What is the Largest Ocean in the World
The Earth is made up of about 71% of seawater and an ocean is considered to be a major body of this area. Under this basic definition there are 5 oceans of the World; called the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans. These are classified in a number of ways, but are basically divided by the continents and arctic circles. If you want to know which of the World’s oceans is the largest, keep reading to find out.
What is the largest ocean on Earth?
The largest ocean in the World is the Pacific Ocean. It is approximately 165.2 km2 (64.1 sq mi.) and makes up about 46% of the water surface of Earth. It covers about 1/3 of the Earth’s total surface, which makes it larger than all of the land on Earth combined. The Pacific Ocean reaches all the way from the South Pole to the North Pole and its boundaries are North and South America in the east and Asia and Australia in the west. The Pacific Ocean is separated into the North and South Pacific ocean by the equator. The ocean was first discovered by Europeans in 15143 and in 1521 was named by the famous Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan as “Mar Pacifico”, which means “peaceful sea” in Portuguese.
Did you know?
The Mariana Trench, which is the deepest point on Earth, in located in the North Pacific Ocean. It reaches an impressive depth of 10,911 m (35,797 ft)!
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