Karen Wallender, age 13, of Montgomery, Ala., for her question:

HOW LARGE IS THE CARIBBEAN SEA?

The Caribbean Sea is actually an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. It is partially enclosed on the north and east by the islands of the West Indies and is bounded on the south by South America and Panama and on the west by Central America.

The Caribbean is approximately 1500 miles long from the east to the west and between 400 and 900 miles wide. It has an area of about 750,000 square miles.

The name of the sea is derived from the Carib Indians who inhabited the area when Spanish explorers arrived there in the 15th century.

At the northwest extremity the Caribbean is connected with the Gulf of Mexico by the Yucatan Peninsula.

With a few exceptions, the entire Caribbean Basin is more than 6,000 feet deep. Large areas of the sea exceed 12,000 feet in depth. The greatest depth measured thus far is the Cayman Trench between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. It is 24,720 feet deep.

A popular resort area, the Caribbean Sea is noted for its mild tropical climate.