Tasman sea
| Tasman Sea | |
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Location
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Map of the Tasman Sea
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| Location | Western Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 40°S 160°E / 40°S 160°E |
| Type | Sea |
| Basin countries | Australia, New Zealand |
| Max. length | 2,800 km (1,700 mi) |
| Max. width | 2,200 km (1,400 mi) |
| Islands | Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island |
| Benches | Lord Howe Rise |
| Settlements | Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong, Auckland, Wellington |
The Tasman Sea (Māori: Te Tai-o-Rehua) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean, situated between Australia and New Zealand. It measures about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) across and about 2,800 kilometres (1,700 mi) from north to south. The sea was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman, who was the first recorded European to encounter New Zealand and Tasmania. The British explorer Captain James Cook later extensively navigated the Tasman Sea in the 1770s as part of his first voyage of exploration.
The Tasman Sea is informally referred to in both Australian and New Zealand English as The Ditch; for example, crossing the Ditch means travelling to Australia from New Zealand, or vice versa. The diminutive term "The Ditch" used for the Tasman Sea is comparable to referring to the North Atlantic Ocean as "The Pond".
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Tasman Sea as follows:
On the West. A line from Gabo Island (near Cape Howe, 37°30'S) to the Northeast point of East Sister Island (148°E) thence along the 148th meridian to Flinders Island; beyond this Island a line running to the Eastward of the Vansittart Shoals to [Cape] Barren Island, and from Cape Barren (the Easternmost point of [Cape] Barren Island) to Eddystone Point (41°S) in Tasmania, thence along the East coast to South East Cape, the Southern point of Tasmania.
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Wikipedia