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The Pacific Ocean is by far the largest of the world's five Oceans and occupies a body of water measuring 155.557 million sq km between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia and the Western Hemisphere. The area of the Pacific encompasses the Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Flores Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Java Sea, Philippine Sea, Savu Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea and the Timor Sea. The Pacific Ocean is so huge that it occupies 28% of the world's surface and is larger than the total land surface of the world. The surface of the Pacific Ocean is comprised of clockwise warm water gyre currents in the northern Pacific and by a series of cool water gyre currents in the Southern Pacific. The ocean floor is dominated by the Eastern pacific Rise and a series of deep trenches including the Mariana Trench at a depth of -10,924m. The Pacific Ocean is subject to violent volcanic and earthquake activity known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, tropical cyclones in the southeast from May to December and the El Nino phenomenon in the equatorial Pacific. The Pacific Ocean is home to some interesting fauna including sea lions, sea otters, seals, turtles and whales. Oil and gas fields are among the Ocean's most valuable natural resources and 60% of the world's fish catch originates in the Pacific. |
