Bismarck Sea Table of Contents Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics Images Quizzes Water and its Varying Forms All About Oceans and Seas Quiz Related Questions How far from north to south does the Pacific Ocean extend? What is the salinity of the Pacific Ocean? What is the deepest region of the Pacific Ocean? Read Next Just How Many Oceans Are There? A Tale of Two Submerged Continents Which Waters Do You Pass Through When You “Sail the Seven Seas”? Discover Why Was Nazi Germany Called the Third Reich? Poker Hands Ranked Extinct in the Wild but Still Around: 5 Plants and Animals Kept Alive by Humans 10 Best Hockey Players of All Time Why Do Some Cicadas Appear Only Every 17 Years? 9 of the World’s Deadliest Spiders Why Is Missouri Called the Show Me State? Contents Home Geography & Travel Physical Geography of Water Oceans & Seas Bismarck Sea sea, Pacific Ocean Actions Cite verified Cite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook Twitter URL https://www.britannica.com/place/Bismarck-Sea Give Feedback Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Print Cite verified Cite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook Twitter URL https://www.britannica.com/place/Bismarck-Sea Feedback Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Article History Table of Contents Bismarck Sea: Manam The volcanic island of Manam off the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea in the Bismarck Sea. (more) Bismarck Sea Bismarck Sea , section of the southwestern Pacific Ocean , bounded to the southwest by the northeast coast of New Guinea and to the northwest through to the southeast by the Bismarck Archipelago , consisting of the Admiralty Islands (north), New Ireland (east), and New Britain (southeast). With a total surface area of about 15,000 square miles (40,000 square km), it opens to the Pacific on the north and to the Solomon Sea on the southeast through Vitiaz and Dampier straits and St. George’s Channel. The basin , with a general depth of 6,600 feet (2,000 meters) and maximum depths approaching 8,200 feet (2,500 meters), is divided by a central ridge into the eastern New Ireland and western New Guinea sections. The sea was under German control from about 1885 until 1914 and bears the name of the German statesman Otto von Bismarck . The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Virginia Gorlinski .