The Difference Between An Ocean And A Sea: Wicked Water Facts For Kids

We usually refer to large salty water bodies by the terms 'oceans' and 'seas' but both of them are quite different due to a variety of reasons.

In general terms, the word 'ocean' is used to refer to relatively large bodies of water, whereas the term 'sea' is used to denote relatively smaller bodies of water.

Technically, we must use the word 'ocean' when we refer to one of the five oceans in the world, although some see it as one global ocean covering 71% of Earth's area.

Experts have divided the global ocean into five parts on the basis of location. The primary difference between an ocean and a sea is, an ocean, unlike a sea, is not surrounded by land or is not landlocked in any way.

The ocean is vast bodies of water containing 97% of Earth's water. Seas, on the other hand, are smaller bodies of water and are either surrounded or landlocked in some way or another.

There is also a difference between rivers and lakes. Rivers always flow in one direction towards a sea or an ocean but a lake is a water body surrounded by land.

Even seas and gulfs are different as gulfs are always smaller than seas and at times a part of them.

A gulf is connected to a larger water body via a strait. The body of water between two close landmasses is called a sea channel.

A beach can partially cover a landmass and is a part of the ocean too. The ocean is a vast body of water that covers around three-fourths of the Earth's surface, it makes all the continents look like islands.

If you enjoyed this article, why not also read these facts about energy and why do atoms bond here on Kidadl?

What is the difference between the ocean and the sea?

In total there are five oceans in the world namely, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and the Antarctic Ocean. The Pacific and the Atlantic are the two biggest oceans in the world, and are further divided into North Pacific, South Pacific, and North Atlantic, South Atlantic.

The first basis of differentiation is the size difference between these two water bodies. Oceans are larger in size than seas.

Apart from a few, most seas are in fact parts of an ocean near the land surface. Water in oceans is saltwater, whereas in seas you can find saline water.

The next basis of differentiation is the depth of the two water bodies. Oceans are significantly deeper than seas, seas are smaller and shallower than oceans although there are some seas with a depth that is more than the average depth of oceans.

The marine life in the two water bodies is also different. Marine life exists in abundance in seas rather than in oceans due to the depth levels of the two.

As oceans are deeper than seas and further away from the land surface, sunlight cannot penetrate deep into the ocean to allow photosynthesis.

There is a huge variety of marine life in seas but in oceans, bacteria, microscopic planktons, and shrimp are mainly found. Oceans are usually used for mining purposes regarding oil, natural gas, and other fossil fuels, whereas seas are known for recreational water activities and commercial fishing.

Facts About The Ocean And The Sea

The five oceans, they are also known as the seven seas, cover around three-fourth of the Earth's surface area, so it is natural that there are lots of interesting facts. Did you know that oceans are so huge and vast that people have only managed to explore 5% of the entire ocean area on Earth?

The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean in the world at a size of 64.9 million sq mi (168 million sq km) and is home to more than 25,000 islands.

The Pacific Ocean is located along the west coast of America to the east coasts of Asia and Australia. On the other hand, the smallest ocean in the world is the Arctic Ocean with an area of 6.1 million sq mi (15.8 million sq km).

The Antarctic Ocean has a second name as it is also known as the Southern Ocean and is located in the South Pole.

The two largest seas in the world, the Mediterranean Sea and the Caribbean Sea are both a part of the Atlantic Ocean.

Two of the largest seas in the Pacific Ocean are the South China Sea and the Bering Sea. Interestingly, the Caribbean Sea is the second largest sea in the world and is the deepest sea in the world, deeper than the Arctic Ocean.

The Cayman Trough is the deepest point of the Caribbean Sea, but it is nowhere as deep as Mariana Trench which is the deepest point on Earth at 36,201 ft (11,034 m) and is located in the Pacific Ocean.

Facts About The World's Seas

Some of the most famous seas in the world are the Mediterranean Sea, the Arabian Sea, the South China Sea, the Caspian Sea, and the Black Sea.

Interestingly, there are some water bodies in the world that are considered to be seas but do not have the word 'sea' associated in their names such as the Gulf of Mexico and the Bay of Bengal.

When citing differences between the ocean and the sea, we consider the fact that seas are water bodies that are closer to land surface and continents, but there are some exceptions.

The Sargasso Sea, located in the Atlantic Ocean is not surrounded by any land surface but is located between the ocean currents. There is a stark difference between various seas in the world in terms of size, depth, and marine life.

Some of them are even entirely landlocked such as the Dead Sea, the Aral Sea, and many people are inclined to call them lakes.

Examples Of Oceans And Seas

There are a total of five oceans in the world, at times divided into seven known as 'seven seas' and there more than 60 seas in the world.

The oceans are the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. Some of the famous seas include the Arabian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Caspian Sea, Bering Sea, and the Dead Sea.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked learning abut the difference between the ocean and the sea, then why not take a look at why do we classify organisms, or facts about Alaska?