# Geognos Data Export: Oceans
Generated: 2026-02-14T06:35:33.925Z

## Arctic Ocean
**Slug:** arctic-ocean
**Region:** Oceans
**Codes:** cek: xq

### Introduction

**Background:**
The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five ocean basins (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two important seasonal waterways. In recent years, the polar ice pack has receded in the summer allowing for increased navigation and raising the possibility of future sovereignty and shipping disputes among the Arctic coastal states affected (Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Iceland, Norway, Russia, US).

### Geography

**Location:**
body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America, mostly north of the Arctic Circle

**Geographic coordinates:**
90 00 N, 0 00 E

**Map references:**
Arctic Region

**Area:**
total : 15.558 million sq km
note: includes Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, Norwegian Sea, and other tributary water bodies

**Area - comparative:**
slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US

**Coastline:**
45,389 km

**Climate:**
polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature range; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow

**Ocean volume:**
ocean volume: 18.75 million cu km
percent of World Ocean total volume: 1.4%

**Major ocean currents:**
two major, slow-moving, wind-driven currents (drift streams) dominate: a clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyre in the western part of the Arctic Ocean and a nearly straight line Transpolar Drift Stream that moves eastward across the ocean from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to the Fram Strait (between Greenland and Svalbard); sea ice that lies close to the center of the gyre can complete a 360 degree circle in about 2 years, while ice on the gyre periphery will complete the same circle in about 7-8 years; sea ice in the Transpolar Drift crosses the ocean in about 3 years

**Bathymetry:**
continental shelf: more than one quarter of the Arctic sea floor; the Eurasian shelf is very wide, extending out 1,500 km (930 mi), and is the largest continental shelf in the world
the following are examples of continental-shelf features in the Arctic Ocean (see Figure 2):
Barents Shelf
Beaufort Shelf
Davis Sill
Chukchi Shelf
East Siberian Shelf
Kara Shelf
Laptev Shelf
Lincoln Shelf
continental slope: the following are examples of continental-slope features in the Arctic Ocean (see Figure 2):
Litke Trough
Novaya Zemlya Trough
Svyataya Anna Trough (Saint Anna Trough)
Voronin Trough
abyssal plains: the following are examples of abyssal-plain features in the Arctic Ocean (see Figure 2):
Baffin Basin
Canada Basin
Fram/Amundsen Basin
Greenland Abyssal Plain
Iceland Basin
Makarov Basin
Molloy Deep (deepest point in the Arctic Ocean)
Nansen Basin
Norwegian Basin
mid-ocean ridge: the following are examples of mid-ocean ridges in the Arctic Ocean (see Figure 2):
Gakkel Ridge
Mohns Ridge
undersea terrain features: the following are examples of undersea terrain features on the floor of the Arctic Ocean (see Figure 2):
Lomonosov Ridge
Gakkel Ridge
Alpha Ridge
Mendeleev Rise
Chukchi Plateau
ocean trenches: none
atolls: none

**Elevation:**
highest point: sea level
lowest point: Molloy Deep -5,577 m
mean depth: -1,205 m
ocean zones: the ocean is divided into three zones based on depth and light level; sunlight entering the water may travel about 1,000 m into the oceans under the right conditions, but there is rarely any significant light below 200 m
euphotic zone: the upper 200 m (656 ft) is also called "sunlight" zone; only a small amount of light penetrates beyond this depth
dysphotic zone: between 200 m (656 ft) and 1,000 m (3,280 ft), and also called the twilight zone; the intensity of light rapidly dissipates as depth increases, and photosynthesis is no longer possible
aphotic zone: below 1,000 m (3,280 ft) and also called the midnight zone; sunlight does not penetrate to these depths

**Natural resources:**
sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales)

**Natural hazards:**
ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually ice locked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May

**Geography - note:**
major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); strategic location between North America and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia; floating research stations operated by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean; snow cover lasts about 10 months

### Environment

**Environmental issues:**
changes in biodiversity and temperature; water pollution from use of toxic chemicals; endangered marine species; ecosystem slow to recover from disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack

**Climate:**
polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature range; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow

**Marine fisheries:**
the Arctic fishery region (Region 18) is the smallest in the world with a catch of only 708 mt in 2019, although the Food and Agriculture Organization assesses that some Arctic catches are reported in adjacent regions; Russia and Canada were historically the major producers; in 2017, Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Iceland, Norway, Russia, and the US, along with the People’s Republic of China, the European Union, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, agreed to a 16-year ban on fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean to allow for time to study the ecological system of these waters
Regional fisheries bodies: International Council for the Exploration of the Seas; Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean

### Government

**Country name:**
etymology: the name comes from the Greek word arktikos meaning "near the bear" or "northern," and that word derives from arktos, meaning "bear;" the name refers either to the constellation Ursa Major, the "Great Bear," which is prominent in the northern celestial sphere, or to the constellation Ursa Minor, the "Little Bear," which contains Polaris, the North (Pole) Star

### Transportation

**Transportation - note:**
sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Eurasia) are important seasonal waterways

---

## Atlantic Ocean
**Slug:** atlantic-ocean
**Region:** Oceans
**Codes:** cek: zh

### Introduction

**Background:**
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five ocean basins (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal (Germany), Oresund (Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain), and the Saint Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are important strategic access waterways. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth world ocean basin, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Atlantic Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude. For convenience and because of its immense size, the Atlantic Ocean is often divided at the Equator and designated as the North Atlantic Ocean and the South Atlantic Ocean.

### Geography

**Location:**
body of water between Africa, Europe, the Arctic Ocean, the Americas, and the Southern Ocean

**Geographic coordinates:**
0 00 N, 25 00 W

**Map references:**
Map of the world oceans

**Area:**
total : 85.133 million sq km
note: includes Baffin Bay, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, part of the Drake Passage, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Gulf of America, Labrador Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, almost all of the Scotia Sea, and other tributary water bodies

**Area - comparative:**
about 7.5 times the size of the US

**Coastline:**
111,866 km

**Climate:**
tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cabo Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December but are most frequent from August to November

**Ocean volume:**
ocean volume: 310,410,900 cu km
percent of World Ocean total volume: 23.3%

**Major ocean currents:**
clockwise North Atlantic Gyre consists of the northward flowing, warm Gulf Stream in the west, the eastward flowing North Atlantic Current in the north, the southward flowing cold Canary Current in the east, and the westward flowing North Equatorial Current in the south; the counterclockwise South Atlantic Gyre composed of the southward flowing warm Brazil Current in the west, the eastward flowing South Atlantic Current in the south, the northward flowing cold Benguela Current in the east, and the westward flowing South Equatorial Current in the north

**Bathymetry:**
continental shelf: the passive margins of the Atlantic Ocean provide for wide continental shelves in North America, Northwest Europe, and the southern coast of South America
the following are examples of features on the continental shelf of the Atlantic Ocean:
Blake Plateau (Figure 5)
Celtic Shelf (Figure 2)
Dogger Bank (Figure 2)
Flemish Cap (Figure 2)
Falkland Plateau (Figure 3)
Grand Banks of Newfoundland (Figure 2)
Great Bahama Bank (Figure 5)
Little Bahama Bank (Figure 5)
Tunisian Plateau (Figure 4)
Yucatán Shelf (Figure 5)
continental slope: the following are examples of features on the continental slope of the Atlantic Ocean:
Amazon Cone (Figure 3)
Congo Fan (Figure 3)
Hudson Canyon (Figure 5)
Mississippi Fan (Figure 5)
abyssal plains: the following are examples of features on the abyssal plains of the Atlantic Ocean:
Angola Basin (Figure 3)
Agulhas Basin (Figure 3)
Argentine Basin (Figure 3)
Brazil Basin (Figure 3)
Canary Basin (Figure 2)
Cape Basin (Figure 3)
Colombia Basin (Figure 2)
Labrador Basin (Figure 2)
Mexico Basin (Figure 2)
Newfoundland Basin (Figure 2)
North American Basin (Figure 2)
Venezuela Basin (Figure 2)
West European Basin (Figure 2)
mid-ocean ridge: the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone displaces the mid-ocean ridge 350 km to the west, separating the Mid-Atlantic Ridge from the Reykjanes Ridge; the Romanche Fracture Zone, located near the equator, offsets the Mid-Atlantic Ridge 900 km and is considered the dividing line between the North and South Atlantic Oceans
the following are examples of mid-ocean ridges on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean:
East Mediterranean Ridge (Figure 4)
Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Figures 2, 3)
Reykjanes Ridge (Figure 2)
undersea terrain features: the following are examples of undersea terrain features on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean:
Bermuda Rise (Figure 2)
Cape Verde Plateau (Figure 2)
New England Seamounts (Figure 2)
Rio Grande Plateau (Figure 3)
Rockall Plateau (Figure 2)
ocean trenches: the following are examples of ocean trenches on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean:
Cayman Trench (Caribbean Sea) (Figure 2)
Hellenic Trench (Mediterranean Sea) (Figure 4)
Puerto Rico Trench (Figure 2) - deepest point in the Atlantic
South Sandwich Trench (South Atlantic) (Figure 3)
atolls: Rocas Atoll (Brazil) is the only atoll in the South Atlantic

**Elevation:**
highest point: sea level
lowest point: Puerto Rico Trench -8,605 m
mean depth: -3,646 m
ocean zones: the ocean is divided into three zones based on depth and light level; sunlight entering the water may travel about 1,000 m into the oceans under the right conditions, but there is rarely any significant light below 200 m
euphotic zone: the upper 200 m (656 ft) is also called "sunlight" zone; only a small amount of light penetrates beyond this depth
dysphotic zone: between 200 m (656 ft) and 1,000 m (3,280 ft), and also called the twilight zone; the intensity of light rapidly dissipates as depth increases, and photosynthesis is no longer possible
aphotic zone: below 1,000 m (3,280 ft) and also called the midnight zone; sunlight does not penetrate to these depths

**Natural resources:**
oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones

**Natural hazards:**
icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to September; hurricanes (May to December)

**Geography - note:**
major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the Strait of Dover, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; the equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean

### Environment

**Environmental issues:**
endangered marine species; fishery issues (over-fishing, unregulated bottom trawling, drift-net fishing, discards, catch of non-target species); pollution (maritime transport, discharges, offshore drilling, oil spills, improperly disposed waste); municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of America, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea

**Climate:**
tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cabo Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December but are most frequent from August to November

**Marine fisheries:**
the Atlantic Ocean fisheries are the second most important in the world accounting for 25.8%, or 20,300,000 mt, of the global catch in 2020; of the seven regions delineated by the Food and Agriculture Organization in the Atlantic basin, the most important include the following:
Northeast Atlantic region (Region 27) is the fourth most important in the world, producing 10.5% of the global catch or 8,310,000 mt in 2020; the region encompasses the waters north of 36º North latitude and east of 40º West longitude, with the major producers including Norway (3,528,240 mt), Russia (1,044,153 mt), Iceland (933,019 mt), UK (823,669 mt), and Denmark (641,927 mt); the region includes the historically important fishing grounds of the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Atlantic waters around Greenland, Iceland, and the British Isles; the principal catches include Atlantic cod, haddock, saithe (pollock), blue whiting, herring, and mackerel
Eastern Central Atlantic region (Region 34) is the second most important Atlantic fishery, and seventh largest in the world, producing more than 6.3% of the global catch or 4,950,000 mt in 2020; the region encompasses the waters between 36º North and 6º South latitude and east of 40º West longitude off the west coast of Africa, with the major producers including Morocco (1,419,872 mt), Mauritania (705,850 mt), Senegal (472,571 mt), Nigeria (451,768 mt), Ghana (303,001 mt), Cameroon (265,969 mt), and Sierra Leone (200,000 mt); the principal catches include pilchard, sardinellas, shad, and mackerel
Northwest Atlantic region (Region 21) is the fourth most important Atlantic fishery and eleventh in the world producing 1.9% of the global catch and 1,540,000 mt in 2020; it encompasses the waters north of 35º North latitude and west of 42º West longitude, including major fishing grounds over North America's continental shelf (the Grand Banks, Georges Bank, Flemish Cap, and Baffin Bay); the major producers include the US (927,777 mt), Canada (615,651 mt), and Greenland (179,990 mt); the principal catches include sea scallops, prawns, lobster, herring, and menhaden
Mediterranean and Black Sea region (Region 37) is a minor fishing region representing 1.5% or 1,190,000 mt of the world’s total capture in 2020; the region encompasses all waters east of the Strait of Gibraltar, with the major producers including Turkey (686,650 mt), Italy (281,212 mt), Tunisia (129,325 mt), Spain (119,759 mt), and Russia (72,279 mt); the principal catches include European anchovy, European pilchard, gobies, and clams
Regional fisheries bodies: Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna, Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic, Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea, General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean, International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, International Council for the Exploration of the Seas, Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization, North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization, North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, Southeast Atlantic Fisheries Organization, Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission

### Government

**Country name:**
etymology: name derives from the ancient Greek description of the waters beyond the Strait of Gibraltar, Atlantis thalassa, meaning "Sea of Atlas"

### Transportation

**Transportation - note:**
Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways; significant domestic commercial and recreational use of Intracoastal Waterway on central and south Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of America coast of US

---

## Indian Ocean
**Slug:** indian-ocean
**Region:** Oceans
**Codes:** cek: xo

### Introduction

**Background:**
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's five ocean basins (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger than the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean). Four critically important access waterways are the Suez Canal (Egypt), Bab el Mandeb (Djibouti-Yemen), Strait of Hormuz (Iran-Oman), and Strait of Malacca (Indonesia-Malaysia). The International Hydrographic Organization decided in 2000 to delimit a fifth world ocean basin, the Southern Ocean, which removed the portion of the Indian Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude.

### Geography

**Location:**
body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia, and Australia

**Geographic coordinates:**
20 00 S, 80 00 E

**Area:**
total : 70.56 million sq km
note: includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Savu Sea, Strait of Malacca, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies

**Area - comparative:**
almost seven times the size of the US

**Coastline:**
66,526 km

**Climate:**
northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February in the southern Indian Ocean

**Ocean volume:**
ocean volume: 264 million cu km
percent of World Ocean total volume: 19.8%

**Major ocean currents:**
the counterclockwise Indian Ocean Gyre comprised of the southward flowing warm Agulhas and East Madagascar Currents in the west, the eastward flowing South Indian Current in the south, the northward flowing cold West Australian Current in the east, and the westward flowing South Equatorial Current in the north; a distinctive annual reversal of surface currents occurs in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and clockwise currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest winds and counterclockwise currents

**Bathymetry:**
continental shelf: the following are examples of features on the continental shelf of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Exmouth Plateau
Indus Canyon
The Swatch of No Ground/Ganges Canyon (Bay of Bengal)
Sunda Shelf
continental slope: the following are examples of features on the continental slope of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Bengal Fan
Indus Fan
abyssal plains: the following are examples of features on the abyssal plains of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Arabian Basin
Crozet Basin
Madagascar Basin
Mid-Indian Basin
Mozambique Basin
Wharton Basin
mid-ocean ridge: the following are examples of mid-ocean ridges on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Central Indian Ridge
Davie Ridge
Southeast Indian Ridge
Southwest Indian Ridge
undersea terrain features: the following are examples of undersea terrain features on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Andaman-Nicobar Ridge
Chagos-Laccadive Ridge
Kerguelen Plateau
Madagascar Plateau
Mascarene Plateau
Mozambique Plateau
Ninetyeast Ridge
ocean trenches: the following are examples of ocean trenches on the floor of the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Java/Sunda Trench (deepest point in the Indian Ocean)
atolls: the following are examples of atolls in the Indian Ocean (see Figure 2):
Bassas da India
Chagos Archipelago/Diego Garcia
Europa Island
Juan de Nova Island
Lakshadweep Islands
Maldive Islands
Seychelles

**Elevation:**
highest point: sea level
lowest point: Java Trench -7,192 m unnamed deep
mean depth: -3,741 m
ocean zones: the ocean is divided into three zones based on depth and light level; sunlight entering the water may travel about 1,000 m into the oceans under the right conditions, but there is rarely any significant light below 200 m
euphotic zone: the upper 200 m (656 ft) is also called "sunlight" zone; only a small amount of light penetrates beyond this depth
dysphotic zone: between 200 m (656 ft) and 1,000 m (3,280 ft), and also called the twilight zone; the intensity of light rapidly dissipates as depth increases, and photosynthesis is no longer possible
aphotic zone: below 1,000 m (3,280 ft) and also called the midnight zone; sunlight does not penetrate to these depths

**Natural resources:**
oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules

**Natural hazards:**
occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern reaches

**Geography - note:**
major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait

### Environment

**Environmental issues:**
marine pollution from ocean dumping, improper waste disposal, and oil spills; oil pollution in Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea; threats to coral reefs; loss of biodiversity; endangered marine species

**Climate:**
northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February in the southern Indian Ocean

**Marine fisheries:**
the Indian Ocean fisheries are the third most important in the world, accounting for 15.5%, or 12,220,000 mt of the global catch in 2020; tuna, small pelagic fish, and shrimp are important species in these regions; the Food and Agriculture Organization delineated two fishing regions in the Indian Ocean:
Eastern Indian Ocean region (Region 57) is the most important and the fifth-largest-producing region in the world with 8.4%, or 6,590,000 mt, of the global catch in 2020; the region encompasses the waters north of 55º South latitude and east of 80º East longitude, including the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, with the major producers including India (2,362,481 mt), Indonesia (1,940,558 mt), Burma (1,114,777 mt), Bangladesh (877,837 mt), and Sri Lanka (373,369 mt); the principal catches include shad, skipjack tuna, mackerel, shrimp, and sardinellas
Western Indian Ocean region (Region 51) is the world’s sixth-largest-producing region with more than 7.1% or 5,630,000 mt of the global catch in 2020; this region encompasses the waters north of 40º South latitude and west of 80º East longitude, including the western Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea, as well as the waters along the east coast of Africa and Madagascar, the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and the west coast of India; major producers include India (2,207,125 mt), Oman (580,048 mt), Pakistan (341,730 mt), and Mozambique (274,791 mt); the principal catches include skipjack and yellowfin tuna, mackerel, sardines, shrimp, and cephalopods
Regional fisheries bodies: Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna, Regional Commission for Fisheries (Persian Gulf/Gulf of Oman), Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Center, Southwest Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission, South Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement

### Government

**Country name:**
etymology: named for the country of India, which makes up much of its northern border

---

## Pacific Ocean
**Slug:** pacific-ocean
**Region:** Oceans
**Codes:** cek: zn

### Introduction

**Background:**
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five ocean basins (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits. The International Hydrographic Organization decision in 2000 to delimit a fifth world ocean basin, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south. For convenience and because of its immense size, the Pacific Ocean is often divided at the Equator and designated as the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean.

### Geography

**Location:**
body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere

**Geographic coordinates:**
0 00 N, 160 00 W

**Area:**
total : 168.723 million sq km
note: includes Arafura Sea, Bali Sea, Banda Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Celebes Sea, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Flores Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, Java Sea, Philippine Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, Solomon Sea, South China Sea, Sulu Sea, Tasman Sea, and other tributary water bodies

**Area - comparative:**
about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; almost equal to the total land area of the world

**Coastline:**
135,663 km

**Climate:**
planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December

**Ocean volume:**
ocean volume: 669.88 million cu km
percent of World Ocean total volume: 50.1%

**Major ocean currents:**
the clockwise North Pacific Gyre formed by the warm northward flowing Kuroshio Current in the west, the eastward flowing North Pacific Current in the north, the southward flowing cold California Current in the east, and the westward flowing North Equatorial Current in the south; the counterclockwise South Pacific Gyre composed of the southward flowing warm East Australian Current in the west, the eastward flowing South Pacific Current in the south, the northward flowing cold Peru (Humbolt) Current in the east, and the westward flowing South Equatorial Current in the north

**Bathymetry:**
continental shelf: the following are examples of features on the continental shelf of the Pacific Ocean:
Arafura Shelf (Figure 5)
Sahul Shelf (Figure 5)
Sunda Shelf (Figure 5)
Taiwan Banks (Figure 5)
continental slope: the following are examples of features on the continental slope of the Pacific Ocean:
Pribilof Canyon (Figure 2)
Zhemchug Canyon (Figure 2; deepest submarine canyon)
abyssal plains: the following are examples of features on the abyssal plains of the Pacific Ocean:
Aleutian Basin (Figure 2)
Central Pacific Basin (Figure 2)
Northeast Pacific Basin (Figure 2)
Northwest Pacific Basin (Figure 2)
Philippine Basin (Figure 4)
Southwest Pacific Basin (Figure 4)
Tasman Basin (Figure 4)
mid-ocean ridge: the following are examples of mid-ocean ridges on the floor of the Pacific Ocean:
East Pacific Rise (Figure 3)
Pacific-Antarctic Ridge (Figure 3)
undersea terrain features: the following are examples of undersea terrain features on the floor of the Pacific Ocean:
Caroline Seamounts (Figure 5)
East Mariana Ridge (Figure 4)
Emperor Seamount Chain (Figure 2)
Hawaiian Ridge (Figure 2)
Lord Howe Seamount Chain (Figure 4)
Louisville Ridge (Figure 4)
Kapingamarangi (Ontong-Java) Rise (Figure 5; largest submarine plateau)
Macclesfield Bank (Figure 5)
Marshall Seamounts (Figure 2)
Magellan Seamounts (Figure 2)
Mid-Pacific Seamounts (Figure 2)
Reed Tablemount (Figure 5)
Shatsky Rise (Figure 2; third-largest submarine plateau)
Tonga-Kermadec Ridge (Figure 4)
ocean trenches: the following are examples of ocean trenches on the floor of the Pacific Ocean:
Aleutian Trench (Figure 2)
Chile Trench (Figure 3)
Izu-Ogasawara Trench (Figure 2)
Japan Trench (Figure 2)
Kermadec Trench (Figures 3, 4)
Kuril-Kamchatka Trench (Figure 2)
Manus Trench (Figure 4)
Mariana Trench (Figures 2, 4; deepest ocean trench)
Middle America Trench (Figure 3)
Nansei-Shoto Trench (Figure 5)
Palau Trench (Figures 2, 4)
Philippine Trench (Figure 4)
Peru-Chile Trench (Figure 3)
South New Hebrides Trench (Figure 4)
Tonga Trench (Figures 3, 4)
Yap Trench (Figures 2, 4)
atolls: the following are examples of atolls in the Pacific Ocean, and because they are also countries or territories, they have entries in The World Factbook with additional information:
Federated States of Micronesia
French Polynesia
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Midway Island
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Wake Island

**Elevation:**
highest point: sea level
lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m
mean depth: -4,080 m
ocean zones: the ocean is divided into three zones based on depth and light level; sunlight entering the water may travel about 1,000 m into the oceans under the right conditions, but there is rarely any significant light below 200 m
euphotic zone: the upper 200 m (656 ft) is also called "sunlight" zone; only a small amount of light penetrates beyond this depth
dysphotic zone: between 200 m (656 ft) and 1,000 m (3,280 ft), and also called the twilight zone; the intensity of light rapidly dissipates as depth increases, and photosynthesis is no longer possible
aphotic zone: below 1,000 m (3,280 ft) and also called the midnight zone; sunlight does not penetrate to these depths
note: the Pacific Ocean is the deepest ocean basin

**Natural resources:**
oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish

**Natural hazards:**
surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; up to 90% of the world's earthquakes and some 75% of the world's volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire; 80% of tsunamis, caused by volcanic or seismic events, occur within the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Niño/La Niña phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December

**Geography - note:**
the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean; much of the Pacific Ocean's rim lies along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakes; the Pacific Ocean is the deepest ocean basin, averaging 4,000 m (13,123 ft) in depth

### Environment

**Environmental issues:**
pollution from sources such as sewage, nutrient runoff from agriculture, plastic pollution, and toxic waste; habitat destruction; overfishing; sea level-rise and ocean acidification; endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea

**Climate:**
planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December

**Marine fisheries:**
the Pacific Ocean fisheries are the most important in the world, accounting for 58.1%, or 45,800,000 mt, of the global marine capture in 2020; of the six regions delineated by the Food and Agriculture Organization in the Pacific Ocean, the following are the most important:
Northwest Pacific region (Region 61) is the world’s most important fishery, producing 24.3% of the global catch or 19,150,000 mt in 2020; it encompasses the waters north of 20º north latitude and west of 175º west longitude, with the major producers including China (29,080726 mt), Japan (3,417,871 mt), South Korea (1,403,892 mt), and Taiwan (487,739 mt); the principal catches include Alaska pollock, Japanese anchovy, chub mackerel, and scads
Western Central Pacific region (Region 71) is the world’s second most important fishing region producing 16.8%, or 13,260,000 mt, of the global catch in 2020; tuna is the most important species in this region; the region includes the waters between 20º North and 25º South latitude and west of 175º West longitude with the major producers including Indonesia (6,907,932 mt), Vietnam (4,571,497 mt), Philippines (2,416,879 mt), Thailand (1,509,574 mt), and Malaysia (692,553 mt); the principal catches include skipjack and yellowfin tuna, sardinellas, and cephalopods
Southeast Pacific region (Region 87) is the third largest fishery in the world, producing 10.7%, or 8,400,000 mt, of the global catch in 2020; this region includes the nutrient-rich waters off the west coast of South America between 5º North and 60º South latitude and east of 120º West longitude, with the major producers including Peru (4,888,730 mt), Chile (3,298,795 mt), and Ecuador (1,186,249 mt); the principal catches include Peruvian anchovy (68.5% of the catch), jumbo flying squid, and Chilean jack mackerel
Pacific Northeast region (Region 67) is the eighth largest fishery in the world, producing 3.6% of the global catch or 2,860,000 mt in 2020; this region encompasses the waters north of 40º North latitude and east of 175º West longitude, including the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea, with the major producers including the US (3,009,568 mt), Canada (276,677 mt), and Russia (6,908 mt); the principal catches include Alaska pollock, Pacific cod, and North Pacific hake
Regional fisheries bodies: Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, International Council for the Exploration of the Seas, North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission, North Pacific Fisheries Commission, South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission

### Government

**Country name:**
etymology: named by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand MAGELLAN while circumnavigating the world in 1520; he called it "Mar Pacifico," which means "peaceful sea" in both Portuguese and Spanish, because he encountered no storms during the crossing

---

## Southern Ocean
**Slug:** southern-ocean
**Region:** Oceans
**Codes:** cek: oo

### Introduction

**Background:**
A large body of recent oceanographic research has shown that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), an ocean current that flows from west to east around Antarctica, plays a crucial role in global ocean circulation. The region where the cold waters of the ACC meet and mingle with the warmer waters of the north defines a distinct border -- the Antarctic Convergence -- which fluctuates with the seasons but encompasses a discrete body of water and a unique ecologic region. The Convergence concentrates nutrients, which promotes marine plant life, which in turn allows for a greater abundance of animal life. In 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization delimited the waters within the Convergence as a fifth world ocean basin -- the Southern Ocean -- by combining the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty region and which approximates the extent of the Antarctic Convergence. As such, the Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five ocean basins (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean). It should be noted that inclusion of the Southern Ocean does not imply US Government recognition of this feature as one of the world's primary ocean basins.

### Geography

**Location:**
body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica

**Geographic coordinates:**
60 00 S, 90 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude

**Map references:**
Antarctic Region

**Area:**
total : 21.96 million sq km
note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies

**Area - comparative:**
slightly more than twice the size of the US

**Coastline:**
17,968 km

**Climate:**
sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter

**Ocean volume:**
ocean volume: 71.8 million cu km
percent of World Ocean total volume: 5.4%

**Major ocean currents:**
the cold, clockwise-flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current (West Wind Drift; 21,000 km long) moves perpetually eastward around the continent and is the world's largest and strongest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers; it is also the only current that flows all the way around the planet and connects the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean basins; the cold Antarctic Coastal Current (East Wind Drift) is the southernmost current in the world, flowing westward and parallel to the Antarctic coastline

**Bathymetry:**
continental shelf: the following are examples of features on the continental shelf of the Southern Ocean (see Figure 2):
Astrid Ridge (see also Figure 4)
Belgrano Bank
Gunnerus Ridge (see also Figure 4)
Hayes Bank
Iselin Bank
continental slope: the following are examples of features on the continental slope of the Southern Ocean (see Figure 2):
Amery Basin (Figure 4)
Filchner Trough
Hillary Canyon
Pobeda Canyon (Figure 3)
abyssal plains: the following are examples of features on the abyssal plains of the Southern Ocean (see Figures 2, 3, and 4):
Amundsen (Abyssal) Plain
Enderby (Abyssal) Plain
South Indian/Australian-Antarctic Basin
Southeast Pacific/Bellinghausen Basin
Weddell (Abyssal) Plain
mid-ocean ridge: the following are examples of mid-ocean ridges on the floor of the Southern Ocean (see Figure 2):
Pacific-Antarctic Ridge (Figure 3)
undersea terrain features: the following are examples of undersea terrain features on the floor of the Southern Ocean (see Figure 2):
Akopov Seamounts (Figure 3)
De Gerlache Seamounts (see also Figure 3, 4)
Endurance Ridge (Figure 4)
Marie Byrd Seamount (see also Figure 3)
Maud Rise (see also Figure 4)
Scott Seamounts (see also Figure 3)
ocean trenches: the following are examples of ocean trenches on the floor of the Southern Ocean (see Figure 2):
South Sandwich Trench (Figure 4; the deepest location in the Southern Ocean)
atolls: none, due to the extremely cold water

**Elevation:**
highest point: sea level
lowest point: southern end of the South Sandwich Trench -7,434 m unnamed deep
mean depth: -3,270 m
ocean zones: the ocean is divided into three zones based on depth and light level; sunlight entering the water may travel about 1,000 m into the oceans under the right conditions, but there is rarely any significant light below 200 m
euphotic zone: the upper 200 m (656 ft) is also called "sunlight" zone; only a small amount of light penetrates beyond this depth
dysphotic zone: between 200 m (656 ft) and 1,000 m (3,280 ft), and also called the twilight zone; the intensity of light rapidly dissipates as depth increases, and photosynthesis is no longer possible
aphotic zone: below 1,000 m (3,280 ft) and also called the midnight zone; sunlight does not penetrate to these depths

**Natural resources:**
probable large oil and gas fields on the continental margin; manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; krill, fish

**Natural hazards:**
huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 m thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue

**Geography - note:**
the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic, coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds

### Environment

**Environmental issues:**
natural and man-made changes to the ocean's physical, chemical, and biological systems

**International environmental agreements:**
the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing)
note: mineral exploitation except for scientific research is banned by the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty; additionally, many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence), which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north

**Climate:**
sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter

**Marine fisheries:**
the Southern Ocean fishery is relatively small with a total catch of 388,901 mt in 2021; the Food and Agriculture Organization has delineated three regions in the Southern Ocean (Regions 48, 58, 88) that generally encompass the waters south of 40° to 60° South latitude; the most important producers in these regions include Norway (241,408 mt), China (47,605 mt), and South Korea (39,487 mt); Antarctic krill made up 95.5% of the total catch in 2021, while other important species include Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish
Regional fisheries bodies: Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources

### Government

**Country name:**
etymology: the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) has not formally adopted the definition of the Southern Ocean as the waters south of 60 degrees south; the definition, however, was circulated in a draft edition of the IHO's Names and Limits of Oceans and Seas in 2002 and has since become the de facto name for many nations and organizations, including the CIA

### Transportation

**Transportation - note:**
Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal

---