The Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest ocean, covering an area of 63.8 million square miles. The Pacific Ocean covers roughly 46 percent of the earth’s water surface area. The Pacific Ocean was the last ocean discovered by Europeans. On September 25th, 1513, a Spanish explorer named Balboa is thought to have been the first European to discover the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean stretches from Asia and Australia to the Americas, and from the Arctic Ocean to Antarctica. The Pacific Ocean is so vast that it encompasses more land area than all of the world’s land masses combined.
Interesting facts about Pacific Ocean:
Pacific is derived from the Latin word pace, which means peace. In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer, named the ocean’mar pacifico,’ which translates to “peaceful sea.”
The Pacific Ocean is home to the Ring of Fire, a region comprised of hundreds of active volcanoes. The Pacific Ocean basin contains 75% of the world’s active volcanoes.
Coral reef, a living sea creature that is home to many tropical fish species, is common in shallow areas of the Pacific Ocean.
Typhoons are types of storms that feature high winds, rain, and thunder. Typhoons form in the Pacific Ocean’s northwest region and are also known as tropical cyclones.
The Pacific Ocean is bordered by 55 countries, including Canada, the United States, China, Australia, Japan, and Mexico.
The Pacific Ocean contains the world’s deepest ocean trench. The Marianas Trench is the deepest at 11,034 meters, which is higher than Mount Everest.
Krakatoa is a volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean. It erupted in 1883, killing at least 36,380 people.
The Great Barrier Reef, located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Australia, is the world’s longest reef.
New Guinea is the world’s second largest island, located in the Pacific Ocean. Greenland is the world’s largest island.
Easter Island is located in the Pacific Ocean to the south-east. Admiral Roggeveen, a Dutch explorer, named the island after discovering it on Easter Sunday.
The Galapagos Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean’s south-east. These islands are well-known for their diverse wildlife, some of which are found nowhere else in the world.
The Pacific Ocean contains over 25,000 islands, the majority of which are located south of the Equator.
There are four types of islands in the Pacific Ocean. There are four types of islands: continental islands, coral reefs, high islands, and lifted coral platforms.
Petroleum and natural gas are extracted from the continental shelves off the coasts of New Zealand and Australia.
Pearls are harvested off the coasts of Japan, Australia, Panama, Nicaragua, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea.
The Pacific Ocean’s waters are popular for tuna, swordfish, snapper, sardines, salmon, herring, and shellfish fishing.
People are responsible for a large amount of marine debris and pollution in the Pacific Ocean.
