95 Pacific Ocean Facts To Know About The Largest Water Body

With a surface area of 63.8 million sq mi (165.2 million sq km), the Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on the planet Earth.

Are you aware of how big the Pacific Ocean is in reality? Consider that all of the world's landmasses would fit into it with ample room to spare.

The Pacific Ocean, the biggest and deepest ocean on Earth, sits between the continents of Asia and Australia on the west and North America and South America on the east. In 1520, adventurer Ferdinand Magellan dubbed the Pacific Ocean when he sailed across a calm section of the ocean.

The Pacific, unlike its name, is a large body of water filled with life. Although much of the ocean remains unexplored, human activities such as industrial fishing, deep-sea mining, fossil-fuel burning, and plastic pollution have already altered it significantly.

The immense body of water is home to some of the most unusual living creatures in the world and has the deepest depths ever explored by humans.

It's time to find out some more Pacific Ocean facts! Afterward, also check out facts on trash piles in the Pacific Ocean and Arctic Ocean islands.

Fun Facts About The Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is one of the six world's oceans that make up the Earth. It is the biggest, deepest, and also most polluted body of water in the world.

There are many natural sights in it, coral reefs like the Great Barrier Reef, a coral reef in Australia, and traces of human foolishness, namely the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and endangered animals.

Although the ocean was formally 'discovered' in 1521, travelers had been using it for much longer. During this time, canoe travel, particularly surrounding Taiwan, became increasingly vital for trade or even migration.

Every year, the Pacific Ocean shrinks by around one inch. This is attributed to the underwater impacts of plate tectonics. It's happening on three sides of the basin, whereas the Atlantic Ocean continues to increase at the same rate year after year.

The Ring of Fire is made by the active volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean, which create a circle around the ocean basin. Because of the configuration of tectonic plates and oceanic plates, the region is susceptible to earthquakes and other disturbances.

The latter can slide beneath the former, causing tsunamis.

The most notorious eruption, Krakatoa in 1883, destroyed about 37,000 people and impacted several more with earthquakes, ash and dust clouds, and tsunamis. The Great Barrier Reef is the only living, breathing formation observable from space is found in the Pacific Ocean.

The reef is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the natural world's seven wonders. It is composed of around 900 islands and 2,900 separate reefs. Gyres are swirling current systems that are comparable to whirlpools but considerably bigger.

In the oceans, there are five gyres: one in the Indian Ocean, two in the Atlantic Ocean, and two in the Pacific Ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is located in the Pacific Ocean. The North Pacific Ocean Gyre's garbage patch is an ever-growing accumulation of human-generated waste.

Geographical Facts About The Pacific Ocean

World's largest ocean, the Pacific Ocean, is a reservoir of saltwater on the Earth's surface that stretches from the Antarctic area in the south to the entire Arctic region of the north, sandwiched between the Asian and Australian continents on the west and North America and South America upon that east.

The Pacific Ocean spans 135 ° of latitude, from the Bering Strait along the Arctic Circle to the beaches of Antarctica, covering 9,631.3 mi (15,500 km). The Pacific's average depth, discounting surrounding seas, is 14,042 ft (4,280 m), while its maximum documented depth is 36,200 ft (11,033.8 m).

The Pacific Ocean has twice the area and even more than twice the water volume of the Atlantic Ocean, the next biggest component of the hydrosphere, and its size exceeds that of the entire Earth's surface of the world.

The Pacific basin may be split into three primary physiographic regions: the eastern Pacific area, which stretches south from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, is narrow.

The Middle America Trench in the North Pacific Ocean and the Peru-Chile Trench in the South Pacific Ocean represent significant oceanic trenches in this basin.

The western Pacific region's seaward limit is indicated by a discontinuous line of oceanic trenches ranging from the Aleutian Trench in the north to the Kuril and Japan trenches and southward to the Tonga and Kermadec trenches, finishing close towards the northeast of North Island, New Zealand.

The central Pacific area is located between the western and eastern borders of the Pacific Ocean.

Important Facts About The Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean has the most number of islands in the world, which includes Hawaii! The Pacific Ocean has about 25,000 islands. In addition, the Pacific Ocean is home to many Atolls, which are coral islands in the oceans encircled by a lagoon.

In 1513, Vasco Nez de Balboa traversed the Panama Isthmus and reached the Pacific Ocean, making him the first European to set sail in it. He was conducting an expedition to riches when he came upon the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Ocean has the deepest point in the ocean on the planet called the Mariana Trench. The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is the deepest point in the Pacific Ocean.

In 1875, the HMS Challenger conducted ocean exploration in the form of investigations on this trench; with more than a mile to spare, Mount Everest could fit inside the Challenger Deep.

The Pacific Ocean basin houses the ring of fire. The name derives from a ring of volcanoes that create a ring around the Pacific Ocean basin. Because of volcanic activity and tectonic plates movement, this region experiences many earthquakes. Over 75,000 volcanoes may be found in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean's temperature varies.

The deep part of the Pacific Ocean, which accounts for over 80% of the total volume of the ocean, has very constant temperature and salinity variations. The water temperature rises as one gets closer to the equator, and the water farthest from the equator freezes!

The Pacific Ocean is covered with pelagic (oceanic) material formed from the remnants of marine debris of animals and plants that formerly survived in the seas above.

Facts About Pacific Ocean's Marine Life

The Pacific Ocean formed 750 million years ago after the breakup of Rodinia. Still, it was known as the Panthalassa until approximately 200 million years ago, when it was renamed the Pacific Ocean.

Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Singapore, and South Korea form the borders of the Pacific Ocean.

The Pacific Ocean has a variety of species, including whales, sea turtles, sea otters, Hawaiian green sea turtles, and sea lions. They are vulnerable to hunters, by-catch, an increase in natural predators, and a decline in natural prey.

To live, these species rely on the ocean ecosystem's delicate balance. Rising oil contamination in the South Pacific Ocean and South China seas is also negatively influencing marine life.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 95 Pacific Ocean facts to know about the largest water body, then why not take a look at Atlantic Oceans animals or ocean facts for kids?