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Oceans & Seas of the World

The Oceans

The oceans are the some of the most mysterious places on the planet. Although there is much we have not yet discovered,
Water covers more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, with the largest body of water, the Pacific Ocean, taking up more than one-third of the planet’s surface. Here are the top  biggest seas and oceans in the world, as measured by surface area in square miles (square kilometers).

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Area

 

Average depth

 

Greatest known depth

 

Place of greatest known depth

 
sq. mi.sq. kmft.mft.m 
1Pacific Ocean63,800,000015,55,57,00013,2154,02835,82710,920Mariana Trench
2Atlantic Ocean41,100,000106,460,00012,8803,92630,2469,219Puerto Rico Trench
3Indian Ocean27,240,00070,560,00013,0023,96324,4607,455Java Trench

Sunda Trench

4Southern Ocean78,48,3002,03,27,00013,100–16,4004,000–5,00023,7367,235South Sandwich Trench
5Arctic Ocean54,27,0001,40,56,0003,9531,20518,4565,625Arctic Basin 77°45’N; 175°W

Some Facts about ocean

  • The Southern Ocean (Sometimes called the Antarctic Ocean) was approved in 2000 by the International Hydrographic Organization It is now the fourth largest ocean. Official depths for the Southern Ocean are still not available at this time.
  • Some scientists have said that the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in the summer in as little as 30 years.
  • The Indian Ocean’s calm surface allows for its trade routes to open up earlier in the year than the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, with many Indian Ocean states exporting raw materials such as silk, rice and sugar, according to the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC).
  • Despite its relative calm, the Indian Ocean was the site of one of the most devastating tsunamis in history. An underwater earthquake on December 26, 2004 created goliath waves that hit the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean, resulting in the deaths of more than 226,000 people and leaving more than one million people homeless
  • the Pacific basin is where about 81 percent of the world’s largest earthquakes occur, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Major Seas

 

Seas are smaller than oceans. They usually most often be found in areas where oceans and land meet.

  • The Caspian Sea is called “sea” because the Romans, finding it salty, named it Mare Caspium. Many geographers, however, consider it a lake because it is land-locked.
  • Varies with the rainfall of the wet season It has been reported to dry up almost completely on occasion
  • A recent study has also found that the Mediterranean is feeling the effects of global warming, having become both warmer and saltier in recent decades.

Major Seas

Seas are smaller than oceans. They usually most often be found in areas where oceans and land meet.

  • The Caspian Sea is called “sea” because the Romans, finding it salty, named it Mare Caspium. Many geographers, however, consider it a lake because it is land-locked.
  • Varies with the rainfall of the wet season It has been reported to dry up almost completely on occasion
  • A recent study has also found that the Mediterranean is feeling the effects of global warming, having become both warmer and saltier in recent decades.
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Area

 

Average depth

 

Greatest known depth

Place of greatest known depth

 
sq. mi.sq. kmft.mft.m 
1Mediterranean Sea11,44,80029,65,8004,6881,42915,1974,632Off Cape Matapan, Greece
2Caribbean Sea10,49,50027,18,2008,6852,64722,7886,946Off Cayman Islands
3South China Sea8,95,40023,19,0005,4191,65216,4565,016West of Luzon
4Bering Sea8,84,90022,91,9005,0751,54715,6594,773Off Buldir Island
5Gulf of Mexico6,15,00015,92,8004,8741,48612,4253,787Sigsbee Deep
6Okhotsk Sea6,13,80015,89,7002,74983812,0013,658146°10’E; 46°50’N
7East China Sea4,82,30012,49,2006171889,1262,78225°16’N; 125°E
8Hudson Bay4,75,80012,32,300420128600183Near entrance
9Japan Sea (East Sea)3,89,10010,07,8004,4291,35012,2763,742Central Basin
10Andaman Sea3,08,0007,97,7002,85487012,3923,777Off Car Nicobar Island
11North Sea2,22,1005,75,200308942,165660Skagerrak
12Red Sea1,69,1004,38,0001,6114917,2542,211Off Port Sudan
13Baltic Sea1,63,0004,22,200180551,380421Off Gotland
14Arabian Sea1,491,0003,862,00015,2624,652
15Black168,500436,402

 

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