In nautical terminology, a bank is a large area of elevated sea floor. The largest banks in the world are: Great Bahamas Bank (95,798.12 km², has islands, area without islands) Saya de Malha (35,000 km², exluding the separate North bank, least depth 7 m) Seychelles Bank (31,000 km², including islands of 266 km²) Dogger Bank (17,600 km², least depth 13 m) Little Bahamas Bank (14,260.64 km², has islands, area without islands) Great Chagos Bank (12,642 km², including islands of 4.5 km²) Reed Bank, Spratly Islands (8,866 km², least depth 9 m) Caicos Bank, Caicos Islands (7,680 km², including islands of 589.5 km²) Macclesfield Bank (6,448 km², least depth 9.2 m) North Bank or Ritchie Bank (5,800 km², north of Saya de Malha, least depth <10 m) Cay Sal Bank (5,226.73 km², including islands of 14,87 km²) Landsdowne Bank (5,000 km²?, west of New Caledonia, least depth 3.7 m) Rosalind Bank (4,500 km², lest depth 7.3 m) Some of these banks may be sunken atolls. Continental shelf areas like the Grand Banks are not considered banks in this context.

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