North Sea

a shallow body of water lying between the British Isles and the continent. If the tallest city buildings were set down in the deepest part of the sea, they would rise half way above the surface of the water. The northern boundary may be regarded as a line drawn from the most northerly of the Shetland Isles to the nearest point of the Norwegian coast. The extreme length from north to south is about 700 miles. The distance from Scotland to Denmark is somewhat over 400 miles. The total area of the German Ocean, as it is sometimes called, is somewhat less than 150,000 square miles. Its deepest portion lies off the Norwegian coast. The average depth may be stated at about 175 feet. Numerous arms indent the neighboring coast, the most noted being that formed by the Baltic Sea. Several enormous sandbars or mud banks extend from the mainland. A shallow near the center, known as the Dogger Bank, is famous for its cod fisheries. In fact, the entire sea forms one of the most valuable, if not the most valuable, fishing ground in the world. As a pathway of commerce, the North Sea ranks next to the Mediterranean. The entire basin has been formed by a sinking of the European coast. The British Isles were at one time a part of the mainland.