Appendix G: Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes

IHO 23-4th: Limits of Oceans and Seas, Special Publication 23, Draft 4th Edition 1986, published by the International Hydrographic Bureau of the International Hydrographic Organization

IHO 23-3rd: Limits of Oceans and Seas, Special Publication 23, 3rd Edition 1953, published by the International Hydrographic Organization

ACIC M 49-1: Chart of Limits of Seas and Oceans, revised January 1958, published by the Aeronautical Chart and Information Center (ACIC), United States Air Force; note - ACIC is now part of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA)

DIAM 65-18: Geopolitical Data Elements and Related Features, Data Standard No. 4, Defense Intelligence Agency Manual 65-18, December 1994, published by the Defense Intelligence Agency

The US Government has not yet adopted a standard for hydrographic codes similar to the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 10-4 country codes. The names and limits of the following oceans and seas are not always directly comparable because of differences in the customers, needs, and requirements of the individual organizations. Even the number of principal water bodies varies from organization to organization. Factbook users, for example, find the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean entries useful, but none of the following standards include those oceans in their entirety. Nor is there any provision for combining codes or overcodes to aggregate water bodies. The recently delimited Southern Ocean is not included.

Principal Oceans and Seas of the World With Hydrographic Codes by Institution | IHO 23-4th | IHO 23-3rd* | ACIC M 49-1 | DIAM 65-18
Arctic Ocean | 9 | 17 | A | 5A
Atlantic Ocean | - | - | - | -
North Atlantic Ocean | 1 | 23 | B | 1A
South Atlantic Ocean | 4 | 32 | C | 2A
Baltic Sea | 2 | 1 | B26 | 7B
Indian Ocean | 5 | 45 | F | 6A
Mediterranean Sea | 3.1 | 28 | B11 | -
Eastern Mediterranean | 3.1.2 | 28 B | - | 8E
Western Mediterranean | 3.1.1 | 28 A | - | 8W
Pacific Ocean | - | - | - | -
North Pacific Ocean | 7 | 57 | D | 3A
South Pacific Ocean | 8 | 61 | E | 4A
South China and Eastern Archipelagic Seas | 6 | 49, 48 | D18 plus others | 3U plus others

Oceans and Seas of the World With Hydrographic Codes by Institution | IHO 23-4th | IHO 23-3rd* | ACIC M 49-1 | DIAM 65-18
ARCTIC OCEAN | 9 | 17 | A | 5A
East Siberian Sea | 9.1 | 11 | A6 | 5S
Laptev Sea | 9.2 | 10 | A5 | 5P
Kara Sea | 9.3 | 9 | A4 | 5K
Barents Sea | 9.4 | 7 | A2 | 5B
White Sea | 9.5 | 8 | A3 | 5W
North Greenland Sea | 9.6 | - | - | -
Norwegian Sea | 9.7 | 6 | B30 | 5N
Iceland Sea | 9.8 | - | - | -
Davis Strait | 9.9 | 15 | B2 | 1V
Hudson Strait | 9.10 | 16 A | A15 | 1U
Hudson Bay | 9.11 | 16 | A10 | 1H
Baffin Bay | 9.12 | 14 A | A12 | 1P
Lincoln Sea | 9.13 | 17 A | A13 | 5L
Northwest Passages (Northwest Passage, Northwestern Passages) | 9.14 | 14 | A9 | 5T
Beaufort Sea | 9.15 | 13 | A8 | 5U
Chukchi Sea | 9.16 | 12 | A7 | 5C
James Bay | - | - | A11 | -
Kane Basin | - | - | A14 | -

ATLANTIC OCEAN (see North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean) | - | - | - | -

BALTIC SEA | 2 | 1 | B26 | 7B
Gulf of Bothnia | 2.1 | 1 (a) | B29 | 7T
Gulf of Finland | 2.2 | 1 (b) | B28 | 7F
Gulf of Riga | 2.3 | 1 (c) | B27 | 7H
The Sound | 2.4 | 2 | - | -
The Great Belt | 2.5 | 2 | - | -
The Little Belt | 2.6 | 2 | - | -
Kattegat | 2.7 | 2 | B25 | 7K

INDIAN OCEAN | 5 | 45 | F | 6A
Mozambique Channel | 5.1 | 45 A | F1 | 6Z
Gulf of Suez | 5.2 | 35 | F5 | 6W
Gulf of Aqaba | 5.3 | 36 | - | 6Q
Red Sea | 5.4 | 37 | F4 | 6E
Gulf of Aden | 5.5 | 38 | F3 | 6D
Persian Gulf (Gulf of Iran) | 5.6 | 41 | F7 | 6P
Gulf of Oman | 5.7 | 40 | F6 | 6M
Arabian Sea | 5.8 | 39 | F2 | 6R
Laccadive Sea (Lakshadweep Sea) | 5.9 | 42 | F9 | 6L
Gulf of Mannar | 5.10 | - | F8 | -
Palk Strait and Palk Bay | 5.11 | - | - | -
Bay of Bengal | 5.12 | 43 | F10 | 6B
Andaman Sea (Burma Sea) | 5.13 | 44 | F11 | 6N
Strait of Malacca (Malacca Strait) | 5.14 | 46 (a) | F12 | 6C
Great Australian Bight | 5.15 | 62 | F21 | 6G
Suez Canal | - | - | - | 6U

MEDITERRANEAN REGION | 3 | - | - | -
Mediterranean Sea | 3.1 | 28 | B11 | -
Mediterranean Sea, Western Basin | 3.1.1 | 28 A | - | 8W
Strait of Gibraltar | 3.1.1.1 | 28 (a) | B7 | 8S
Alboran Sea | 3.1.1.2 | 28 (b) | - | 8Y
Balearic Sea (Balear Sea, Iberian Sea) | 3.1.1.3 | 28 (c) | B9 | 8J
Ligurian Sea (Ligure Sea) | 3.1.1.4 | 28 (d) | B10 | 8L
Tyrrhenian Sea (Tirreno Sea) | 3.1.1.5 | 28 (e) | B12 | 8T
Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Basin | 3.1.2 | 28 B | - | 8E
Adriatic Sea | 3.1.2.1 | 28 (g) | B14 | 8D
Strait of Sicily (Strait of Sicilia) | 3.1.2.2 | - | - | -
Ionian Sea | 3.1.2.3 | 28 (f) | B13 | 8N
Aegean Sea | 3.1.2.4 | 28 (h) | B15 | 8G
Sea of Marmara | 3.2 | 29 | B16 | 8M
Black Sea | 3.3 | 30 | B17 | 8B
Sea of Azov | 3.4 | 31 | B18 | 8Z
Gulf of Lion (Gulf of Lions) | - | - | B8 | 8X
Aral Sea | - | - | - | 8R
Bosporus | - | - | - | 8P
Caspian Sea | - | - | - | 8C
Dardanelles | - | - | - | 8U

NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN | 1 | 23 | B | 1A
Skagerrak | 1.1 | 3 | B24 | 1S
North Sea | 1.2 | 4 | B23 | 1N
Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland | 1.3 | 18 | - | 1K
Irish Sea and Saint Georges Channel | 1.4 | 19 | B22 | 1R, 1Q
Bristol Channel | 1.5 | 20 | B21 | 1C
Celtic Sea | 1.6 | 21 A | - | -
English Channel | 1.7 | 21 | B20 | 1E
Bay of Biscay | 1.8 | 22 | B19 | 1B
Canarias Sea | 1.9 | - | - | -
Gulf of Guinea | 1.1 | 34 | C4 | 1G
Caribbean Sea | 1.11 | 27 | B6 | 1X
Gulf of Mexico | 1.12 | 26 | B5 | 1M
Bay of Fundy | 1.13 | 25 | B4 | 1F
Gulf of Saint Lawrence | 1.14 | 24 | B3 | 1T
Labrador Sea | 1.15 | 15 A | - | 1L
Greenland Sea | 1.16 | 5 | A1 | 5G
Denmark Strait | - | - | B1 | 1D
Lake Erie | - | - | - | 9E
Lake Huron | - | - | - | 9H
Lake Michigan | - | - | - | 9M
Lake Ontario | - | - | - | 9N
Lake Superior | - | - | - | 9S
Panama Canal | - | - | - | 1J
Saint Lawrence Seaway | - | - | - | 9L

NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN | 7 | 57 | D | 3A
Philippine Sea | 7.1 | 56 | D26 | 3P
Taiwan Strait (Formosa Strait) | 7.2 | - | D17 | 3F
East China Sea (Tung Hai) | 7.3 | 50 | D13 | 3E
Yellow Sea (Huang Hai, Hwang Hai) | 7.4 | 51 | D14 | 3Y
Bo Hai (Bo Sea, Gulf of Chihli) | 7.5 | - | D16 | 3X
Liaodong Wan (Liaodong Gulf) | 7.6 | - | - | -
Inland Sea of Japan (Seto Naikai) | 7.7 | 53 | - | 3N
Sea of Japan (Japan Sea) | 7.8 | 52 | D11 | 3J
Gulf of Tartary | 7.9 | - | D10 | -
Sea of Okhotsk | 7.10 | 54 | D8 | 3Q
Bering Sea | 7.11 | 55 | D6 | 5D
Anadyrskiy Zaliv (Anadyrskiy Gulf) | 7.12 | - | - | 5Y
Gulf of Alaska | 7.13 | 58 | D4 | 5F
Coastal Waters of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia | 7.14 | 59 | D3 | 5E
Gulf of California | 7.15 | 60 | D2 | 3L
Gulf of Panama | 7.16 | - | D1 | -
Amurskiy Liman | - | - | D27 | -
Bering Strait | - | - | D7 | 5R
Bristol Bay | - | - | D5 | -
Korea Bay | - | - | D15 | 3R
Korea Strait | - | - | D12 | -
Sakhalinskiy Zaliv | - | - | D28 | 3B
Zaliv Shelikhova (Zaliv Shelekhova) | - | - | D9 | 3K
Luzon Strait | - | - | - | 3I
Tatar Strait | - | - | - | 3D

PACIFIC OCEAN (see North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean) | ##### - | ##### - | ##### - | ##### -

SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN | 4 | 32 | C | 2A
Rio de la Plata | 4.1 | 33 | C1 | 2R
Drake Passage | - | - | C5 | 2D
Golfo San Matias | - | - | C2 | 2M
Golfo San Jorge | - | - | C3 | 2J
Scotia Sea | - | - | C6 | 2S
Weddell Sea | - | - | C7 | 2W

SOUTH CHINA AND EASTERN ARCHIPELAGIC SEAS | 6 | 49 and 48 | D18 plus others | 3U plus others
South China Sea (Nan Hai) | 6.1 | 49 | D18 | 3U
Gulf of Tonkin | 6.2 | - | D19 | 3G
Gulf of Thailand (Gulf of Siam) | 6.3 | 47 | D20 | 3T
Natuna Sea | 6.4 | - | - | -
Singapore Strait | 6.5 | 46 (b) | - | 3Z
Sunda Strait | 6.6 | - | - | -
Java Sea (Jawa Sea) | 6.7 | 48 (n) | F13 | 4J
Makassar Strait (Makasar Strait) | 6.8 | 48 (m) | E1 | 4M
Bali Sea | 6.9 | 48 (l) | F14 | 4L
Flores Sea | 6.10 | 48 (j) | F16 | 4F
Sumba Strait | 6.11 | - | - | -
Savu Sea (Sawu Sea) | 6.12 | 48 (o) | F15 | 6S
Timor Sea | 6.13 | 48 (i) | F19 | 6T
Joseph Bonaparte Gulf | 6.14 | - | F20 | -
Gulf of Carpentaria | 6.15 | - | E4 | 4P
Arafura Sea | 6.16 | 48 (h) | E3 | 4U
Aru Sea | 6.17 | - | - | -
Banda Sea | 6.18 | 48 (g) | E2 | 4B
Teluk Bone (Gulf of Bone, Gulf of Boni) | 6.19 | 48 (k) | F17 | 4E
Ceram Sea (Seram Sea) | 6.20 | 48 (f) | D25 | 4Q
Gulf of Berau | 6.21 | - | - | -
Halmahera Sea | 6.22 | 48 (e) | D24 | 3H
Molucca Sea (Molukka Sea, Maluku Sea) | 6.23 | 48 (c) | D23 | 3M
Teluk Tomini (Gulf of Tomini) | 6.24 | 48 (d) | F18 | 3V
Sulawesi Sea | 6.25 | - | - | -
Mindanao Sea | 6.26 | - | - | -
Sulu Sea | 6.27 | 48 (a) | D21 | 3S
Celebes Sea | - | 48 (b) | D22 | 3C

SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN | 8 | 61 | E | 4A
Bismarck Sea | 8.1 | 66 | E6 | 4K
Solomon Sea | 8.2 | 65 | E7 | 4S
Torres Strait | 8.3 | - | E5 | -
Coastal Waters of Great Barrier Reefs | 8.4 | - | - | -
Coral Sea | 8.5 | 64 | E9 | 4C
Tasman Sea | 8.6 | 63 | E10 | 4T
Bass Strait | 8.7 | 62 A | F22 | 6F
Amundsen Sea | - | - | E12 | 4D
Bellingshausen Sea | - | - | E13 | 4G
Cook Strait | - | - | E8 | -
Ross Sea | - | - | E11 | 4R

* The letters after the numbers are subdivisions, not footnotes.

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