The innermost bay of the Yellow Sea is called the Bohai Sea (previously Pechihli Bay or Chihli Bay). Into it flow both the Yellow River (through Shandong province and its capital Jinan) and Hai He (through Beijing and Tianjin). Deposits of sand and silt from those rivers contribute to the sea colour.
The northern extension of the Yellow Sea is called the Korea Bay.
The Yellow Sea is one of four seas named after common colour terms — the others being the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the White Sea.