Which is larger - Pacific or Atlantic Ocean? In which natural basin could all continents on the planet fit? Covering about 178 million km 2 and containing more than half of all free water on the planet, the Pacific Ocean is the most voluminous.
Big and ancient
The Pacific Ocean is considered the oldest of the existing ocean basins. Its ancient breeds are approximately 200 million years old. The basin is also called the "ring of fire" due to intense earthquakes and volcanic activity, recorded near the areas of movement of tectonic plates. Answering the question of which is larger - the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean, it is worth noting that both of them are leaders, although the waters of the Atlantic occupy an honorable, but second place. Then follow the Indian, Southern and, finally, the Arctic.
Sea voyages and great discoveries
In the old days, before air travel became possible, the only way, except by land, was to go abroad and see new countries and continents by sea.
Legendary explorers such as Christopher Columbus and Sir Francis Drake plowed the waves of the whole world on a ship, taking part in various epic adventures and discovering new countries, culture and much more. Previously, no one could have guessed which is larger - the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean, because all the trips were made almost blindly. With the advent of maps, things got easier.
Pacific Ocean and its islands
The largest ocean literally stretches from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south and borders almost all the continents. Some of the most beautiful tropical islands are in its basin - from Hawaiian in the north to Tahiti in the south. The names of the most magical places break away from the language: Bora Bora, Rarotonga and Maui.
In fact, there are about 10,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The largest of these is Melanesia, which includes New Guinea (the second largest island in the world), romantic Fiji and the Solomon Islands. To the north of the equator are Kiribati, Guam and the Mariana Islands. Huge expanses are occupied by Polynesia. It includes Hawaii in the north, New Zealand in the south, Easter islands in the east and Tonga in the west.
And yet: is the Pacific Ocean the largest or the Atlantic?
Atlantic ocean and its islands
The mighty Atlantic Ocean borders on Greenland, Europe, Africa, North and South America. Canary Islands are off the coast of Africa. The Atlantic also bathes Iceland, Ireland and Ascension Island, Robben Island in South Africa, Martas Vinyard and Nantucket Islands in the United States and East Caribbean Islands. Which is larger - Pacific or Atlantic Ocean?
Atlantic waters cover about 20% of the total surface of the planet, covering 91.66 million km 2 . From this it is clear that the Pacific Ocean is large in area, and almost 2 times.
The most deep
It is no longer a secret which ocean is larger - Pacific or Atlantic. The equator conditionally subdivides the Pacific Ocean into the northern and southern parts. In addition, the largest natural pool is also the deepest. On average, the depth reaches 3.9 kilometers. The Atlantic Ocean in this regard is inferior by as much as 20%. Which ocean is the deepest? The answer is the same - Quiet.
The Mariana Trench in the northwest is the deepest point in the world. Its depth is more than 11 kilometers.
Is the water warm in the Pacific?
Water temperature in the Pacific varies by location. In some areas near the equator, it reaches 30 degrees Celsius, while near the poles this figure drops to 18-20 degrees.
What is the largest ocean after the Pacific?
When it comes to size, the Atlantic Ocean takes 2nd position, as it covers one fifth of the total surface area of the Earth. This is about 102 million km 2 . This massive water giant covers about 20% of the entire earth's surface and about 25% of the volume of the oceans. It was named due to the myths of ancient Greek mythology, where the Atlantic was referred to as the “Atlas Sea”.
The third is the Atlantic Ocean in its depth, which averages about 3.6 km. The lowest point is the Puerto Rico Trench (8.742 km). In second place is the Indian Ocean with an average depth of 3.7 km. Its deepest point is located in the Sunda Trench and goes down 7.7 km. The Arctic Ocean is in fourth position. Its depth is on average 1 km, and the lowest point is located in the Greenland Sea - 5.5 km.
Interesting Facts
So, we answered the question about which ocean is larger - Pacific or Atlantic, and which one is deeper. An interesting fact is also connected with the name of the very very ocean on the planet. Quiet, he was called the famous navigator and explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1520. During his journey, a huge pond seemed calm and peaceful to him. However, it was just a fortunate combination of circumstances and weather conditions.
The seabed is strewn with thousands of underwater volcanoes.
In fact, the Pacific Ocean is not so peaceful. Modern researchers have been able to confirm the existence of the world's largest volcano, which in size resembles the British Isles. It is located in the Pacific Ocean, 1.5 thousand km east of Japan. The massive volcano is also quite unique due to its low and wide shape. Its flatness is due to the fact that its lava flowed over long distances compared to most other volcanoes on the planet.
Called Tamu, this massif covers about 193 thousand km 2 , and this is much more than the Hawaiian Mauna Loa - the largest active volcano on Earth, which covers about 3 square meters. km The best analogue is the extinct Olympus Mons volcano on Mars, which is about 25 percent larger than the largest volcano in the largest ocean on planet Earth.