Pacific Ocean

The largest and deepest ocean

The Pacific Ocean is so big that all the continents could fit inside it! It has the deepest place on the planet — the Mariana Trench. Whales, dolphins and sea turtles live here, and there are thousands of islands. Even though it's called 'pacific' (peaceful), it has powerful storms.

The Pacific covers a third of Earth's surface (165 million km²) — more than all the land combined. Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is 10,935 m down: place Everest there and 2 km of water would still cover it. The ocean is ringed by the 'Ring of Fire', a zone of volcanoes and earthquakes; 90% of the world's earthquakes happen here. The El Niño phenomenon affects weather across the whole planet. Magellan named the ocean in 1520 — the sea was calm during his voyage.

Fun facts

• The Pacific has more than 25,000 islands — more than all the other oceans combined.
• Fewer people have been to the bottom of the Mariana Trench than to the top of Everest.
• The blue whale — the largest animal ever to live on Earth — lives in the Pacific; its heart is the size of a small car.
• The ocean's most remote spot, 'Point Nemo', is 2,700 km from land — sometimes the nearest humans are astronauts on the ISS!