chaetodontoplus caeruleopunctatus) and the sea catfish (Arius manillensis). The Philippine marine territory has also become a breeding and feeding ground for endangered marine species, such as the whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the dugong (Dugong dugon), and the megamouth shark (Megachasma pelagios). The Coral Triangle contains 75% of the world's coral species (around 600 species). It is home to over 2000 types of reef fish, and six of the world's seven species of marine turtles. The Philippine Sea provides or supports the livelihoods of 120 million people, and is a source of food for the Philippine coastal communities and for millions more people worldwide. Climate change is affecting the coastal ecosystem found in the Coral Triangle, contributing to rising sea levels and ocean acidification, thus endangering marine animals like fish and turtles.

Did You Know?

• The Philippine Sea is the largest sea in the world, occupying an estimated surface area of 5 million square kilometers.
• The Mariana Trench, which contains the deepest point on the planet, is located in the Philippine Sea.
• The Battle of the Philippine Sea (19–20 June 1944) was the largest carrier-to-carrier battle in history.
• The Philippine Sea encompasses over 3,212 fish species and 486 coral species, and is part of the Coral Triangle.
• Typhoon Cobra, also known as 'Halsey's Typhoon,' struck the U.S. Pacific Third Fleet in the Philippine Sea in December 1944, resulting in the deaths of 790 sailors.