| What’s
in a Name?
The Pacific Ocean was named by legendary navigator Ferdinand Magellan.
A native of Portugal, Magellan renounced his loyalty to that nation
after King Emanuel rejected Magellan’s petition for a post
within the royal navy. Magellan then left for Spain, which agreed
to support Magellan’s claim of a western route to the Spice
Islands through a seaway near the southern tip of South America.
On September 20, 1519, Magellan and a crew of 270 men set sail
from Spain on their around-the-world voyage in five small vessels
including his flagship Trinidad, Concepcion, San Antonio,
Victoria, and Santiago. It took the fleet, or at least
the three remaining ships in the fleet, 38 days to navigate the
strait around South America that was to bear Magellan’s name.
During the last week of November, the fleet emerged into what Magellan
described as a “beautiful, peaceful ocean.” Thus, it was
named the Pacific Ocean (“pacific” meaning “peaceful.”)
Upon entering the Pacific Ocean, Magellan mistakenly thought the
Spice Islands were only a short voyage away. Nearly four months
later, in March 1521, he and his crew finally reached what is known
today as the Philippines. A few weeks later, he was fatally wounded
after becoming involved in a dispute between warring Philippine
tribes. Only one ship, Victoria, and 18 of Magellan’s
original crew members returned to Spain, thereby completing the
first circumnavigation of the globe. Although Magellan’s route
proved impractical for the spice trade, his voyage has been called
the greatest single human achievement on the seas.
|
Total
Area :
The
Pacific Ocean covers more than a third of the Earth’s surface
and contains more than half of its water. It is the largest of the
world’s oceans, followed by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian
Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean. It covers an area of about 165 million
square kilometers (about 64 million square miles). It is larger
than the total land area of the world and slightly less than 18
times the size of the United States. It extends approximately 15,500
kilometers (9,600 mi) from the Bering Sea in the Arctic to the icy
margins of Ross Sea in Antarctica. It reaches its greatest width
at about 5°N latitude, where it stretches about 19,800 kilometers
(12,300 mi) from Indonesia to the coast of Colombia. The western
limit of the ocean is often placed at the Strait of Malacca. |
Depth:
Its
average depth is 4,270 meters (14,000 ft). It is home to the deepest
known point in the ocean — the Mariana Trench off Guam —
which plunges to a depth of about 11,000 meters (nearly 7 miles). |
| Coastline
& Land Masses:
The
Pacific Ocean is bordered by a coastline 135,663 km (84,300 mi)
in length. The largest land mass in this ocean is the continent
of Australia, which is about equal in size to the 48 contiguous
states of the United States. About 3,200 kilometers (2,000 miles)
southeast of Australia is the large island group of New Zealand.
There are almost 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. Almost all
of the smaller islands lie between 30°N and 30°S latitude,
extending from Southeast Asia to Easter Island. The rest of the
Pacific Basin is almost devoid of land. |
| Climate:
Only
the interiors of the large land masses of Australia, New Guinea,
and New Zealand escape the pervasive climatic influence of the Pacific.
Within the Pacific area, five distinctive climate regions exist:
the mid-latitude westerlies, the trades, the monsoon region, the
typhoon region, and the doldrums. Mid-latitude westerly air streams
occur in both northerly and southerly latitudes, bringing marked
seasonal differences in temperature. Closer to the equator, where
most of the islands lie, steady-blowing trade winds promote relatively
constant temperatures throughout the year of 21–27°C (70–81°
F).
The
monsoon region lies in the far western Pacific between Japan and
Australia. Here, winds blow from the interior of the continents
to the ocean in winter and in the opposite direction in summer.
Consequently, a marked season of cloudiness and rainfall occurs.
Typhoons often cause extensive damage in the west and southwest
Pacific. The greatest typhoon frequency exists within the triangle
from southern Japan to the central Philippines to eastern Micronesia.
Although more poorly defined than the other climate regions, two
major doldrum areas lie within the ocean — one located off
the western shores of Central America and the other within the equatorial
waters of the western Pacific. Both areas are noted for their high
humidity, considerable cloudiness, light fluctuating winds, and
frequent calms.
|
| Bottom
Terrain:
 The
ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific
Rise, which is a part of the worldwide Mid-Ocean Ridge system. About
3,000 km (1,800 mi) across, the rise stands about 3 km (2 mi) above
the adjacent ocean floor. The western part of the Pacific Ocean
floor consists of mountain arcs that rise above the sea as island
groups, such as the Solomon Islands and New Zealand, and deep trenches,
such as the Mariana Trench, the Philippine Trench, and the Tonga
Trench. Most of the deep trenches lie adjacent to the outer margins
of the wide western Pacific continental shelf.
|
| Natural
Resources:
One
of the Pacific Ocean’s greatest assets is fish, including herring,
salmon, sardines, snapper, swordfish, tuna, and shellfish. In 1996,
over half (60%) of the world’s total fish catch came from the
Pacific Ocean. Pearls also are harvested along Australia, Japan,
Papua New Guinea, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Philippines. Oil and
gas, polymetallic nodules, and sand and gravel are currently among
its most important mineral resources.
|
| Environment:
This
ocean’s endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion,
sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales. Current major environmental
issues include oil pollution in the Philippine Sea and South China
Sea. In terms of natural hazards, it is surrounded by a zone of
violent volcanic and earthquake activity (“The Ring of Fire”).
Southeast and east Asia are subject to typhoons from May to December,
while hurricanes may form south of Mexico and strike Central America
and Mexico from June to October. The southern shipping lanes are
subject to icebergs from Antarctica. When the El Niño phenomenon
occurs off the coast of Peru, the trade winds slacken and the warm
Equatorial Countercurrent moves south, killing the plankton that
is the primary food source for anchovies. Consequently, the anchovies
move to better feeding grounds, damaging local fishing economies
and starving resident marine birds that rely on the fish for food.
The
monsoon region lies in the far western Pacific between Japan and
Australia. Here, winds blow from the interior of the continents
to the ocean in winter and in the opposite direction in summer.
Consequently, a marked season of cloudiness and rainfall occurs.
Typhoons often cause extensive damage in the west and southwest
Pacific. The greatest typhoon frequency exists within the triangle
from southern Japan to the central Philippines to eastern Micronesia.
Although more poorly defined than the other climate regions, two
major doldrum areas lie within the ocean — one located off
the western shores of Central America and the other within the equatorial
waters of the western Pacific. Both areas are noted for their high
humidity, considerable cloudiness, light fluctuating winds, and
frequent calms.
|
| Ports:
Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Los Angeles (U.S.), Manila (Philippines),
Pusan (South Korea), San Francisco (U.S.), Seattle (U.S.), Shanghai
(China), Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington
(New Zealand), Yokohama (Japan).
|
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