Names of the oceans from largest to smallest. What are the oceans on our planet called?

The clear answer to the question about the largest ocean is the World Ocean. But if we consider the existence of four oceans into which the main part of the hydrosphere is divided, then the second correct and more specific answer will be the Pacific Ocean.

The World Ocean accounts for up to 70 percent of the total area globe, 95.2 percent of the hydrosphere, its total area water resources exceeds 361 million km 2 with a water volume of 1340.74 million km 3. Its origin and history are largely the subject of study of the science of oceanology. IN ancient times scientists admit the existence of the Panthalassa Ocean, which became the progenitor of the World Ocean as a result of irreversible tectonic processes.

Pacific Ocean occupies a third of the planet Earth, its area is 179.7 million km 2. The volume of water reserves of this ocean exceeds 710 million km 3.

The area of the Pacific Ocean is 30 million km 2 larger than the entire landmass of the Earth. In addition to its huge area, the ocean also has the greatest depth, which in the Mariana Trench is 10,994 meters, with an average ocean depth of 3,984 meters.

On the water Pacific Ocean accounts for approximately 49.5 percent of the surface of the world's oceans and more than 53 percent of its volume. The ocean includes 31 seas and large bays, the total area of which exceeds 31.64 million km 2.

The main problem The Pacific Ocean is heavily littered by humans, who have made the ocean waters not only a landfill for hazardous nuclear waste, but also simply a dumping ground for household waste. It is now not uncommon to discover drifting garbage patches or islands with an area of up to 15 million km 2 with waste volumes reaching one hundred million tons.

Atlantic Ocean It ranks second in area in the world, significantly inferior in size to the Pacific Ocean. Area of this water body 91.6 million km 2 with a total water volume of 329 million km 3. The average depth of the Atlantic Ocean is 3736 meters, with a maximum of 8742 meters.

Seas, straits and bays account for approximately 16 percent of the total area of this ocean, total equals 25, if you do not consider some bays to be an integral part of the seas. Their total area is 14.69 million km 2.

Main environmental disaster The Atlantic Ocean is the consequences of oil and gas production; huge oil spills are rapidly destroying the ecosystem, threatening to develop into a global environmental crisis by 2030, which will affect the entire oceans.

On Indian Ocean accounting for up to 20 percent of the planet's total water resources. With a volume of more than 282 million km 3, the ocean has an area exceeding 76.1 million km 2. Maximum width Indian Ocean According to rough estimates, it is 10 thousand kilometers. The maximum depth in the Sunda Trench reaches 7729 meters, and the average ocean depth does not exceed 3711 meters. The ocean contains 12 large seas and bays, the area of which is 11.68 million km 2.

Located entirely in the northern hemisphere Northern Arctic Ocean has an area exceeding 14.7 million km 2 with a total volume of ocean water resources of more than 18 million km 3 . More than 45 percent of the ocean floor is occupied by the shelf, where up to 70 percent of the area is occupied by the underwater territory of the continents, which belongs to six world states.

In total, the Arctic Ocean includes 13 seas and large bays, with a total area of 10.28 million km 2. The maximum depth at a point located in the Greenland Sea is 5527 meters, the average depth across the ocean does not exceed 1225 meters.

Quiet, Indian, Arctic and Southern. What is the largest ocean, do you think? Of course, Quiet! The area of this gigantic reservoir of water is 178.6 million km2. Which is one third of the surface of our planet and almost half the area of the entire World Ocean. Imagine that such a huge territory could freely accommodate all the earth’s continents and islands. And the largest ocean on Earth is also the deepest. Its average depth is 3984 m . The Pacific Ocean “owns” seas, islands, volcanoes, its waters are home to a huge number of living beings. It’s not for nothing that this “quiet guy” is called the Great. You can talk endlessly about the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, our capabilities are limited to the scope of one article, but we will try to provide in it as much information as possible about the great aquatic Titan.

Where is the Pacific Ocean

Let's take a globe or a map and see where the largest ocean on the planet is. Look: in the west it stretches between Australia and Eurasia, in the east - between Northern and South America, in the south it approaches Antarctica itself.

Along the Bering Strait (from Cape Peek in Chukotka to Cape Prince of Wales in Alaska), the Pacific Ocean borders on its brother, the Arctic Ocean. By west bank Sumatra, the northern edge of the Strait of Malacca, the southern shores of the Timor Islands, New Guinea and Java, through the beautiful Torres and Bass Straits, along the coast of eastern Tasmania and further to Antarctica, the border with the Indian Ocean stretches, and the Pacific borders with the Atlantic, starting from the Antarctic Peninsula, then along the dangerous rapids between the Shetland Islands to Tierra del Fuego. The Great Ocean extends from north to south for approximately 15.8 thousand km, and from east to west - for 19.5 thousand km.

A little history

The largest ocean in the world was named "Pacific" light hand the famous Spanish and Portuguese navigator Magellan. It was he who, in 1520, was the first to venture on a journey through uncharted waters. During all this time sea route, lasting more than three months, Magellan’s ship did not encounter a single storm, the skies were surprisingly favorable to the brave sailors, which is quite strange, because it is in these places that the strongest and most ferocious typhoons and hurricanes are born, to which the World Ocean is so generous.

The Spaniard Vasco Nunez de Balboa is considered to be the discoverer of the Pacific Ocean. This conquistador was lucky enough to be the first to see new, previously unseen ocean spaces. And it happened in 1510 in this way: de Balboa founded a settlement on the shores of the Gulf of Darien, and unexpectedly rumors reached him about a fabulously rich country, which you can get to if you sail across the huge sea located in the south. Balboa's detachment immediately set off and after 4 weeks reached the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Of course, he had no idea about the fantastic size of the expanse of water he had discovered. Balboa thought it was the sea.

Pacific Seas

The largest ocean on Earth is joined by 31 seas. Here are their names:

Javanese.
Japanese.
South China.
Tasmanovo.
Filipino.
New Guinea.
Okhotsk.
Sea of Savu.
Halmahera Sea.
Koro.
Mindanao.
Yellow.
Solomon Sea.
Visayan.
Samar.
Coral.
Sea Bali.
Japanese;
Sulu.
Sea Banda.
Silavesi.
Fiji.
Moluccan.
Camotes.
Sea Seram.
Flores.
East China.
Sibuyan.
Amundsen Sea.
Bering Sea.

Pacific Islands

The largest ocean on our planet washes the shores of 5 continents: Australia, Eurasia, South and North America and Antarctica. It also contains more than 25 thousand islands with a total area of 3.6 million km 2. Most of them are of volcanic origin.

The Aleutian Islands are located in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese, Kuril, Philippine, Sakhalin, New Guinea, Tasmania, New Zealand, Greater and Lesser Sunda Islands are located in the western part, and scattered in the southern and central regions huge variety small islands. The islands located in the western and central parts of the ocean form the Oceania region.

Climate zones

The most big oceans world can radically influence the weather on the entire planet. What can we say about such a giant as the Pacific Ocean! Terrible typhoons are born there destructive force, tropical storms, huge tsunamis that threaten many countries with great disasters. Scientists carefully monitor all changes in his mood, and this is not so easy to do, because thousands of kilometers of ocean water, stretching from north to south, are divided into different climatic zones - from cold Antarctic to hot equatorial.

The widest climatic zone of the Pacific Ocean is the equatorial one. It is located between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. Here average temperature never falls below +20 degrees. These places are characterized by frequent tropical cyclones. To the north and south of the equatorial zone there are tropical and subtropical climatic zones, and then there are temperate ones, bordering the polar zones. Antarctica has a significant influence on the temperature characteristics of ocean water. In equatorial and tropical zones there is a lot of precipitation, approximately 3000 mm per year. This value is significantly greater than the amount of moisture evaporating from the ocean surface. 30 thousand m 2 of fresh water annually enters the Pacific thanks to the numerous rivers flowing into it. These two factors lead to the fact that the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean are less saline than those in the Atlantic, Indian, etc.

Bottom relief

The bottom of the Pacific Ocean has an extremely diverse topography. In the center of the Pacific Basin there are deep-sea basins and trenches. And in the west there is the deepest place in the entire World Ocean - the Mariana Trench. Vast areas of the bottom are covered with products of volcanic activity containing cobalt, nickel, and copper. Individual areas These deposits are about three km thick.

The floor of the Pacific Ocean contains volcanoes and several long chains of high seamounts. These are the Emperor Mountains, Hawaiian Islands and Louisville. In the east of the ocean, where the East Pacific Rise is located, the relief is relatively flat.

Mariana Trench

The greatest depth of the ocean is 10,994 km. This place is located in the famous Mariana Trench - the most inaccessible and little-studied place on Earth. The Mariana Trench forms in earth's crust a giant crack 2550 km long and 69 km wide, resembling a crescent in shape. The water pressure at the bottom of the depression is almost a thousand times greater than on the surface. That is why diving into this place, even with the help of the most modern deep-sea vehicles, poses incredible danger and difficulty.

The exploration of the underwater world of the deepest point of the World Ocean is carried out mainly with the help of special robots. Only a few people have managed to visit the bottom of the Mariana Trench. For the first time, Don Walsham and Jacques Picard landed there in the bathyscaphe Trieste. This event occurred on January 23, 1960. The next human-assisted voyage into the depths of the ocean took place in 2012. This was done by the famous American film director James Cameron. Thanks to these brave people, humanity's knowledge of the secrets of the Pacific Ocean has been significantly enriched.

The largest volcano in the world

The largest ocean in the world never ceases to amaze its researchers. In 2013, an extinct volcano with an area of 310 thousand km was discovered under its waters. This huge mountain range is called Tamu, and its size is comparable only to the Martian giant volcano Olympus.

Flora of the Pacific

The Pacific flora amazes with its richness and diversity. In the Pacific Ocean, as in all others, the laws of the distribution of wildlife across climatic zones operate. So, in moderate and cold climatic areas species diversity scarcer, but it is replenished larger numbers one or another type of plant or animal.

Plant life is especially vibrant in tropical and subtropical ocean waters, between the coasts of Australia and Asia. There are gigantic territories occupied coral reefs and overgrown with mangroves. The bottom flora of the Pacific Ocean includes almost 4 thousand species of algae and more than 28 species of flowering plants. In the cold and temperate regions of the Pacific basin, algae from the kelp group are common. IN southern hemisphere You can find giant brown algae, the length of which reaches 200 m.

Fauna

The Pacific Ocean, Earth's largest ocean, is endless blue waters that are home to thousands of living creatures. There is a place for both huge white sharks and very tiny mollusks. Pacific animal world almost 4 times richer in species composition than in other oceans!

Sperm whales, representatives of toothed whales, are widely distributed, and there are several species of rare striped whales. Fishing for both is strictly limited. In the north and south of the Pacific Ocean there are colonies of sea lions and seals. IN northern waters inhabited by walruses and sea lions, now on the verge of extinction. In total, the Pacific fauna includes about 100 thousand species of various animals.

As for fish, there are a great variety of them here - about 2000 species. Almost half of the world's fish catch comes from the Pacific Ocean. Among all living creatures living in the Pacific Ocean, invertebrates predominate, living at various depths. These are crabs, shrimp, various shellfish (squid, oysters, octopus), etc. Tropical latitudes are rich in various types corals

Tourist paradise

The largest ocean is loved by tourists all over the world. Still would! Who hasn’t dreamed of finding themselves, at least for a short time, in paradises located in Polynesia, Hawaii and the Philippine Islands? Fiji, Palau, and the Cook Islands are visited annually by huge crowds of vacationing people. In these places, the ocean water is clean, especially transparent and has a wonderful blue or green color.

In the equatorial Pacific Ocean, moderate winds blow, and water temperatures all year round comfortable. Beautiful undersea world, sandy white beaches, the friendliness of the local population, exotic flora and fauna - all the signs of heaven on earth are evident!

Ocean tracks of the Pacific

The largest ocean in the world plays a huge communication role. Through its waters lie many trade and passenger sea routes connecting the states of the Pacific basin, as well as the coasts of the Indian and Atlantic oceans. The most major ports are: Nakhodka and Vladivostok (Russia), Singapore, Shanghai (China), Sydney (Australia), Los Angeles and Long Beach (USA), Vancouver (Canada), Huasco (Chile).

There are many interesting facts, thanks to which you can immediately understand which ocean is the largest and most amazing. You have already learned about many from this article. Here are some more interesting facts about the Pacific Ocean:

If it were possible to evenly distribute all the Pacific water over the surface of our planet, it would cover the Earth completely with a water layer thickness of 2700 m.
Nowhere in the world are there such high waves as in the Pacific Ocean, which is why it is especially respected by fans of extreme surfing.
The largest fish in the ocean is the giant whale shark. Its length can reach 18-20 meters. And this giant prefers to live in the Pacific water.
The average speed of destructive Pacific tsunamis is about 750 km per hour.
The Pacific Ocean boasts the highest tides. For example, off the coast of Korea, water at high tide can rise up to 9 meters.
The largest inhabitant of the ocean is the blue whale. Its weight sometimes exceeds 150 tons, and its length is more than 33 meters. In the Pacific Ocean, these rare animals can be found much more often than in other oceans.

Ecology

Now you know what the largest ocean is on our planet, as well as how important it is for the Earth and for us, the people living on it. Unfortunately, due to unreasonable human activity The waters of many parts of the Pacific Basin were polluted with industrial waste and oil, and many species of fauna were exterminated. All this threatens the fragile ecosystem of our planet and affects climate change. We can only hope that humanity will come to its senses, begin to behave more intelligently and learn to live in harmony with nature.

Covers approximately 360,000,000 km² and is generally divided into several major oceans and smaller seas, with oceans covering approximately 71% of the Earth's surface and 90% of the Earth's biosphere.

They contain 97% of the Earth's water, and oceanographers claim that only 5% of the ocean depths have been explored.

In contact with

Because the world's oceans are a major component of the Earth's hydrosphere, they are integral to life, form part of the carbon cycle, and influence climate and weather. It is also home to 230,000 known species animals, but since most of them are unstudied, the number of underwater species is probably much higher, perhaps more than two million.

The origin of the oceans on Earth is still unknown.

How many oceans are there on earth: 5 or 4

How many oceans are there in the world? For many years only 4 were officially recognized, and then in the spring of 2000 the International Hydrographic Organization established South ocean and defined its limits.

It’s interesting to know: what continents exist on planet Earth?

Oceans (from the ancient Greek Ὠκεανός, Okeanos) make up most of the planet's hydrosphere. In descending order by area, there are:

Quiet.
Atlantic.
Indian.
Southern (Antarctic).
Arctic Oceans (Arctic).

Earth's global ocean

Although several separate oceans are usually described, the global, interconnected body of salt water is sometimes called the World Ocean. TO continuous pond concept with relatively free exchange between its parts is of fundamental importance for oceanography.

The major oceanic spaces, listed below in descending order of area and volume, are defined in part by continents, various archipelagos, and other criteria.

What oceans exist, their location

Quiet, the largest, extends north from the Southern Ocean to the Northern Ocean. It spans the gap between Australia, Asia and the Americas and meets the Atlantic south of South America at Cape Horn.

The Atlantic, the second largest, extends from the Southern Ocean between America, Africa and Europe to the Arctic. It meets the Indian Ocean waters south of Africa at Cape Agulhas.

The Indian, the third largest, extends north from the Southern Ocean to India, between Africa and Australia. It flows into the Pacific expanses in the east, near Australia.

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the five. It joins the Atlantic near Greenland and Iceland and the Pacific Ocean in the Bering Strait and covers North Pole touching North America in Western Hemisphere, Scandinavia and Siberia in Eastern Hemisphere. Almost all covered sea ice, the area of which varies depending on the season.

Southern - surrounds Antarctica, where the Antarctic circumpolar current prevails. This sea area has only recently been identified as a separate oceanic unit, which lies south of sixty degrees south latitude and is partially covered by sea ice, the extent of which varies with the seasons.

They are bordered by small adjacent bodies of water such as seas, bays and straits.

Physical properties

The total mass of the hydrosphere is about 1.4 quintillion metric tons, which is about 0.023% total mass Earth. Less than 3% – fresh water; the rest - salty water. The ocean area is about 361.9 million square kilometers and covers about 70.9% of the Earth's surface, and the volume of water is about 1.335 billion cubic kilometers. The average depth is about 3688 meters, and maximum depth is 10,994 meters in the Mariana Trench. Almost half of the world's sea waters has a depth of more than 3 thousand meters. Vast areas below 200 meters depth cover about 66% of the Earth's surface.

The bluish color of the water is integral part several contributing agents. Among them - dissolved organic matter and chlorophyll. Sailors and other sailors have reported that ocean waters often emit a visible glow that extends for many miles at night.

Oceanic zones

Oceanographers divide the ocean into different vertical zones determined by physical and biological conditions. Pelagic zone includes all zones and can be divided into other areas, divided by depth and illumination.

The photic zone includes surfaces up to a depth of 200 m; this is the area where photosynthesis occurs and is therefore characterized by great biological diversity.

Because plants require photosynthesis, life found deeper than the photonic zone must either rely on material falling from above or find another source of energy. Hydrothermal vents are the main source of energy in the so-called aphotic zone (depths greater than 200 m). The pelagic part of the photonic zone is known as epipelagic.

Climate

Cold deep water rises and warms in the equatorial zone, while thermal water sinks and cools near Greenland in the North Atlantic and near Antarctica in the South Atlantic.

Ocean currents greatly influence the Earth's climate by transporting heat from the tropics to the polar regions. By transferring warm or cold air and precipitation to coastal areas, winds can carry them inland.

Conclusion

Many of the world's goods move by ship between the world's seaports. Ocean waters They are also the main source of raw materials for the fishing industry.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest on Earth

Pacific Ocean- the largest ocean in terms of area and depth on Earth, it occupies 49.5% of the surface of the World Ocean and holds 53% of the volume of its water. Located between the continents of Eurasia and Australia in the west, North and South America in the east, Antarctica in the south.

The Pacific Ocean extends approximately 15.8 thousand km from north to south and 19.5 thousand km from east to west. The area with seas is 179.7 million km², the average depth is 3984 m, the volume of water is 723.7 million km³. The greatest depth of the Pacific Ocean (and the entire World Ocean) is 10,994 m (in the Mariana Trench).

November 28, 1520 for the first time in open ocean Ferdinand Magellan came out. He crossed the ocean from Tierra del Fuego to the Philippine Islands in 3 months and 20 days. All this time the weather was calm, and Magellan called the ocean Quiet.

The second largest ocean on Earth after the Pacific Ocean, occupying 25% of the surface of the World Ocean, with a total area of 91.66 million km² and a volume of water of 329.66 million km³. The ocean is located between Greenland and Iceland in the north, Europe and Africa in the east, North and South America in the west, and Antarctica in the south. Greatest depth - 8742 m (deep-sea trench - Puerto Rico)

The name of the ocean first appears in the 5th century BC. e. in the works of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who wrote that “the sea with the pillars of Hercules is called Atlantis.” The name comes from the famous Ancient Greece the myth of Atlas, the Titan, holding on his shoulders firmament at the westernmost point of the Mediterranean. The Roman scientist Pliny the Elder in the 1st century used modern name Okeanus Atlanticus - "Atlantic Ocean".

Earth's third largest ocean, covering about 20% of it water surface. Its area is 76.17 million km², volume - 282.65 million km³. The deepest point of the ocean is located in the Sunda Trench (7729 m).

In the north, the Indian Ocean washes Asia, in the west - Africa, in the east - Australia; in the south it borders on Antarctica. Border with Atlantic Ocean passes along the 20° meridian of eastern longitude; from Quiet - along 146°55’ meridian of eastern longitude. The most northern point The Indian Ocean is located at approximately 30°N latitude in the Persian Gulf. The Indian Ocean is approximately 10,000 km wide between the southern points of Australia and Africa.

Ancient Greeks known to them western part The ocean with adjacent seas and bays was called the Eritrean Sea (Red). Gradually, this name began to be attributed only to the nearest sea, and the ocean was named after India, the country most famous at that time for its wealth on the ocean shores. So Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. e. calls it Indicon pelagos - “Indian Sea”. Since the 16th century, the name Oceanus Indicus - Indian Ocean, introduced by the Roman scientist Pliny the Elder back in the 1st century, has been established.

The smallest ocean on Earth, located entirely in the northern hemisphere, between Eurasia and North America.

The ocean area is 14.75 million km² (5.5% of the area of the World Ocean), the volume of water is 18.07 million km³. The average depth is 1225 m, the greatest depth is 5527 m in the Greenland Sea. Most The relief of the bottom of the Arctic Ocean is occupied by the shelf (more than 45% of the ocean floor) and the underwater margins of the continents (up to 70% of the bottom area). The ocean is usually divided into three vast water areas: the Arctic Basin, the North European Basin and the Canadian Basin. Thanks to the polar geographical location Ice cover in the central part of the ocean persists throughout the year, although it is in a mobile state.

The ocean was singled out as an independent ocean by the geographer Varenius in 1650 under the name Hyperborean Ocean - “Ocean at its most far north" Foreign sources of that time also used the following names: Oceanus Septentrionalis - “ Northern Ocean"(Latin Septentrio - north), Oceanus Scythicus - "Scythian Ocean" (Latin Scythae - Scythians), Oceanes Tartaricus - "Tartar Ocean", Μare Glaciale - "Arctic Sea" (Latin Glacies - ice). On Russian maps of the 17th - 18th centuries the names are used: Sea Ocean, Sea Ocean Arctic, Arctic Sea, Northern Ocean, Northern or Arctic Sea, Arctic Ocean, Northern Polar Sea, and the Russian navigator Admiral F. P. Litke in the 20s years XIX centuries called it the Arctic Ocean. In other countries the English name is widely used. Arctic Ocean - "Arctic Ocean", which was given to the ocean by the London Geographical Society in 1845.

By resolution of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR dated June 27, 1935, the name Arctic Ocean was adopted, as corresponding to the form, already used in Russia since early XIX century, and close to earlier Russian names.

Code name three waters oceans (Pacific, Atlantic and Indian) surrounding Antarctica and sometimes unofficially identified as the “fifth ocean”, which, however, does not have a clearly delineated northern border by islands and continents. The conditional area is 20.327 million km² (if we take the northern boundary of the ocean to be 60 degrees south latitude). Greatest depth (South Sandwich Trench) - 8428 m.