Western Pacific country. Interesting facts about the Pacific Ocean. General information about the Pacific Ocean

) is the largest ocean basin in the world. It is bounded in the west by the shores of Eurasia and Australia, in the east by North and South America, in the south by Antarctica. Maritime borders with the North Arctic Ocean pass through the Bering Strait between the peninsulas of Chukotka and Seward, with Indian Ocean- along the northern edge of the Strait of Malacca, the western coast of the island of Sumatra, the southern coast of the islands of Java, Timor and New Guinea through the Torres and Bass Straits, along the eastern coast of Tasmania and further along the ridge of underwater rises to Antarctica, with the Atlantic Ocean - from the Antarctic Peninsula (Antarctica) along the rapids between the South Shetland Islands to Tierra del Fuego.

Square Pacific Ocean with seas about 180 million km 2 (1/3 of the surface the globe and 1/2 of the World Ocean), the volume of water is 710 million km 3. The Pacific Ocean is the deepest basin in the world ocean. average depth 3980 m, maximum in the area of ​​the gutters - 11,022 m (Marian Trench). Includes marginal seas in the north and west: Bering, Okhotsk, Japanese, Yellow, East and South China, Philippine, Sulu, Sulawesi, Moluccas, Seram, Banda, Flores, Bali, Javanese, Savu, New Guinea, Coral, Fiji, Tasmanovo ; in the south - Ross, Amundsen, Bellingshausen. The largest bays are Alaska, California, Panama. A characteristic feature of the Pacific Ocean is the numerous islands (especially in the central and southwestern parts of Oceania), in terms of the number (about 10,000) and area (3.6 million km2) of which this ocean ranks first among the basins of the World Ocean.

Historical outline

The first scientific information about the Pacific Ocean was obtained at the beginning of the 16th century by the Spanish conquistador V. Nunez de Balboa. In 1520-21 F. Magellan crossed the ocean for the first time from the strait named after him to the Philippine Islands. During the XVI-XVIII centuries. the ocean has been studied in numerous voyages by naturalists. A significant contribution to the study of the Pacific Ocean was made by Russian sailors: S.I. Dezhnev, V.V. Atlasov, V. Bering, A.I. Chirikov and others. Systematic studies are carried out with early XIX in. (geographic expeditions of I.F. Kruzenshtern, Yu.F. Lisyansky on the ships "Nadezhda" and "Neva", O.E. Kotzebue on the "Rurik" and then the "Enterprise", F.F. Bellingshausen and M.P. Lazarev on "Mirny"). A major event in the history of ocean exploration was Charles Darwin's voyage on the Beagle (1831-36). The first actual oceanographic expedition was a round-the-world voyage on the English ship Challenger (1872-76), in which extensive information was obtained on the physical, chemical, biological and geological features of the Pacific Ocean. The greatest contribution to the study of the Pacific Ocean at the end of the 19th century was made by scientific expeditions on ships: "Vityaz" (1886-89, 1894-96) - Russia, "Albatross" (1888-1905) - USA; in the XX century: on the ships "Carnegie" (1928-29) - USA, "Snellius" (1929-30) - the Netherlands, "Discovery II" (1930) - Great Britain, "Galatea" (1950-52) - Denmark and "Vityaz" (since 1949 it has made over 40 flights) - USSR. New stage Pacific Ocean research began in 1968, when deep-water drilling was started from the American ship Glomar Challenger.

Relief and geological structure

Within the Pacific Ocean, a wide (up to several hundred kilometers) shelf is developed in marginal seas and along the coast of Antarctica.

Off the coast of North and South America, the shelf is very narrow - up to several kilometers. The depth of the shelf is mainly 100-200 m, off the coast of Antarctica up to 500 m. To the north-west of the island of Cedros is a kind of underwater margin North America(California borderland), represented by a system of underwater ridges and basins formed as a result of attachment of alien blocks to the mainland (zone of accretion tectonics) and rearrangement of plate boundaries during the collision of North America with the spreading axis of the East Pacific Rise. The continental slope from the edge of the shelf descends steeply to the pelagic depths, the average steepness of the slope is 3-7°, the maximum is 20-30°. The active margins of the continents frame the ocean from the north, west and east, forming specific transitional zones of subduction of lithospheric plates. In the north and west, the transition zones are a combination of marginal seas, island arcs, and deep sea trenches. Most of the marginal seas were formed as a result of spreading that developed between island arcs and adjacent continental masses (back-arc spreading). In some cases, spreading zones passed along the edge of continental masses, and their fragments were pushed aside and separated from the continents by marginal seas ( New Zealand, Japan). Island arcs framing the seas are volcanic ridges bounded by the ocean deep sea trenches- narrow (tens of kilometers) deep (from 5-6 to 11 km.) And extended depressions. On the eastern side, the ocean is framed by the active margin of the continent, where the oceanic plate is directly subducted under the continent. Subduction-related volcanism develops directly on the continental margin.

Within the ocean floor, a system of active mid-ocean ridges (rift systems) is distinguished, located asymmetrically with respect to the surrounding continents (see map). The main ridge consists of several links: in the north - Explorer, Juan de Fuca, Gorda, south of 30 ° north latitude - the East Pacific Rise. The Galapagos and Chilean rift systems are also distinguished, which, approaching the main ridge, form specific areas of the triple junction. The rate of expansion of the ridges mainly exceeds 5 cm/year, sometimes up to 16-18 cm/year. The width of the axial part of the ridge is several kilometers (extrusive zone), the average depth is 2500-3000 m. At a distance of about 2 km. from the axis of the ridge, the bottom is broken by a system of normal faults and grabens (tectonic zone). At a distance of 10-12 km. tectonic activity practically stops, the slope of the ridge gradually passes into the adjacent deep-water basins of the bed. The depth of the oceanic basalt bed increases with distance from the ridge axis to the subduction zones, simultaneously with an increase in the age of the oceanic crust. For areas of the ocean floor with a maximum age of the bed of about 150 million years, a depth of about 6000 m is typical. , Melanesian, Southern, Bellingshausen, Guatemalan, Peruvian and Chilean, etc.). The relief of the bottom of the basins is predominantly wavy. About 85% of the area is occupied by very gently sloping hills up to 500 m. Tubuai, Marquesas, Tuamotu, Galapagos, etc.) - the volcanic rocks that compose them are younger than the rocks of the ocean floor.

The section of the oceanic crust is represented (from bottom to top) by a cumulative complex of dunites and locally serpentinized pyroxenites, a homogeneous or stratified gabbro sequence, a basalt layer (about 2 km thick), consisting of a dike complex (vertically standing parallel dikes) and submarine lavas, overlying the basalt layer sediment cover. With distance from the ridge, the age of the ocean floor and the thickness of sedimentary deposits increase. In the open ocean, the thickness of precipitation is 100-150 m and increases in the north and west, in the equatorial zone the thickness of precipitation is up to 500-600 m. which are traps for sedimentary material supplied from land.

Along the continents, mainly terrigenous sediments are developed (glacial and coastal in high latitudes, fluviogenic in temperate latitudes, eolian in arid latitudes). In the ocean pelagial at a depth of less than 4000 m, carbonate foraminiferal and coccolithic temperate zones- siliceous diatomaceous oozes. Deeper, within the equatorial highly productive zone, they are replaced by siliceous radiolarian and diatom sediments, and in tropical low-productive zones - by red deep-sea clays. Along the active margins, the sediments contain a significant admixture of volcanic material. The sediments of the mid-ocean ridges and their slopes are enriched in oxides and hydroxides of iron and manganese carried into the bottom waters by high-temperature ore-bearing solutions.

Mineral resources

Oil and gas deposits have been discovered in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, and placers of heavy minerals and other minerals have been found at the bottom. The main oil and gas bearing areas are concentrated on the periphery of the ocean. Oil and gas fields have been discovered in the Tasman Basin - Barracuta (over 42 billion m 3 of gas), Marlin (more than 43 billion m 3 of gas, 74 million tons of oil), Kingfish, near the island of New Zealand, the Kapuni gas field has been explored (15 billion m 3). The Indonesian seas, areas near the coast of South Alaska and the western coasts of North America are also promising for oil and gas. Of the solid minerals, alluvial deposits of magnetite sands (Japan, the western coast of North America), cassiterite (Indonesia, Malaysia), and gold and platinum (the coast of Alaska, etc.) have been discovered and are being partially developed. In the open ocean, large accumulations of deep-sea iron-manganese nodules have been found, also containing a significant amount of nickel and copper (the Clarion-Clipperton fault). On many seamounts and slopes of oceanic islands, iron-manganese crusts and nodules enriched in cobalt and platinum have been found. Large deposits of sulfide ores containing zinc, copper, lead, and rare metals have been discovered within the mid-ocean rifts and in the area of ​​back-arc spreading (in the western part of the Pacific Ocean) (East Pacific Rise, Galapagos Rift). Phosphorite deposits are known on the shelves of California and the island of New Zealand. In many shallow areas of the shelf, deposits of non-metallic minerals have been identified and are being exploited.

Mineralogical finds

(! - remarkable in some way; !! - outstanding; * new mineral (year of publication) ; (PM\TL) - original location of the mineral \ type locality; xls - crystals) Mineralogical finds around the Pacific Ocean (examples). II. From Alaska to Antarctica - http://geo.web.ru/druza/a-Ev_33_32_E.htm

Mineralogical finds around the Pacific Ocean (examples). I. From Chukotka to Antarctica - http://geo.web.ru/druza/a-Ev_33_32.htm

Locations of minerals

• Viti Levu island, Fiji \\ sylvanite - crystals up to 1 cm (Korbel, 2004, 41)
• East Pacific Rise \\ wurtzite; graphite; * kaminite \ caminite (PM \ TL) (1983; 1986); sulfides are massive!

Page 2 of 13

What is the Pacific Ocean? General characteristics and description of the Pacific Ocean.

What is the Pacific Ocean? General characteristics of the Pacific Ocean. Table.

What is the Pacific Ocean? Description of the Pacific.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on our planet occupying almost a third of it. It accounts for 49.5% of the surface area of ​​the World Ocean and 53% of its water volume. The width of the ocean from west to east is 17,200 km, and the length from north to south is 15,450 km. The area of ​​the Pacific Ocean is 30 million square kilometers larger than the entire land area of ​​the Earth.

The Pacific Ocean is the most deep ocean our planet. Its average depth is 3984 meters, and the greatest is 10,994 km (the Mariana Trench or the "Challenger Abyss").

The Pacific Ocean is the most warm ocean our planet. Most of ocean lies in warm latitudes, so average temperature its waters (19.37 ° C) are two degrees higher than the temperature of other oceans (with the exception of the Arctic Ocean).

Pacific Coast- the most densely populated territory of the Earth, here in 50 states lives about half of the population of our planet.

The Pacific Ocean has the greatest commercial value of all the water bodies of the planet - about 60% of the world's fish catch is produced here.

The Pacific Ocean has the largest reserves of hydrocarbons in the entire World Ocean - about 40% of all potential oil and gas reserves are located here.

The Pacific Ocean has the richest flora and fauna- almost 50% of all living organisms of the World Ocean live here.

The Pacific Ocean is the most "violent" ocean on the planet- more than 80% of the tsunami is "born" here. The reason for that is a large number of underwater volcanoes.

The Pacific Ocean is of great transport importance- the most important transport routes pass here.

The opening of the Pacific. Why is the ocean "Pacific"?

Why is the Pacific Ocean called "Pacific"? After all, this is the most formidable of all the oceans of the Earth: 80% of the tsunami originates here, the ocean is replete with underwater volcanoes, and is famous for catastrophic hurricanes and storms. Just ironically, the first European explorer and discoverer of the Pacific Ocean, Ferdinand Magellan, never got into a storm during his three-month voyage. The ocean was quiet and gentle, for which it received its current name - "Quiet".

By the way, Magellan was not the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. The first was the Spaniard Vasco Nunez de Balboa, who explored New World. He crossed the American continent and came out on the coast as he thought of the sea. He did not yet know that before him was the greatest ocean of the Earth and gave it the name of the South Sea.

Borders and climate of the Pacific Ocean. What is the Pacific Ocean?

With land:

Western border of the Pacific Ocean: at east coasts Australia and Eurasia.

Eastern border of the Pacific Ocean: off the western coasts of South and North America.

Northern border of the Pacific Ocean: almost completely enclosed by land - Russian Chukotka and American Alaska.

South Pacific Ocean: off the northern coast of Antarctica.

Pacific borders. Map.

With other oceans:

Border of the Pacific Ocean with the Arctic Ocean: the border is drawn in the Bering Strait from Cape Dezhnev to Cape Prince of Wales.

The border of the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean: the boundary is drawn from Cape Horn along the meridian 68°04’ (67?) W. or the shortest distance from South America to the Antarctic Peninsula through the Drake Passage, from Oste Island to Cape Sternek.

The border of the Pacific Ocean with the Indian Ocean:

- south of Australia- along the eastern border of the Bass Strait to the island of Tasmania, then along the meridian 146 ° 55 'E. to Antarctica;

- North of Australia- between the Andaman Sea and the Strait of Malacca, further along the southwestern coast of the island of Sumatra, the Sunda Strait, the southern coast of the island of Java, the southern borders of the Bali and Savu seas, the northern border of the Arafura Sea, the southwestern coast of New Guinea and the western border of the Torres Strait.

Climate of the Pacific. General characteristics and description of the Pacific Ocean.

The climate of the Pacific Ocean in parts.

The South Pacific Ocean is the coldest, as the water comes close to the shores of Antarctica. Here, in winter, the water is covered with ice.

The climate of the North Pacific Ocean is much milder. This is influenced by the fact that the Pacific Ocean from the north has practically no contact with the cold Arctic Ocean, but is limited by land.

The western part of the Pacific Ocean is warmer than the eastern part.

In the tropical latitudes of the ocean, powerful hurricanes - typhoons - are born.

There are two zones of typhoon origin:

• east of the Philippines - the typhoon is moving northwest and north through Taiwan, Japan and almost reaches the Bering Strait.
• off the coast of Central America.

The amount of precipitation is uneven over the surface of the big ocean planets.

• The greatest amount of precipitation (more than 2000 mm per year) is characteristic of the equatorial belt,
• The least amount of precipitation (less than 50 mm per year) is in the northern hemisphere off the coast of California, in the southern hemisphere off the coast of Chile and Peru.

Precipitation in the ocean, in general, prevails over evaporation, so the salinity of the water is somewhat lower than in other oceans.

Read more about the climate of the Pacific Ocean in the articles:

• Climate of the Pacific. Cyclones and anticyclones. baric centers.

Flora, fauna and economic importance of the Pacific Ocean. What is the Pacific Ocean?

The flora and fauna of the Pacific Ocean is extremely diverse. About half of the living organisms of the entire oceans live here. This is due to the huge size of the largest ocean on the planet and the variety of natural conditions.

The greatest number of species lives in tropical and equatorial latitudes, in the northern and temperate latitudes the species diversity is poorer, but here the number of individuals of each species is greater. For example, about 50 species are found in the cold waters of the Bering Sea. seaweed, and in warm waters Malay Archipelago - about 800 species. But the mass of algae in the Bering Sea is much larger than the total mass of aquatic plants in the Malay Archipelago.

The depths of the Pacific Ocean are also not lifeless. The animals living here have an unusual body structure, many of them fluoresce, emitting light as a result chemical reactions. This device is used to scare off predators and attract prey.

In the Pacific Ocean lives:

• more than 850 types of algae;
• more than 100 thousand species of animals (of which over 3800 species of fish);
• more than 6 thousand species of mollusks;
• about 200 species of animals living at a depth of more than 7 thousand km;
• 20 species of animals living at a depth of more than 10 thousand km.

The economic importance of the Pacific Ocean - a general characteristic and description of the Pacific Ocean.

The coast of the Pacific Ocean, its islands and seas are developed extremely unevenly. The most developed industrial centers are coast of the USA, Japan and South Korea. The economy of Australia and New Zealand is also largely associated with the development of the largest ocean on the planet.

The Pacific Ocean plays an important role in human life. as a source of food. It accounts for up to 60% of the world's fish catch. Commercial fishing is especially developed in tropical and temperate latitudes.

Across the Pacific important sea and air communications run between the countries of the Pacific basin and transit routes between the countries of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Veliko economic importance Pacific Ocean and in terms of mining. Up to 40% of the potential oil and gas reserves of the World Ocean are located here. Hydrocarbons are currently being produced offshore in China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the United States of America (Alaska), Ecuador (Guayaquil Bay), Australia (Bass Strait) and New Zealand.

The Pacific Ocean also plays a very specific role in modern world: here in the southern part of the ocean there is a "cemetery" of failed spaceships.

The relief of the bottom, the sea and the islands of the Pacific Ocean. What is the Pacific Ocean?

The relief of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean - a description and general characteristics of the Pacific Ocean.

The bottom of the planet's largest ocean also has the most difficult terrain.. At the base of the ocean is the Pacific Plate. It is adjacent to the plates: Nazca, Cocos, Juan de Fuca, Philippine, in the south - the Antarctic plate, and in the north - the North American. Such a large number of lithospheric plates leads to strong tectonic activity in the region.

At the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, along the edges of the Pacific Plate, is the so-called "ring of fire" of the planet. Earthquakes constantly occur here, volcanoes erupt, tsunamis are born.

"Ring of Fire" of the planet.

The bottom of the Pacific Ocean is literally strewn single mountains volcanic origin. On the this moment there are about 10,000 of them.

In addition, there is a complex submarine mountain range system, the longest of which is located in the south and east of the ocean - this is the East Pacific Rise, which passes in the south into the South Pacific Ridge. This underwater ridge divides the Pacific Ocean into two asymmetrical parts - a vast western one, where warm currents predominate, and a small eastern one, where the cold Peruvian current dominates.

Countless islands and archipelagos resulting from volcanic activity, combined into separate part world - Oceania.

The largest basins of the Pacific Ocean are: Chilean, Peruvian, Northwestern, Southern, Eastern, Central.

Pacific Ocean seas and coastline. What is the Pacific Ocean?

Almost all the seas of the Pacific Ocean are located on its northern and western outskirts - off the coast of Asia, Australia, the Malay Archipelago. There is no ocean in the east major islands, no bays that go deep into the land - the coastline is smooth. The exception is the Gulf of California - a semi-enclosed sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean. Off the coast of Antarctica is the only southern marginal sea of ​​this ocean - the Ross Sea.

Islands of the Pacific.

In this article, we reviewed the description and general characteristics Pacific Ocean, gave an answer to the question: What is the Pacific Ocean? Read further: Pacific Ocean waters: ocean water masses, ocean temperature, ocean salinity, ice formation and Pacific water color.

Pacific Ocean- this is the largest, and far from the most Pacific Ocean on Earth, washing the shores of the five continents of our planet.

Pacific Ocean

The seas in the Pacific Ocean, washing the eastern shores of our country, form a group Far Eastern Seas(Bering, Okhotsk and Japanese). They are the deepest, of those washing the territory of Russia. And by the way, here it is.

Pacific Ocean on a world map and a map of currents

Pacific Ocean - current map

Inhabitants of the Pacific

Lives in the Pacific Ocean great amount inhabitants. Half of the biomass of the living organisms of the World Ocean considers it their home.

As in all the oceans of our planet, the bulk of the inhabitants, in addition to plankton, algae and corals, are sharks, whales, jellyfish and, of course, turtles, of which there are more than a hundred species in the Pacific.

Over the past decades, human activity has had a very strong impact on the flora and fauna of the Pacific Ocean, but in spite of everything, it continues to be the richest pantry of the planet and the breadwinner for many countries and peoples.

Why is the Pacific Ocean called the Pacific

In 1513, Vasco de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama from north to south and called the ocean "Great." After 7 years, in the fall, Magellan went a long way (up to 3 months) Tierra del Fuego - the Philippine Islands. During the journey, the ocean was so calm that the traveler, struck by its sounds, or rather their absence, called him Quiet.

—

—

By the way, I advise you to turn on this video before going to bed, the sounds of the ocean, the sound of the surf and the splashing of the waves, it’s simply unrealistic to help you fall asleep and have great dreams)))))))

Quiet is divided into regions, northern and southern, but earlier it was divided into three - northern, central and southern. The tropics were the border. Pacific Coast surrounded by a ring of volcanoes. Many of them are dormant, but many are active. They were called "Ring of Fire". In the east, mountain ranges approach the very coast. The sounds and roar of volcanoes and eruptions are also harmoniously woven into the "silence" of their ocean areas.

Islands in the Pacific

In the Pacific Ocean there are lonely islands that have nothing to do with nearby continents, continental islands and. They number up to 25,000. This number exceeds all others in the three oceans.

Individual islands of volcanic origin are interesting. They are scattered throughout the ocean. The abundance of vegetation on them, clean air and clean water seem to be unforgettable paradises for people. That is why some of the islands are nicknamed - Paradise Islands

—

—

Many islands in the pacific surrounded (like) by coral reefs. Fish, molluscs, and mammals have found shelter here. Many of the islands are in a tropical climate where there is a lot of rainfall, which in turn favors thriving vegetation. Often they turn into a real jungle.

There are several types of islands.

1. Coral - they "grow" from. Usually it happens like this - an active volcano after last eruption rises above the water and fades away. Coral reefs surround it, reaching the bottom. The volcano gradually subsides or collapses under the influence of water, and the corals remain. This type of islands is a favorite place for tourists.
2. Volcanic islands. The movement of the crust and lava flows raise it above the surface of the waters and a mountain is formed in the center. fertile soil allows vegetation to grow rapidly. A variety of animals inhabit them, and polyps form reefs around the entire island, holding back the stormy onslaught of waves. These islands are slowly sinking into the water. The process can take millions of years, but even outwardly noticeable, increasing on the shore of the lagoon.
3. Raised atoll. During earthquakes Coral reefs rise above the water up to half a meter. They form a kind of plateau, they do not have long beaches. Often they are used as a transfer point.

Garbage Island in the Pacific Ocean

Depth of the Pacific Ocean

Depth of the Pacific Ocean depends on the location. On average, it reaches about 4,000 m, but there are more deep places. Ridges and uplifts, depressions and trenches can be considered noteworthy. Not far from South America, two uplifts Chilean and Galapagos begin. As an example, we can mention the underwater plateau above which the Solomon Islands are located.

Troughs and depressions can be located close to the coast. They form near volcanic mountains. The most famous of them Galatea, Challenger, Emden, Ramapo.

Seamounts found at the bottom of the ocean. It is believed that these are former volcanoes that are washed away by waves.

depression in the pacific ocean

South of the Mariana Islands is Mariana Trench. This is deepest part of the pacific ocean. It is more than 11 kilometers. It has a V-shape. Its length is 1500 km, the bottom is rather narrow from 1 to 5 km. The pressure in the depths of the depression is 1000 times greater than atmospheric pressure, but living creatures have been found there too.

Tsunami in the Pacific Ocean

Despite their name, up to 80% of tsunamis originate in the Pacific Ocean. They occur after earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides. And in the Pacific Ocean there is too much seismic activity, and therefore the largest number tsunamis happen here. During an earthquake, one part of the bottom sinks and the other rises. A large volume of water is pushed up, so a high wave is formed.

During a volcanic eruption, a cup-shaped shape is formed. Water, filling it, forms long waves. Unlike high waves that go along the surface, the tsunami raises the entire water column. A tsunami has several waves. The first is not of great destructive power and misleads people. She, as it were, prepares the coast for the second, more strong wave. A second wave may come in a few hours.

Pacific Ocean and World War II

During the Second World War Pacific Ocean became a real theater of war. It was above him that the war in the air was going on. Japanese and American and then Soviet air squadrons clashed there. And it was in its basin that the military operations of the allied forces against Japan took place.

—

—

I will not describe the course of the war here, the article is not about that. I will simply describe the main battles and milestones of this war in the Pacific.

• Pearl Harbor
• singapore defense
• Battle of the Ryukyu Islands

Campaigns:

• in the Solomon Islands
• Burmese

Operations:

• Malay
• Philippine (1941-1945)
• Dutch East Indies
• Gilbert-

I think anyone who wants to know more will find all the information in these phrases. And we will return to the theme of our beautiful ocean. How beautiful it is, you can see for yourself by looking at the photo.

Pacific Ocean - photo

Any ocean keeps many secrets hidden in its depths, but this is especially true of the Pacific, the largest and deepest. Do you know interesting facts about the Pacific Ocean? In how many ways does it outperform other oceans? Or what is a yeti crab? Not? Then you definitely need to learn a lot of new and interesting things.

General information about the Pacific Ocean

Interesting Facts and general information, any data about this ocean attracts the attention of both adults and children. The area of ​​the Pacific Ocean makes up more than half of the entire World Ocean, and the average depth here fluctuates around 4 kilometers, which already indicates an impressive size. It stretches from Japan to America, and the role of the discoverer belongs to Vasco Nunez de Balboa, a Spanish sailor who, in 1513, fell into these waters on his way to the south of Colombia. The Spaniard decided to give this place a name

Other facts about the Pacific Ocean and its discovery already refer to Magellan, who fell into its waters in 1520. Rounding the mainland South America, Magellan fell into unknown waters. During the journey through these waters, the ship did not get into a single storm or storm, so Magellan decided to call the Pacific Ocean, how could the sailor then be mistaken in such a name.

Facts about the Pacific. Animal world

Due to the vast area that this area covers, the flora and fauna here is especially diverse, and in each area it also varies. About a hundred species of animals live here. For comparison, there are only about thirty thousand species in the Atlantic Ocean. Want to learn more interesting facts about the Pacific Ocean? There are several places where the depth reaches ten kilometers and there are extremely mysterious animals. The researchers managed to identify only two dozen representatives of such a deep-sea fauna. Of course, the fishing industry is widely developed here. The Pacific Ocean is a good source of sardines, mackerel and anchovies. In fact, it provides the world with half of all seafood consumed.

Briefly about the main thing. Records

Interesting facts about the Pacific Ocean are varied and amazing. Here are some of the most notable.

Amazing Facts

Fauna

Results

What could be more mysterious than interesting facts about the oceans! The Pacific Ocean still hides many secrets, but one day they will be unraveled.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest and oldest on our planet. It is so huge that it can easily accommodate all the continents and islands combined, and that is why it is often called the Great. The area of ​​the Pacific Ocean is 178.6 million square meters. km, which corresponds to 1/3 of the surface of the entire globe.

general characteristics

The Pacific Ocean is the most important part of the World Ocean, since it contains 53% of the total volume of its water. It stretches from east to west for 19 thousand kilometers, and from north to south - for 16 thousand. At the same time, most of its waters are located in the southern latitudes, and a smaller part - in the northern ones.

The Pacific Ocean is not only the largest, but also the deepest water basin. Max Depth The Pacific Ocean is 10994 m - this is exactly the depth of the famous Mariana Trench. The average figures fluctuate within 4 thousand meters.

Rice. 1. Mariana Trench.

The Pacific Ocean owes its name to Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan. During his long journey, calm and calm weather reigned in the oceanic expanses, without a single storm and storm.

The bottom relief is very diverse.
Meet here:

• basins (Southern, North-Eastern, Eastern, Central);
• deep-sea trenches (Marian, Philippine, Peruvian);
• uplands (East Pacific Rise).

The properties of water are formed by interaction with the atmosphere and are largely subject to change. The salinity of the Pacific Ocean is 30-36.5%.
It depends on the location of the waters:

• maximum salinity (35.5-36.5%) is inherent in waters in tropical zones, where a relatively small amount of precipitation is combined with intense evaporation;
• salinity decreases towards the east under the influence of cold currents;
• salinity also decreases under the influence of heavy rainfall, this is especially noticeable at the equator.

Geographical position

The Pacific Ocean is conditionally divided into two regions - southern and northern, the border between which runs along the equator line. Since the ocean has colossal size, its borders are the coasts of several continents and partially bordering oceans.

In the northern part, the boundary between the Pacific and Arctic Oceans is the line connecting Cape Dezhnev and Cape Prince of Wales.

TOP 2 articleswho read along with this

Rice. 2. Cape Dezhnev.

In the east, the Pacific Ocean borders the coasts of South and North America. A little south of the border between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans extends from Cape Horn to Antarctica.

In the west, the waters of the Pacific Ocean wash Australia and Eurasia, then the border runs along the Bass Strait on the east side, and descends along the meridian south to Antarctica.

Climate features

The climate of the Pacific Ocean is subject to the general latitudinal zonality and the powerful seasonal influence of the Asian continent. Due to the huge occupied area, almost all climatic zones are characteristic of the ocean.

• in tropical and subtropical zones northeast trade winds prevail in the northern hemisphere.
• The equatorial zone is characterized by calm weather throughout the year.
• In the tropics and subtropics of the southern hemisphere, the southeast trade wind dominates. In the summer, tropical hurricanes of incredible strength, typhoons, are born in the tropics.

The average air temperature in the equatorial and tropical zones is 25°C. On the surface, the water temperature fluctuates between 25-30 C, while in the polar regions it drops to 0 C.

At the equator, the amount of precipitation reaches 2000 mm, decreasing to 50 mm per year near the coast of South America.

Seas and islands

The coastline of the Pacific Ocean is most indented in the west and least indented in the east. In the north, the Strait of Georgia cuts deep into the mainland. The largest Pacific bays are California, Panama and Alaska.

The total area of ​​the seas, bays and straits belonging to the Pacific Ocean occupies 18% of total area ocean. Most of the seas are located along the coasts of Eurasia (Okhotsk, Bering, Japanese, Yellow, Philippine, East China), along the Australian coast (Solomon, New Guinea, Tasmanovo, Fiji, Coral). The coldest seas are located near Antarctica: Ross, Amundsen, Somov, Durville, Bellingshausen.

Rice. 3. Coral Sea.

All rivers of the Pacific basin are relatively short, but with a rapid flow of water. most major river flowing into the ocean is the Amur.

There are about 25 thousand large and small islands in the Pacific Ocean, with unique animals and flora. For the most part, they are located in the equatorial, tropical and subtropical natural complexes.

The large archipelagos of the Pacific Ocean include the Hawaiian Islands, the Philippine Archipelago, Indonesia, and the largest island is New Guinea.

The urgent problem of the Pacific Ocean is the significant pollution of its waters. Industrial waste, oil spills, thoughtless extermination of the inhabitants of the ocean can cause irreparable harm to the Pacific Ocean, breaking the delicate balance of its ecosystem.

What have we learned?

While studying the topic "Pacific Ocean" we got acquainted with brief description ocean, its geographical position. We found out which islands, seas and rivers belong to the Pacific Ocean, what are the features of its climate, got acquainted with the main environmental problems.

Topic quiz

Report Evaluation

average rating: 4.4. Total ratings received: 132.