The Barents Sea lies north of Norway and Russia and south of Svalbard and Franz Josef Land.
It is a shallow marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, bordered by Norway and Russia to the south. Svalbard lies to its northwest, Franz Josef Land to the northeast, and Novaya Zemlya to the east. The sea is divided between Norwegian and Russian waters and forms an important gateway between the North Atlantic and the Arctic.
The Barents Sea is named after Willem Barentsz, the Dutch navigator whose Arctic expeditions helped make the region known in European geography. Its average depth is only about 230 meters because it sits largely on a continental shelf, although its waters support major fisheries and hydrocarbon exploration.
A striking feature is that the southern part can remain ice-free throughout the year. Warm Atlantic water carried northward by the Norwegian Current helps keep ports such as Murmansk and Vardø open even at high latitudes. The White Sea is nearby but is a separate body of water connected through northern Russia.