The North Sea is a relatively shallow sea area located on the European continental shelf, between Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Great Britain. The depth gradually increases from less than 30 m in the south to about 200 m in the north. The Norwegian Trench cuts into the north-western part of the North Sea to a maximum depth of more than 700 m in the Skagerrak.

Length north-south	960 km
Width east-west	580 km
Surface area	750.000 km²
Volume	94.000 km³
Average depth	95 m
Maximum depth	700 m (Norway)
Annual river water input	300 km³ directly and 470 km³ via the Baltic Sea
Drainage area	850.000 km² (184 million residents)
Average temperature in winter	6°C
Average temperature in summer	17°C
Salinity	34 à 35 g salt per litre of water
Tide difference	0 to 8 m

The densely populated, highly industrialized countries bordering the North Sea conduct major fishing activities, carry out oil and gas offshore activities, extract sand and gravel, use it for dumping dredged material and for pipelines and cables. The North Sea is one of the most frequently traversed sea areas of the world and two of the world’s largest ports are situated on the North Sea coast. In addition, the coastal zone is used for recreation. The intensive and sometimes conflicting uses of the North Sea, cause a number of challenges in relation to a healthy ecosystem and to securing its sustainable use.

Over the last few years the need to take a cross sectoral, integrated approach to environment related management has become evident. The 1992 OSPAR Convention is the current instrument guiding international cooperation on the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic.