Are there 5 oceans? Are there 4 oceans? Or is there only 1 ocean?
Water consumes 71% of Earth. Over time, the number of oceans has evolved from a single water body to something different.
But it really depends where you are from if you recognize that there is a fifth ocean.
Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic… and the Southern Ocean which is off the coast of Antarctica.
Today, we list the top 5 largest oceans in the world and the evolution of 5 oceans on Earth.
1. Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean covering more than 30% of the Earth. This is close to half of the water on Earth.
It touches the west coast border of the Americas along with east Asia and Australia.
The equator divides the Pacific Ocean into two separate parts – the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean.
Pacific means “peaceful” in Latin. It has the deepest trenches with an average depth of 3800m.
READ MORE: Earth’s Crust: Oceanic Crust vs Continental Crust
2. Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is situated between the Americas and European/African continents. The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest and saltiest ocean in the world.
It resembles an S-shape between the Americas, Europe, and Africa. “Atlantic” originated from the Greek god “Atlas” who carried the sky for eternity.
The ocean bottom is composed of mid-Atlantic Ridge. This submarine mountain range extends all the way from Iceland to 58 degrees South latitude. It’s part of the longest mountain range in the world.
The Vikings, Portuguese, and Christopher Columbus have extensively explored the Atlantic Ocean. Similarly to this day, it’s being used for trade routes such as the transatlantic trade route.
3. Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean surrounding a densely populated region. It contains an additional 20% of the water on Earth’s surface.
It borders India in the North, East Africa, Australia, and the Southern Ocean. Because of the higher water temperature, it has limited marine life.
Since about 800 A.D. the Indian Ocean has played an important role in trading. For centuries, navigators have sailed along major ocean currents for shipment routes.
It is bounded by 4 tectonic plate boundaries and may include an additional plate boundary. It is the geologically youngest of the 5 oceans with spreading ridges at divergent plate boundaries.
4. Southern Ocean
In 2000, the Southern Ocean is the newest ocean recognized by the International Hydrographic Organization. It borders Antarctica in its entirety.
In terms of size, it’s the fourth-largest at 20,327,000 square kilometers. It extends out to 60 degrees South latitude.
It’s an extreme environment and is the least understood of the 5 oceans. This is because it is unexplored, far from populated areas, and has a severe climate.
Despite the Southern Ocean being unexplored, about 80% of all oceans in the world are unexplored. There’s still a lot of work to do for ocean exploration.
5. Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is the world’s smallest and shallowest ocean of all 5 oceans. Further to this, it is the coldest and least salty ocean.
In size, the Arctic Ocean is about the size of Russia. Because it’s located at the North Pole, the Arctic Ocean has polar ice. But over the years, glaciers have melted threatening sea levels to rise.
Despite the IHO recognizing it as the “Arctic Ocean”, some oceanographers still call it the “Arctic Sea”.
The Arctic Ocean is the most diverse in terms of fish species. It has a wide variety of marine species including whales, jellyfish, etc.
But because of its frigid temperatures, it has little plant life. This makes it one of the most fragile ecosystems on the planet.
Sail the 5 oceans
Along with oceans, the Earth has seas. But there are much more than 7. Seas are surrounded by continents. For example, the continents of Europe, Africa, and Asia surround the Mediterranean Sea.
Water covers approximately 71% of Earth’s surface. But there is a lot unknown about our oceans. This is why oceanography is an emerging science with all sorts of available courses in water science.
- Oceanography Courses
- Marine Biology Courses
- Meteorology Courses
Do you have any questions or comments about our 5 oceans? Please use the comment form below and let us know what’s on your mind.
Approximately 71% of the surface of the world is covered by the five oceans of the world. Most of the water on earth is in the oceans. All these are actually part of the large world ocean. It is divided into five smaller oceans.
Name of the five oceans are the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic oceans (arranged in a descending order according to their size). So, the Pacific is the largest and the Arctic is the smallest of all oceans by surface area.
Contents
- 1 List of Oceans
- 2 Pacific Ocean
- 3 Atlantic Ocean
- 4 Indian Ocean
- 5 Southern Ocean
- 6 Arctic Ocean – Smallest Ocean of the World
- 7 Marine Life
- 8 Importance of the Oceans
- 8.1 Conclusion
List of Oceans
Here is a list of all five oceans according to size. It will help you to form a quick idea:-
| Position | Name | Area (sq. km) |
| 1 | Pacific Ocean | 155,557,000 |
| 2 | Atlantic Ocean | 76,762,000 |
| 3 | Indian Ocean | 68,556,000 |
| 4 | Southern Ocean | 20,327,000 |
| 5 | Arctic Ocean | 14,056,000 |
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is in the area between the Americas and the Eurasia continental systems. Australia is in the southern part of this ocean.
The size of the Pacific is about 68.3 million square miles (165.25 million square miles). It is subdivided into two parts by the equator – The North and the South Pacific.
The Pacific was unknown to the European people in the ancient and the middle ages. The Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa was the first among the Europeans to cross the Isthmus of Panama to reach the Pacific Ocean. Magellan was credited to give the ocean its name. He called it as “Mar Pacifico” i.e. “The Peaceful Sea”.
Atlantic Ocean
With its 41.1 million surface area, the Atlantic is the second largest ocean after the Pacific. Almost 1/5th of the earth’s surface is under its water.
Atlas, the Titan of Greek mythology held up the sky. The Atlantic Ocean is named after him, literally meaning, “Sea of Atlas”. Actually, the Greeks believed that it was a gigantic river.
Atlantic separates Europe from North America. It is also is in between Africa and South America. From ages, it is the busiest Ocean of the world.
Indian Ocean
The 3rd largest of all five oceans of the world, the Indian Ocean is named after India. It is the only ocean named after a country or rather a sub-continent. It is in the south of Asia and west of Africa.
The area of the Ocean is 63 square miles (264 square Km). It takes 19.5% of earth’s surface. The average depth of it is 3890 meters or 12762 ft. The deepest point is 8,047 m (26,401 ft).
Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean is also called as the Antarctic Ocean. It is the part of the World Ocean encircling Antarctica. Sometimes, it is considered merely as a part of the Atlantic, Indian, and the Pacific Ocean.
The northern limit of it is 60 degrees south. It is a very cold ocean with floating icebergs. The water is completely different from other larger oceans.
The depth of this ocean is around 13000 to 16000 feet in most of the places .It has the deepest point at 7,236 m (23,740 ft) under the sea level.
Arctic Ocean – Smallest Ocean of the World
The Arctic Ocean is around the North Pole of the earth. It is the smallest and shallowest of all oceans. Some oceanographers do not consider it as a ocean. They prefer the term Arctic sea.
The Arctic is mostly surrounded by Asia, Europe and North America. Maximum part of the ocean becomes frozen solid during the winter.
The water of Arctic lacks salinity. The ice covered water is flooded by the big rivers of Siberia. But the ice cover of the ocean is shrinking due to global warming. It has been observed that the rate of disappearance of ice cover is 3% per decade.
It occupies an area of 5.4 million sq ml or 14 million km2. The ocean is surrounded by Russia, Norway, Greenland, Canada and Alaska.
Marine Life
The 5 oceans cover most of the earth. There lived millions of species of animals and plants. Some of these lifeforms are microscopic while some are too huge.
Marine life has immense variations according to the habitations. The animals living in the coral reefs are quiet different from those which prefers to live in sandy sea beds.
Oceans are incomplete without its inhabitants. We should learn more about them. Due to the human activities like over fishing, pollution and carbon emission, the marine life is threatened today. We need to create more awareness among people to save them.
Importance of the Oceans
Oceans are essential for the existence of life on earth. The first life was originated and developed in the world ocean. It still plays its roll to maintain the life forms of our planet.
There are about 230000 known species of life form documented from the oceans. But, experts believe that there are millions more. Most of the areas of these vast and deep water bodies are yet unexplored.
Earth’s climate is mainly controlled by the ocean currents. It transfers heat from the tropical areas to higher and lower altitudes. Distance from these water bodies is one of the main controlling factors of a region’s climate. These are also the largest source of water vapor of air. This is important for creation of rainfall.
Most of the trade and commerce is done through the oceanic routes. From the ancient times, traders prefer to carry huge amount of cargo to distant lands using ships.
Marine water bodies are also supplies most of the fish people eat. Different types of fishes, crabs, oysters, lobsters, shrimps etc are captured and sold in various markets. It is a big industry which gives jobs to millions of people from the pre-historic periods.
With the advent of modern technologies, new possibilities of advancing human civilization using ocean’s vast resources are being generated. Large quantities of oil can be excavated from the ocean floor. Salt, Potassium, Sodium, Magnesium, Limestone etc are also important oceanic minerals. Deep sea planes are full with manganese nodules.
Oceans can generate a lot of power to run our factories and light our cities. Natural gas and petroleum are being excavated in many areas. Tidal forces of the seas can generate a vast amount of clean, renewable energy.
The marine water is salty and so we cannot drink it. But it can be used in many other industrial purposes. Nowadays, using the reverse water osmosis technique, fresh water is being obtained from the seas. Such RO plants are in Israel, Saudi Arabia, USA, Pakistan and some other states.
Conclusion
The seas are also part of the five oceans. Large seas like the Mediterranean or the Arabian Sea are nothing but the extensions of oceans. These water bodies cover most of the surface of the earth. Life on earth greatly depends upon these huge water bodies. The climate and ecosystems of the land are also controlled by these. So, we must try to keep the oceans of the world free from pollution and over-exploitation to keep ourselves safe.
Up to the present time, when it comes to discussions about the earth’s surface cover, most of it is covered by water. About 70% of the entire earth’s surface is overlaid with water, most of which are the oceans. Out of the total water surface on earth, more than 96% is the ocean’s salty water.
The oceans are large masses of water bordering the continents. Even though they are all interlinked, they are predominantly categorized into five oceans as follows; the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean. Each of these oceans has distinctive characteristics and are spread across the seven continents of the world.
Here are the details describing the five oceans of the world along with their area and volume size that provide a deeper comprehension of them.
1. The Pacific Ocean | Area: 161,760,000 km2 , Volume: 660,000,000 km3
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of all the oceans. Its location is between the eastern coastlines of African and Asia and the western coastlines of the American landmass. It is also bounded by the Antarctic Ocean in the south and the Arctic Ocean in the north.
The Pacific Ocean extends to about 162,200,000 square kilometers and it also has the longest shoreline that totals to approximately 135,663 kilometers.
Of all the ocean waters, the pacific constitutes roughly 46% and covers more than a third of the total surface area. Due to this, it is larger than the landmass area on the earth’s surface combined. The equator passes in the middle of the Pacific Ocean divides it into the South Pacific Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean has very limited occurrences of damaging ocean currents or movements, which makes it a peaceful ocean.
Some of the current environment concerns include endangered marine species such as seals, whales, turtles, sea otter, dugong, and sea lion; and oil pollution in the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea.
2. The Atlantic Ocean | Area: 85,133,000 km2 , Volume: 310,410,900 km3
The Atlantic Ocean is defined as the second largest ocean in the planet with an area of about 106,400,000 square kilometers. It is surrounded by Europe and Africa in the east and by America in the west. The Atlantic Ocean is made up of the Baltic Sea, Caribbean Sea, Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
The Atlantic Ocean was highly known as a voyage sea up to the 15th Century thus having a historical marking for colonization and spice trade. It also spreads out to the Antarctic Ocean in the south and the Arctic Ocean in the north.
The Atlantic Ocean is divided by the equator into north and south Atlantic. The area adjacent to the north of the equator, between South America and Africa, is termed as Central Atlantic. The water in this area is completely different from the waters in the northern part, which is between North America and Europe. The ocean hosts many aquatic species including the sperm whale which is recorded as the largest living-toothed creature.
The Atlantic Ocean is also the saltiest of all the oceans and this salinity is mainly contributed by the process of precipitation, evaporation, sea ice melting and river inflow. The water in the South Atlantic circulates in an anti-clockwise direction, whereas in the North Atlantic the circulation is in a clockwise direction. This phenomenon is owed to the Coriolis Effect.
Some of the environmental concerns include endangered marine species such as seals, manatee, turtles, whales, and sea lions; driftnet fishing which leads to overfishing; municipal sludge pollution off southern Brazil, eastern U.S., and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in the Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, lake Maracaibo, and the Caribbean Sea; Sewage pollution and industrial waste from the North Sea, Baltic Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.
3. The Indian Ocean | Area: 70,560,000 km2 , Volume: 264,000,000 km3
The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean on the planet. It covers an expanse of about 73,556,000 square kilometers. Just like the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean was highly known as a voyage sea up to the 15th Century that gave it a historical marking for colonization and spice trade. For this reason, the Indian Ocean has a great record of all sorts of humankind, all the way through world history.
The Indian Ocean is encircled by the eastern coast of Africa which constitutes the shores of the Middle East and India in the north. Australia and South East Asia separate the Indian Ocean from the Pacific Ocean. Also, the Indian Ocean has plentiful exotic animal and plant species.
The ocean also makes up around 20% of all the water on the earth’s surface and it’s a major sea route connecting the Middle East, Africa, and East Asia with Europe and America. Up to 40% of all offshore oil production is from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands are also exploited by a majority of the countries bordering the Indian Ocean particularly because they are rich in heavy metals.
The Indian Ocean is as well relatively warm compared to other oceans, which limits the growth of phytoplankton. Various ports have also been set up along the coasts of the Indian Ocean namely the Port of Singapore and The Mumbai Port. Gulfs, bays, and straits are also numerous within the spreads of this ocean.
Some of the environmental concerns here include endangered marine species such as seals, whales, turtles, and dugong; and oil pollution in the Persian Gulf, Arabia Sea, and the Red Sea.
4. Southern Ocean | Area: 70,560,000 km2 , Volume: 310,410,900 km3
The Southern Ocean is the fourth largest in the planet and only covers an area of about 20,327,000 square kilometers. It is widely known as the ‘Antarctic Ocean’ since it is situated next to the South Pole.
One important aspect of the Antarctic Ocean is that is has a tremendous influence on the planet’s weather patterns. It also joins the waters of the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean with a continuous easterly current.
In the ocean zone, the warmer waters of the subantarctic mix with the cold northward flowing waters in the Antarctic. Numerous kinds of marine animals live and depend on the phytoplankton in the Antarctic Ocean, making it an ocean rich in diverse marine species. Besides, the Antarctic Ocean is a depository of natural resources including valuable minerals and massive oil and gas fields.
The biggest environmental problems in the Southern Ocean are the impacts of global warming, overfishing, climate change, and ocean currents.
5. The Arctic Ocean | Area: 15,558,000 km2 , Volume: 18,750,000 km3
The Arctic Ocean is the shallowest and smallest of all the oceans in the planet, more than five times smaller than the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Its surface area is about 13,986,000 square kilometers and it mostly lies in the Arctic Circle.
The Arctic Ocean is bordered by the North American and the Eurasian continents. Most of the time throughout the year, the Arctic Ocean is covered with thick mountains of ice and it even remains impassable during summer.
The ocean is situated in the Northern Hemisphere and is commonly perceived to be the northernmost part of the entire World Ocean. Since ice cover freezes and melts occasionally, the surface temperatures and the salinity widely vary.
Compared to the other oceans, its salinity is the lowest as it has limited connections to other oceans, a lower amount of evaporation, and a continuous inflow of fresh water from streams and rivers. Plant life is relatively small in the ocean. Phytoplanktons are common.
Some of the pressing environmental issues in the Arctic Ocean include endangered marine species such as whales and walruses; and a fragile ecosystem that slowly adjusts to damage or disturbance.
- Making up roughly 46.6 percent of the global ocean, experts consider the Pacific to be the world’s largest ocean.
- Similar to the Pacific, the Atlantic Ocean stretches from the north of the globe to the south, but is significantly narrower in comparison.
- There are some debates regarding the actual size of the Southern Ocean as governments across the world do not unanimously agree on where the other oceans end and the Southern begins.
- Located in the north polar region, the Arctic is the smallest of all five oceans, making up only 4.3 percent of the global ocean.
Experts estimate that 71 percent of the Earth’s surface is completely covered by water with approximately 96.5 percent of this water being ocean. There is technically one global ocean, uninterrupted by land, but we generally refer to it by its five distinct basins: the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Indian, the Southern, and the Arctic. They are aptly named for the region of the world they are located.
The boundaries between these oceans have changed throughout history for various geographical and political reasons, and for all we know, they might change again. In the meantime, the following article compares the five world oceans by size as recognized by maps today.
1. The Pacific Ocean
At 168,723,000 square kilometers, the Pacific is the world’s largest ocean. It makes up roughly 46.6 percent of the global ocean, which is just less than half. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Antarctic in the south, and is largely located between Asia and the Americas, covering 135,663 kilometers of coastline. Some of the more notable countries it borders is Russia, China, Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, and Chile. It is home to approximately 25,000 islands, many of which belong to Asia, but it also borders the island continent of Australia.
The Pacific’s average depth is 3,970 meters, the most of any ocean, but it is also the place where the Mariana Trench is located. Measuring 11,034 meters, it is the deepest place on Earth. In fact, Mount Everest would be completely submerged if placed at the very bottom. Given this fact, it should come as no surprise to learn that the Pacific boasts 50.1 percent of the total global ocean volume. Because of its enormous size, the Pacific is home to a colorful collection of sea creatures, from killer whales to dugongs, and giant squids to tiny sea slugs.
This vast ocean has been the backdrop to some incredible moments throughout history, but recently, it is most known for being a principal theater of war during World War II, witnessing such iconic events like the Battles of Midway and Iwo Jima.
2. The Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic measures approximately 85,133,000 square kilometers. Even though it is the second largest ocean in the world, the Pacific is roughly twice as big. Despite this difference, it runs along 111,866 kilometers of coastline. On the west, it borders the Americas, including countries like Brazil and Argentina. On the east, it borders Europe and numerous African countries. Similar to the Pacific, it stretches from the north of the globe to the south, but is significantly narrower in comparison. It is recognizable on a world map by its distinct S-shape.
It has an average depth of 3,646 meters; however the Milwaukee Deep—its deepest point—measures 8,380 meters. It was only recently when Victor Vescovo, a former naval officer, made the first descent to the cold depths of this particular section of the Puerto Rico Trench.
The ocean’s name derives from Greek mythology, specifically Atlas, the Titan who was responsible for holding the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. This is perhaps an appropriate moniker as the Atlantic witnessed many horrific events throughout history, such as the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 and the attack on the RMS Lusitania in 1915.
3. The Indian Ocean
At 70,560,000 square kilometers, the Indian Ocean comes in at third. It makes up approximately 19.5 percent of the global ocean and has 66,526 kilometers of coastline. Unlike the previous two oceans, it does not run north to south, but rather is landlocked from the north, contained in a pocket made up of East Africa, parts of Asia, and western Australia. It is home to many islands, including Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world.
Despite its smaller size, the Indian Ocean has an average depth roughly 100 meters deeper than the Atlantic. It contains the fewest trenches of any of the other oceans, but it is where the world’s second-longest trench—the Java Trench—is located. It is there where the Indian reaches its deepest point of 7,450 meters.
In earlier times, it was known as the Eastern Ocean before it was dubbed the Indian around the beginning of the 1500s. Since then, some local governments, including Pakistan, contested its name because of the implication that India was the most important country in the southern half of the continent. Regardless of any efforts to change its title, it remains the Indian Ocean.
4. The Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean measures approximately 21,960,000 square kilometers. Making up 6.1 percent of the global ocean, it is significantly smaller than the three oceans above. In fact, the Pacific is roughly seven times bigger. It should be noted, however, that there is some debate as to where the other oceans end and the Southern begins. The United States recognizes the latter as the body of water extending up to the 60th parallel south, a circle of latitude well below the equator. Regardless, it is aptly named for its position at the bottom of the globe where it completely surrounds Antarctica.
Even though it is drastically smaller, it has an average depth of 3,270 meters, which is only 700 meters less deep than the Pacific. Despite the barren landscape, it is home to a diverse collection of wildlife, including whales, seals, and penguins. Unfortunately, many of these animals are currently at risk because of pollution and the ever-increasing threat of climate change.
Throughout history, only the other four oceans were recognized. The Southern was first proposed to the International Hydrographic Organization in 2000. It has yet to be accepted by all members, so its inclusion is not yet official, but many countries, including the United States, acknowledge its legitimacy.
5. The Arctic Ocean
The Arctic is the smallest of all five oceans. Stretching 15,558,000 square kilometers, it makes up only 4.3 percent of the global ocean. It does, however, have 27,421 more kilometers of coastline than the Southern. Located in the north polar region, it borders six countries: the United States, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, and Russia. It is home to several notable islands, including the Queen Elizabeth Islands, the Russian Arctic Islands, and the aforementioned island country of Iceland which straddles the Arctic and Atlantic.
The Arctic Ocean is even less deep than all the others, its average depth coming in at just 1,205 meters. It is generally recognized as the coldest of the five; however, it is warming two to three times faster than the rest of the world due to climate change.
Its name comes from the Greek word Arktos which means “bear.” This inspiration has less to do with the native polar bears and more to do with the constellations Ursa Minor and Ursa Major—Little Bear and Great Bear. Several oceanographers prefer to refer to it as the Arctic Sea, but the International Hydrographic Organization does recognize it as an official ocean.
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-oceans-of-the-world-by-size.html
| Rank | Ocean | Area (km2) |
Volume (km3) |
Avg. depth (m) |
Coastline (km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pacific Ocean | 168,723,000 (46.6) | 669,880,000 (50.1) | 3,970 | 1,35,663 |
| 2 | Atlantic Ocean | 85,133,000 (23.5) | 310,410,900 (23.3) | 3,646 | 1,11,866 |
| 3 | Indian Ocean | 70,560,000 (19.5) | 264,000,000 (19.8) | 3,741 | 66,526 |
| 4 | Southern Ocean | 21,960,000 (6.1) | 71,800,000 (5.4) | 3,270 | 17,968 |
| 5 | Arctic Ocean | 15,558,000 (4.3) | 18,750,000 (1.4) | 1,205 | 45,389 |
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The Five bodies of water and the global ocean produces more then half oxygen humans breath.
Historically the Ocean was thought of having 4 oceans, however we have five oceans of the world. What are the 5 oceans? The 5 ocean names are the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean and the Southern Ocean. Today we have Five Bodies Of Water and Our One World Ocean or Five oceans AKA Ocean 5, and two seas covering over 71 percent of the earths surface and over 97 percent of the earth’s water. Only 1% of earths water is freshwater and percent or two is part of our ice glaciers. With sea level rise just think of our ice melting and how a percent of earth would so be under water. The oceans of the world host over 230,000 marine animals species and more could be discovered as humans learn ways to explore the deepest sections of the ocean.
We all share the same ocean our one world Ocean, learn more about how we can protect the microplastics that are harming fish and how we can support the ocean cleanup.
Peter Iredale ship can be visited at Fort Stevens, State beach in Oregon and on the Pacific Ocean beach. Photo below:
Pacific Ocean ~ The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world’s oceans.
Atlantic Ocean ~ The Atlantic Ocean is the world’s richest fishing waters. Interesting Atlantic Ocean Facts: The Atlantic Ocean formed during the Jurassic Period. The first ocean to ever be crossed by an airplane.
Indian Ocean
Southern Ocean
Arctic Ocean