Pacific Ocean (by Jeslyn, 7S)

Pacific Ocean (by Jeslyn, 7S)

1. The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest ocean in the world

   • It spans 60 million square miles from California to China

2. It was named by the explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1520 as he sailed through a calm patch of water on the ocean

   • The name pacific is a version of pacify or peaceful.

3. The Pacific Ocean creates some of the strongest hurricanes ever seen.

   • In 2018, the strongest storm of the year was Super Typhoon Mangkhut.
     • The storm's winds were 165 miles per hour at its highest
     • It hit the Philippines in late September before going over mainland China

4. The Pacific basin is called the "Ring of Fire"

   • This is because of the area of earthquake and volcanic activity around its edges.

5. There is a massive garbage patch called the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch"

   • 94% of the plastics found in the Pacific's garbage patch are actually microplastics
   • This is the largest garbage patch on Earth

6. The Pacific Ocean is also the site of much of the world's high seas fishing, both legal and illegal