Guildworld - General discussion [place names and other assorted topics]

[jshoer]

So I am near the point where I need to label the body of water to the east of Maucland. This is sort of an extension of what Robulous has labeled "SEA/OCEAN?" However, looking at the globe, I'm thinking it makes more sense to treat it as having more to do with my country and Meshon's. It's about 500 miles between our two nations, so my question for you is, what's an appropriate name for a 500-mile-wide strip of ocean between two roughly parallel coasts? Would it be a strait, a passage, or some other name I'm having trouble thinking of?

[Robulous]

It's about 500 miles between our two nations, so my question for you is, what's an appropriate name for a 500-mile-wide strip of ocean between two roughly parallel coasts? Would it be a strait, a passage, or some other name I'm having trouble thinking of?

500 miles wide is definitely a sea - the Adriatic is only 100 miles at it's widest point, the Mediterrean not much more than 500 at its widest north-south distance. A strait is the narrow point between two larger bodies of water.

But really there's no hard and fast rules for any of these terms. The definition of a sea is a body of water enclosed by land, and an ocean is a body of water not enclosed by land... but all oceans are surrounded by land, and vice versa! Best not to worry about it too much.