We explain what the ocean is and what the differences are between sea and ocean. Also, what is the largest ocean in the world.
What is the ocean?
When we talk about oceans we mean a huge expanse of salt water that separates two or more continents. These are colossal masses of water, whose estimated surface area is 361,000,000 km2, that is, three quarters of the planet, and have an average depth of 3900 meters (with exceptions such as the Mariana Trench, 11,034 meters deep). ), which means about 1,300,000,000 km3 of liquid, that is, 94% of the planetary water.
Because they cover most of our planet's surface (71%) and communicate with each other, oceans are a distinctive feature of Earth, the “blue planet.” Life originated in the oceans and there is still the highest percentage of biodiversity known, which constitutes a source of food and resources for man, as well as recreational activities.
On the other hand, this enormous mass of water plays an essential role in the planet's climate cycles, maintaining its stable temperature through the water cycle and marine currents. At the same time numerous climatic accidents and dangerous natural phenomena are brewing on its surface such as hurricanes, tropical storms or tsunamis.
in the world There are three great oceans: Pacific, Atlantic and Indian followed by two minor ones: Arctic and Antarctic. The first two on the list can be divided into North and South, according to their location.
The Atlantic Ocean separates the continents of Europe and Africa from America, while the Pacific separates the latter from Asia and Oceania.
The Indian Ocean, on the other hand, separates the African continent from Asia and Oceania, below the level of India. The Arctic and Antarctic oceans, finally, are located in the vicinity of their respective North and South poles, respectively.
See also: Hydrosphere
Differences between sea and ocean
We speak of sea or ocean, differently, depending on the size of the area of salt water to which we are referring. So, seas are smaller than oceans and they are part of them.
Oceans have greater depths and a much greater volume of water, while seas are shallower and therefore warmer. It could be said that The seas are the portions of the ocean visible from land although there are also saltwater lakes known as “seas”, such as the Caspian Sea, the Dead Sea or the Aral Sea.
The largest ocean in the world
The largest ocean in the world is the Pacific, which separates America from Asia and Oceania. It makes up one third of the Earth's surface and extends 15,000 kilometers high. (from the Bering Sea and the Arctic, to the Ross Sea and Antarctica), and about 19,800 km wide between the coasts of Indonesia and Colombia. Its total area is 155,557,000 km2 and it contains about 25,000 islands, more than the rest of the oceans combined.
The Pacific communicates with the Atlantic only at three points: the natural passages in the southern region, known as the Magellan Passage and the Drake Strait, or through the artificial connection that exists in Panama, and which operates based on a floodable lock system.
