How Many Oceans are There in the World?
How many oceans are there in the world? The oceans are the greatest bodies of water on Earth. However, there is substantial disagreement regarding the number of separate oceans.
Many people know about the big oceans around our continents, but figuring out how many oceans there are isn’t as simple as it seems.
The ocean spans 71 percent of the planet. For several historical, cultural, geographical, and scientific causes, these territories’ borders have changed over time.
Stay with us as we look into how many oceans there are in the world and what makes each of the oceans unique.
How Many Oceans are There in the World?
The world has five oceans and they are essential for controlling the Earth’s weather and providing a home for a wide variety of sea creatures.
The oceans include:
1. The Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and the deepest of the five oceans.
It has the largest surface area (over 30 percent) of all the planet’s surfaces and holds more than half of the world’s water resources above the ground.
It reaches a staggering area of 60 million square miles (155 million square kilometers), which is more than the size of all the continents put together.
The greatest depth, Challenger Deep, is in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.
In 1520, Ferdinand Magellan baptized it as the Pacific Ocean because of the peaceful water he encountered in one part.
But while the Pacific is regarded as a peaceful name, it is also known for powerful storms and is home to the “Ring of Fire”, one of the most active areas on the Earth for earthquakes and volcanoes.
2. The Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the five oceans and covers around 52 million square miles (approximately 135 million square kilometers) with an average depth of 3646 miles.
The city of Milwaukee in Puerto Rico is where the water is the deepest. The trench is 5 miles deep and more.
The Arctic Ocean laps the Atlantic in the north. To its south is the Southern Ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean borders the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean borders the Indian Ocean to the southwest.
Due to its broad extent, the northern and southern edges have different climates.
Whales, sea turtles, seals, sea lions, manatees, and dolphins are just a few of the aquatic species that can be found in the Atlantic.
3. The Indian Ocean
With a surface area of nearly 43 million square miles, the Indian Ocean is the third biggest ocean in the world.
The Diamantina Deep, which is five miles deep, has an average depth of more than two miles.
Europe and Asia are located south of the Atlantic. Australia is to the east and Africa is to the west. To the south are the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.
Since the waters of the Indian Ocean are warm, a variety of phytoplankton and plant life can thrive there.
Tuna and shrimp are common prey for fishermen due to the ideal fishing environment. Overfishing, however, puts the ocean in peril, which has an impact on all marine species.
4. The Southern or Antarctic Ocean
The Southern Ocean or the Antarctic Ocean is the fourth largest ocean on the planet and the fifth one according to the official international classification.
It is really large, covering an area of 7.8 million sq. miles, and it is the deepest ocean on average, having very few shallow areas.
What sets it apart is that, unlike the other lands, it is a strong current, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), that functions as a barrier.
This is the strongest current, and it transports a huge volume of water around Antarctica.
It divides the Southern Ocean from the saltier waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, and is the largest oceanic current on the planet.
It transports more water than all the rivers of the world combined.
The water is warm between 28 and 50 degrees. The Southern Ocean, which is situated in the vicinity of South Africa, Chile, and Australia, is a haven for a lot of krills.
5. The Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, is the smallest of the five oceans, with a surface area of about six million square miles and a coastline of almost 30,000 miles.
This Ocean is the shallowest of the five oceans, with a maximum depth of 18,456 feet.
The Arctic, the coldest of the five oceans, experiences frigid temperatures year-round, with the majority of the water being covered in ice.
In the winter, the area has long stretches of darkness. In contrast, there are more daylight hours throughout the summer.
The Barrow and Prudhoe Bay in Alaska are neighbors of this ocean.
Also, Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Norway, and Russia are all connected by the Arctic Ocean.
Due to its subzero temperatures, the Arctic has a limited number of water creatures.
Two of the rare jellyfish that live only in the ocean are the banded gunnel and the lion’s mane jellyfish.
Discovering the Earth’s oceans has been an exciting adventure through huge and ever-changing water landscapes.
It also amazes us at the powerful forces that shape our planet.
