The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. The East China Sea is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of roughly . To the east lies the Japanese islands of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands, to the south lies the South China Sea, and to the west by the Asian continent. The sea connects with the Sea of Japan through the Korea Strait and opens to the north into the Yellow Sea. The sovereign states which border the sea include South Korea, Japan, the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China. In the nineteenth century, the sea was known as Mer de Corée (Sea of Korea).