Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean (/pəˈsɪfɪk/ or /ˌpæsɪˈfɪk/) is the largest and deepest of Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south and is bounded by the continents of Asia and Australia in the west and the Americas in the east.

Etymology

The term Pacific Ocean comes from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. He was the first European to navigate the strait now known as the Strait of Magellan and he entered the Pacific in November 1520. The name reflects Magellan's description of the ocean; he regarded it as much more calm and peaceful than the stormy Atlantic he had previously sailed.

Related Terms

Ocean: A large body of salt water that is situated in a basin on Earth's surface.
Sea: A large body of salt water that is smaller than an ocean and that may be partially or completely surrounded by land.
Marine biology: The scientific study of organisms in the ocean or other marine bodies of water.
Oceanography: The study of the physical and biological aspects of the ocean.
Tectonic plates: The two sub-layers of the earth's crust (lithosphere) that move, float, and sometimes fracture and whose interaction causes continental drift, earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, and oceanic trenches.