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Neritic zone
Relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The neritic zone (or sublittoral zone) is the relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, approximately 200 meters (660 ft) in depth.[1][2] From the point of view of marine biology it forms a relatively stable and well-illuminated environment for marine life, from plankton up to large fish and corals, while physical oceanography sees it as where the oceanic system interacts with the coast.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/World_map_of_bathymetric_data_-_GEBCO_2014.jpg/640px-World_map_of_bathymetric_data_-_GEBCO_2014.jpg)
As highlighted in light green, the neritic zone coincides with the relative shallows of the continental shelves