How Are the World's 5 Oceans Divided by Geographers?
The oceans of the Earth are all connected. They are truly one "world ocean" which covers about 71 percent of the Earth's surface. The salt water which flows from one part of the ocean to another without hindrance makes up 97 percent of the planet's water supply.Geographers, for many years, divided the world ocean into four parts: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Oceans. In addition to these oceans, they also described many other smaller bodies of salt water including seas, bays, and estuaries. It wasn't until 2000 that a fifth ocean was officially named: the Southern Ocean, which includes the waters around Antarctica.01of 05 Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is by far the world's largest ocean at 60,060,700 square miles (155,557,000 sq km). According to the CIA World Factbook, it covers 28 percent of the Earth and is equal in size to nearly all of the land area on the Earth. The Pacific Ocean is located between the Southern Ocean, Asia, and Australia in the Western Hemisphere. I...