The ocean is a gigantic collection of salt water. All blue on our globe excluding the seas and on the land, is the ocean. There are five oceans on our planet.
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Five oceans
The high five are the Atlantic, Arctic, Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans. The Pacific Ocean is the biggest and deepest, the Arctic Ocean is the smallest, shallowest and coldest, and the Indian Ocean is the warmest.
- The Atlantic Ocean lies between the four continents, Africa, Europe, North America and South America. It covers 29 percent of the total ocean area on our planet.
- The Arctic Ocean lies at the very north (top) of the globe, surrounded by Asia, Europe and North America. It is mostly covered with ice, and in winter, it is completely covered with ice. It is also the only ocean smaller than a country.
- The Indian Ocean is located below India and, therefore named after India. A high percentage of the overall oil production is done in the Indian Ocean.
- The Pacific Ocean has borders of Asia, Australia, North America and South America. This ocean has the highest number of atolls. It also has the Great Barrier Reef, which is the largest coral reef system.
- The Southern Ocean also known as the Antarctic Ocean, is located at the very south (down) of the globe, around Antarctica.
Why does ocean water taste salty?
Ocean water tastes salty because it is not running water. Since the water does not run, the minerals which come from the rain keep and dissolve in it, and make the water taste salty.
Difference between oceans and seas
Oceans and seas water taste salty, they are mainly connected to each other and share a few other similarities. But there are differences between an ocean and a sea.
- The ocean is large compared to the sea.
- The ocean is far from the land, whereas the sea is near to or enclosed by the land, except the Sargasso Sea, which is within the Atlantic Ocean and also the only sea not touching the land.
- The Ocean is deeper than the sea.
- They have different marine life.
A few cool facts
- Mariana Trench is the deepest trench, 11km deep, located in the Pacific Ocean.
- Talking about the trench, the Peru-Chile trench is the longest trench, around 6000km long. It lies on the west coast of South America, from southern Ecuador to central Chile.
- More than ninety percent of the earth’s wildlife is found in the ocean, and ninety percent of the earth’s volcanic activities take place in the ocean.