Welcome to the Virtual Education Wiki ~ Open Education Wiki

Pacific Ocean

From Virtual Education Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.

At 169.2 million square kilometres (65.3 million square miles) in area, this largest division of the World Ocean 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, with two exceptions: the Galápagos and Gilbert Islands are deemed wholly within the South Pacific.

Bordering countries and island nations within the Pacific Ocean are:

Bordering countries and territories


> World
> Countries

>> Main Page