The largest of the world's five oceans, the Pacific Ocean spans over 65 million square miles and contains 46% of the water on Earth. About 15 times the size of the United States, the Pacific covers over a third of the earth's surface, which is more than all the land in the world combined.
The Pacific stretches about 9,600 miles from the Arctic Sea in the north to the Antarctic in the south. Its widest point, from Indonesia to Columbia and Peru is approximately 12,300 miles.
Rocks collected from the Pacific have been dated to over 200 million years, making it the oldest of the marine basins.
Plate Tectonics
Due to the constant shifting of the earth's many plates, the Pacific Ocean is shrinking, while the Atlantic is expanding. The constant shifting and colliding of these plates, a process known as plate tectonics, has created numerous Pacific volcanoes and islands.
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References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
It is the world's largest ocean
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Also known as
Tikhiy Okean
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Total area
166 million square kilometres, 64 million square milesPacific Island Travel: Pacific Ocean
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Average depth
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Fact:
Covers about 70% or one third of earth's surfaceMSN Encarta: Pacific Ocean
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Fact:
Located between the continents of North America, South America, Asia, Antarctica and Australia
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Fact:
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Fact:
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Fact:
The Pacific's Mariana Trench is the deepest point in the world
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Fact:
Contains more than 30,000 islandsMSN Encarta: Pacific Ocean
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Largest land mass
The island of New Guinea
