The Pacific Ocean is the largest of our oceans.the planets. Its area with all the seas is 178.6 million square meters. kilometers, an average depth of 3980 meters, the volume of water space - 710 million cubic meters. kilometers It occupies about 40% of the entire earth's surface and about half of its water area. Thus, the original name "Great", given by the Spanish navigator Vasco de Balboa in 1513, fully justifies itself.
In 1520, Magellan swam across the Pacific Ocean andHe called it so because during the three-month trip the expedition members never got into a storm. Subsequently, he repeatedly denied his name and more than once showed travelers the full power of the elements.
By the number of islands, the giant ocean also holds a palm treechampionships. Their number is about 10 thousand, the total area is about 3.6 million square meters. kilometers In the northern part are the Aleutian Islands, in the western - Sakhalin, the Japanese and Kuril Islands, as well as the Philippine, Tasmania, New Zealand with New Guinea, the Small and Large Sunda Islands. In the central and southern part of the ocean there are numerous small islands and archipelagoes.
The currents of the Pacific Ocean are divided into warm(North Pacific, Alaskan, Kuroshio - in its northern part, East Australian, South Passat - in the south) and cold (Peruvian and Western Winds in the south, Kuril and California in the north). The water temperature at the equator is about 27-28 ° C, in the polar regions it is about 0 ° C.
Gulfs of the Pacific Ocean, along with seas and straitsoccupy more than 30 million square meters. kilometers, which is 18% of its area. Most of the seas are located along the coasts of Eurasia (Bering, Japan, Okhotsk, etc.), along the Australian coast, and also wash the islands of Southeast Asia. The seas of Amundsen, Ross and Bellingshausen are located off the coast of Antarctica.
The largest bays of the Pacific Ocean (Alaska, Panama and California) are washing the shores of South and North America.
The flora of the ocean is represented throughoutdiversity mainly at low depths off the coasts of islands and coral reefs. The greatest number is concentrated in tropical and equatorial latitudes. The fauna of the ocean includes more than 100 thousand species from the simplest organisms to a variety of fish, the varieties of which in the tropical latitudes number more than 2000.
Due to the vast extent of the Pacific Oceanincludes several different climatic zones. Most of it is located in the equatorial, tropical and subtropical zones. Atmospheric circulation over the ocean leads to strong winds and storms, especially in the southern temperate latitudes. Typhoons are frequent in the western ocean. The air temperature of the western and eastern parts may differ in the same latitudes due to the prevailing dominance of warm or cold currents.
In the northern seas of the Pacific Ocean, located inIn the Arctic, the water freezes in winter due to low temperatures, icebergs are found. In the cold seas that wash the coast of Antarctica, icebergs are formed by the current and winds are carried into the open space of the water surface.
The Pacific Ocean is crossed by the most important marine andairways linking Pacific basin countries. Transit routes to the countries of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans pass through it. The largest international seaports are located on its coast. These are Singapore, Sydney, Shanghai, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Vladivostok, Nakhodka. About half of the world's total fish catch comes from the Pacific. The most common species of commercial fish are the following: herring, cod, salmon, pollock, sea bass. Crabs, oysters and shrimps are also harvested.
The "borderline" 180th meridian (date change boundary) is also located on its territory.
