Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean (from the Latin pacificus, peaceful '), and the Pacific, known as Pacific Ocean or Great Ocean, is the largest and deepest ocean in the world. As the Atlantic Ocean it is adjacent to all other oceans of the earth.

• 6.1 In the Americas
• 6.2 on the Asian continent
• 6.3 On the Australian continent

Origin of the name

On November 28, 1520 Ferdinand Magellan reached from the Strait of Magellan on his circumnavigation of the globe coming the Pacific Ocean or the Pacific Ocean. He called him so because they lay until then accompanying storms. Despite the name, there are in the Pacific also violent storms and hurricanes, which are called depending on the region typhoon or hurricane.

Geography

The Pacific Ocean lies between the Arctic in the north, North America in the north- east ( see Pacific Northwest ), Central America in the East, South America in the south east, the Antarctic in the south, Australia in the South West Pacific in the west and Asia to the northwest (see Northwestern Pacific ). To the north it borders on the Arctic Ocean and to the south by the Southern Ocean, which lies south of the 60th parallel.

The Pacific pole of inaccessibility (Point Nemo ), the point which is farthest from the mainland and islands, located in the South Pacific between New Zealand and Chile.

Besides seas

Most marginal seas of the Pacific are the Asian- Australian side and toward the ocean by a chain of islands and deep-sea trenches separated.

Marginal seas of the Pacific are:

Islands

The numerous islands of the South Pacific are divided more by cultural than a geographical basis in the archipelagos of Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia. At Melanesia New Guinea belongs to the second largest island in the world. New Zealand and the surrounding islands such as the Chatham Islands are usually counted to Polynesia.

Other major islands and island groups outside these spaces, clockwise as seen from the west:

• Japan ( main islands of Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu and Hokkaido ) with the surrounding island groups (see Nansei Islands and Ogasawara Islands)
• Kuril Islands and Sakhalin (Russia)
• Commander Islands ( Russia)
• Aleutian Islands (USA)
• Alexander Archipelago ( USA)
• Iceland Vancouver (Canada)
• Channel Islands ( United States )
• Rocas Alijos (Mexico)
• Revillagigedo Islands (Mexico)
• Clipperton Island (France)
• Cocos Island (Costa Rica)
• Malpelo (Colombia )
• Galápagos Islands (Ecuador)
• Desventuradas Islands ( Chile)
• Sala y Gómez ( Chile)
• Juan Fernández Islands (Chile)
• Numerous islands in the fjord coast in the so -called Great South ( Zona Austral ) in Chile, including Chiloé
• Aucklandinseln and Campbell Islands ( New Zealand)
• Macquarie (Australia)

Some of the larger islands and island groups on the edge of the Pacific are controversial in their assignment. These are Tierra del Fuego (Chile) and the offshore islands in the Drake Passage, which lie at the transition to the Atlantic Ocean, Taiwan and the Philippines, which lie at the edge of the South China Sea and Tasmania (Australia ), which is sometimes counted towards the Indian Ocean. Further south still exist some Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands such as the Peter I Island, Scott Island and the Balleny Islands, which are counted in general to the Southern Ocean.

Countries bordering the Pacific Ocean and its dependent seas

Continental countries bordering

On the Pacific coastal states are following (the list is clockwise): Canada, USA, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China and Russia.

Island states

On and in the Pacific island countries are the following (alphabetical response): Cook Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Japan, Nauru, New Zealand, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Philippines, Republic of China, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Data

The surface of the ocean is with marginal seas 181.34 million km ², without the side seas 166.24 million km ², which represents about 35 percent of the planet's surface or half of the sea surface of the earth, more than the area of ​​all continents. Its volume is with marginal seas 714.41 million km ³, without the side seas 696.19 million km ³ - more than half of all water on earth. While its average depth with marginal seas is 3,940 m ( 4,188 m without side seas ), its deepest point is 11,034 feet below sea level.

The largest expansion in East-West direction, the Pacific at 18 ° 39'N (Hainan, PR China 110 ° 15'O < 15,409 km > 103 ° 42'W Mexico); the greatest extent north-south, the Pacific Ocean at 172 ° 9'W ( Siberia, Russia 64 ° 45'N < 15,883 km > 78 ° 20 'S, Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica continent ). The east-west distance is the longest of all the world's oceans; the north-south distance is only surpassed by the Atlantic Ocean ( 15,986 km at 34 ° 46'W ).

Seabed

Within the Pacific Ocean or on the ground there are some high and elongated mid-ocean ridge, many lower thresholds, huge deep-sea basins, deep-sea trenches, various marine lows and the Pacific Ring of Fire.

At mid-ocean ridges particular part of the East Pacific Rise, which runs through the south-east of the Pacific Ocean. Among the deep-sea trenches or marine lows include the Mariana Trench with the 11,034 m deep Witjastief 1, the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean. Among the deep-sea basins include the extremely large North Pacific basin, which accounts for the majority of the northern Pacific, ranging to the south even beyond the equator and little is crossed by the mid-ocean ridges and thresholds.

At the Pacific Ring of Fire, a sprawling to the ocean extending ring of active volcanoes, connected to deep-sea trenches, some of the most powerful earthquakes of the 20th century took place, for example in 1960, the Great Chile Earthquake and Japan 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake. Another danger tsunami, which can cause meter-high tsunami.

Garbage Patch

A swirl of plastic parts floating about a thousand kilometers north of Hawaii and encompasses an area of ​​approximately 7,000 square kilometers - about one percent of the size of Texas. Statements, which ' quantify the extent of the garbage swirl on twice the size of Texas are grossly exaggerated. The plastic garbage comes to about 80 % from the mainland and is flushed through the rivers into the sea. The remainder comes from ships that throw their waste overboard. The plastic parts drive up to 16 years in this maelstrom and pose a great threat to the fauna dar. The friction of the waves of the waste decomposes into smaller and smaller parts, but does not dissolve completely.

Major ports on the Pacific Ocean

The following listed ports are due to their location and their size, the main berths for vessels of all Represents the collection is carried out by state from north to south order.

In the Americas

In Canada, major seaports are found in Vancouver, Kitimat, Prince Rupert and Victoria (all in the province of British Columbia). On the territory of the United States are the ports of Anchorage, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, San Diego and San Francisco. To the south, in Mexico, seaports are located in Acapulco, Ensenada and Salina Cruz. At the Panama Canal, the Port of Panama City is located.

In South America, located in the port of Buenaventura, Colombia, Ecuador still in the Guayaquil. Peru has in Callao before a major seaport. Further facilities in Chile following important ports: Antofagasta, Arica, Iquique, Puerto Montt, San Antonio and Valparaiso and Talcahuano.

On the Asian continent

The most important Russian port on the Pacific is located in Vladivostok, the South Korean equivalent is Busan. South of it close ports on Chinese territory, including Dalian, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Xiamen and Yantai.

In Thailand can be found in Bangkok, Laem Chabang and Songkhla important seaports. At the southern end of the South China Sea to the port of Singapore is located.

In the midst of the Pacific lie the islands of Japan, the ports of Kobe, Nagoya, Osaka and Yokohama. Taiwan to follow the ports Kaohsiung, Keelung and Taichung. In the Philippines, major berths are in Cebu City and in Metro Manila.

On the Australian continent

The Australian continent has four major ports: Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia and Auckland in New Zealand.