For practical and historical reasons, it is customary to divide the World Ocean into a set of five major oceans. By convention these are the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern (Antarctic) oceans.

Feb 19, 2025 · Roughly 71 percent of Earth’s surface is covered by saltwater oceans, and the continents themselves hold lakes, rivers, and, in some instances, seas. The largest bodies of water are the …

Nov 17, 2025 · An ocean is a continuous body of salt water that is contained in an enormous basin on Earth’s surface. The major oceans and their marginal seas cover nearly 71 percent of Earth’s …

Nov 9, 2017 · Since the year 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) started recognizing 5 oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Southern Ocean.

The vast bodies of water surrounding the continents are critical to life on Earth. But overfishing and global warming threaten to leave oceans barren.

May 27, 2025 · Although the ocean is one continuous body of water, oceanographers have divided it into five principal areas: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans.

Jun 16, 2024 · Historically, there are four named oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic. However, most countries - including the United States - now recognize the Southern (Antarctic) as …

Map of Earth's Five Oceans: Although there is only one global ocean, geographers have divided it into five major regions (which are also called "oceans"). They are: the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, …

Jul 24, 2025 · Earth has five major oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern (or Antarctic), and Arctic. The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest, with an average depth of 4,280 meters and its …

We often think of Earth in terms of its land area, but in reality 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans, while only 29% is land. Oceans cover an area of 139 million miles 2 or 361 million km 2, and …