Pacific Ocean Totally Explained

Everything about North Pacific totally explained

The Pacific Ocean (from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan) is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia on the west and the Americas on the east. At 169.2 million square kilometers (65.3 million square miles) in area, this largest division of the World Ocean – and, in turn, the hydrosphere – covers about 46% of the Earth's water surface and about 32% of its total surface area, making it larger than all of the Earth's land area combined. The equator subdivides it into the North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean. The Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the Pacific and the world, reaching a depth of 10,911 metres (35,798 ft).

Overview

The ocean encompasses almost a third of the Earth's surface, having an area of 179.7 million square kilometres (69.4 million sq mi and 161 million cubic mi) —significantly larger than Earth's entire landmass, with room for another Africa to spare. Extending approximately 15,500 kilometres (9,600 mi) from the Bering Sea in the Arctic to the icy margins of Antarctica's Ross Sea in the south (although the Antarctic regions of the Pacific are sometimes described as part of the circumpolar Southern Ocean), the Pacific reaches its greatest east-west width at about 5°N latitude, where it stretches approximately 19,800 kilometres (12,300 mi) from Indonesia to the coast of Colombia and Peru - halfway across the world, and more than five times the diameter of the Moon. The western limit of the ocean is often placed at the Strait of Malacca. The lowest point on earth—the Mariana Trench—lies 10,911 meters (35,797 ft) below sea level. Its average depth is 4,280 metres (14,000 ft) Marine debris, also known as marine litter, is a term used to describe human-created waste that has found itself floating in a lake, sea, ocean or waterway. Oceanic debris tends to accumulate at the centre of gyres and coastlines, frequently washing aground where it's known as beach litter.

Major ports and harbours

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Metro Manila, Philippines

Nampo, North Korea

Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

Oakland, California, United States

Panama City, Panama

Portland, Oregon, United States

Portoviejo, Ecuador

Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada

Puerto Montt, Chile

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Qingdao, People's Republic of China

San Antonio, Chile

San Diego, California, United States

San Francisco, California, United States

Seattle, Washington, United States

Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Shenzhen, People's Republic of China

Singapore

Songkhla, Thailand

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Tacoma, Washington, United States

Taichung, Republic of China (Taiwan)

Talcahuano, Chile

Tauranga, New Zealand

Tianjin, People's Republic of China

Tijuana, Mexico

Tokyo, Japan

Valparaiso, Chile

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Vladivostok, Russia

Xiamen, People's Republic of China

Yantai, People's Republic of China

Yokohama, Japan Further Information

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