Encyclopedia

Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean, largest and deepest ocean, c.70,000,000 sq mi (181,300,000 sq km), occupying about one third of the earth's surface; named by the explorer Ferdinand Magellan; the southern part is also known as the South Sea.

Sections in this article:

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

More on Pacific Ocean from Fact Monster:

  • Nauru, Kiribati, and Tonga - U.N.'s Freshmen Class Fascinating facts about Nauru, Kiribati, and Tonga This article was ...
  • American Samoa - Information on American Samoa — geography, history, politics, government, economy, population statistics, culture, religion, languages, largest cities.
  • Pacific Ocean: Bibliography - Bibliography See G. Soule, The Greatest Depths (1970); E. S. Dodge, Beyond the Capes (1971); J. ...
  • Pacific Ocean: Physical Geography - Physical Geography Extent and Seas The Pacific Ocean extends from the arctic to antarctic regions ...
  • Palmyra, atoll, Pacific Ocean - Palmyra Palmyra, atoll (2 sq mi/5.2 sq km), central Pacific, one of the Line Islands, c.1,100 mi ...

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Oceans and Continents