The Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is very abundant in minerals and fish. People take salt and magnesium from the water and sand and gravel from the seabed. Large ships also cross this ocean to carry goods to different countries.
Some parts of the Pacific Ocean have become very polluted from human waste and oil spills from ships. Overfishing has also reduced the numbers of fish and other sea animals.
How old is the Pacific Ocean?
The Pacific Ocean was born 750 million years ago when the 7 continents of the world were all joined together. It is generally called the Panthalassic Ocean until the breakup of the giant supercontinent Pangea, about 200 million years ago.
Who was the first to cross the Pacific?
In 1928, Charles Kingsford Smith was the first to fly over the Pacific from California to Australia.
The Pacific Ocean was the last ocean discovered by Europeans but people from Southeast Asia have known about this ocean for thousands of years. They travelled to different Pacific Islands by canoe, carrying their language and culture with them.
The first Europeans to see the Pacific were Spanish explorers led by Vasco Núlez de Balboa.
The Ring of Fire
The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area in the Pacific Ocean that contains 75% of the world’s active volcanoes. About 90% of the world’s earthquakes also occur in this area.
Fun facts about the Pacific Ocean
- The ocean currents in the North Pacific mainly move in a clockwise direction and anti-clockwise in the South Pacific.
- The biggest reef in the world, the Great Barrier Reef, is located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Australia. It’s so big it can be seen from the Moon.
- The loudest volcanic eruption ever recorded in history occurred on an island in the Pacific Ocean called Krakatoa. More than 70% of the island was destroyed.
- Most of the world’s atolls are situated in the Pacific Ocean. Atolls are coral islands surrounded by a lagoon.
- The Pacific Ocean has many beautiful archipelagos (groups of islands) like the Fiji Archipelago or the Hawaiian Archipelago.
