Oceans
The large and deep bodies of water that remain in the great spaces between the continents are called oceans. The oceans are the vast, open seas that separate the continents, and they are much wider and deeper than the seas.
Oceans with an average depth of 3 thousand meters cover two-thirds of our world, that is, approximately 70% of the earth.
The word ocean comes from the Greek “Okeanos” meaning “river”, the Greeks noticed the strong current coming from the Strait of Gibraltar and thought it was a river.
There are five oceans in the world: the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean. Among them, the world’s largest ocean is the Pacific Ocean.
1. Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest ocean and is located between the continents of America, Asia, and Oceania. The explorer, who gave his name to this ocean, saw the calmness of this ocean during his voyage of discovery and named it pacifico, which means calm. Mariana Trench, which is the deepest place and also the deepest point in the world, is 11,034 meters deep.
2. Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the ocean that separates Europe and Africa from the Americas. The deepest point of the ocean is the Puerto Rico Trench.
3. Indian Ocean
It is bordered by Asia to the north, Africa to the west, and Oceania to the east. It has an important place as it is a transit route between the Asian and African continents. Island countries such as Madagascar, Seychelles, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia are located in this ocean.
The deepest point of the Indian Ocean is the Java Trench with a depth of 7450 m.
4. Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic ocean, is the last officially recognized ocean in the world. It is home to unique species like penguins, orcas, whales, seals, and colossal squids.
5. Arctic Ocean
This ice-covered ocean has coasted to countries such as Russia, Canada, the USA, and Norway. It is shallower than the other four oceans we have mentioned with its 1040 m average depth.
Read More about oceans at WORLD ATLAS
Worksheet Answer Key
- There are 5 oceans: the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and the Southern Ocean.
- The largest ocean is the Pacific Ocean. The smallest is the Arctic ocean.
- The Blue Whale.
- It affects the Earth’s temperature, the weather, and food supplies.
- Some of the biggest threats to our oceans are plastic pollution, climate change, and overfishing.
- To protect our oceans we can use less plastic and recycle whenever we can, fish responsibly, eat sustainable seafood, and reduce our carbon footprint.
