Oceans of the world. How many, names, largest, deepest, smallest, warm, salty, cold. Borders, organic world. Geography lesson: how many oceans are there on Earth How many oceans are there in the world map

When most of us were in school, 4 oceans were marked on the geographical maps of our planet: the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian and the Arctic. But on modern maps you can see the name of the 5th ocean - the South. What kind of ocean is this, and why did it become necessary to rewrite maps and change the number of oceans available?

The confusion with the oceans has been going on for centuries. For the first time, the term “Southern Ocean” is found on maps of the 17th century and denotes the expanses of the ocean surrounding the “Unknown Southern Continent”, which was not yet discovered at that time, the existence of which was suspected by travelers. The southern parts of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans were very different in terms of navigation conditions: there were currents, strong winds and floating ice. For this reason, this region was sometimes singled out as a separate ocean, and in some cartographic materials of the 17th-18th centuries one can see the names "Southern Ocean", "Southern Arctic Ocean". Later, the name "Antarctic Ocean" began to occur.


Already after the discovery of Antarctica, in the middle of the 19th century, the Royal Geographical Society in London marked the boundaries of the Southern Ocean, referring to it the southern parts of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, which are located between the Antarctic Circle and Antarctica. And the International Hydrographic Organization approved the existence of the Southern Ocean by 1937.

But later, scientists again came to the conclusion that the allocation of the Southern Ocean is inappropriate, and it again became part of the three oceans, and by the middle of the 20th century this name was no longer found either on sea charts or in school textbooks.


The need to separate the Southern Ocean was discussed again at the end of the 20th century. The waters of the three oceans surrounding Antarctica differ in many ways from the rest of the oceans. A powerful circumpolar current passes here, the species composition of the marine fauna is very different from warmer latitudes, and floating ice and icebergs are found everywhere around Antarctica. It can be said that the Southern Ocean was distinguished by analogy with the Arctic: too different natural conditions in the polar and subpolar territories of the ocean and in other parts of the World Ocean.


Member countries of the International Hydrographic Organization in 2000 decided to allocate the Southern Ocean, and its northern border was drawn along 60 parallels of south latitude. Since then, this name has appeared on world maps, and there are again 5 oceans on our planet.

Eurasia - from the words Europe and Asia. Europe is such an ancient word that it is extremely difficult to trace its origins. It could have come from the Semitic ereb or irib, which means "west", or from the Phoenician erep - "sunset", that is, again "west". Asia in ancient times was called the Greek province to the east of the Aegean Sea, as well as the Scythian tribes beyond the Caspian Sea (Asians, Asians). Asia - according to legend, one of the daughters of the god-titan Ocean.

Africa - BC, south of Carthage, the Berber tribe of Afrigia (Afrigi) lived; according to him, the Romans in the second century AD, having conquered Carthage, called the Roman province formed there - Afrika (the territory of modern Tunisia). With the colonial conquests of Europeans, the name spread to the entire mainland.

America - discovered in 1492 by H. Columbus, who considered the countries he discovered to be the islands of India and the east coast of Asia. In 1503, the Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci named South America the New World. The German scientist Waldesmuller in 1507 proposed the name America, by the name of Amerigo Vespucci, initially for the southern mainland of this part of the Sveia, then this name spread to the northern one.

Antarctica - from the Greek "opposite to the Arctic": the prefix "anti" - against. The Greek name for the northern polar region of the Earth - the Arctic, comes from the word arktos - a bear, after the name of the constellation Ursa Major, standing in the Arctic near the zenith.

Australia - Ptolemy (II century AD) shows Terra Australis Incognita - "Southern Unknown Land" south of the Indian Ocean. The mainland was studied in parts for a long time, but only by the beginning of the 19th century was it finally possible to establish that all the studied areas belong to one mainland. The Dutch called this land New Holland. The English explorer Matthew Flinders called the account of his voyage at the beginning of the 19th century "Journey to Terra Australis", but in the preface to it he suggested "a more harmonious and corresponding to the names of other parts of the world" - Australia, which later came into use.

Oceania is the largest cluster of islands in the central and southwestern Pacific Ocean. The name Oceania came into use at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1832, the French navigator Dumont-Duville proposed the division of the islands of Oceania into three large parts: Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia.

The Atlantic Ocean - the name is associated with the ancient Greek myth about the titan Atlanta, who held the vault of heaven on his shoulders, the location of which the Greeks considered the extreme west of the Mediterranean - beyond it stretched the Ocean, part of which (closest to Atlanta) was called the Atlantic Ocean.

Pacific Ocean - at different times received various names. In 1513, Vasco Nunez de Balboa was the first European to reach the ocean and named it the South Sea. In 1520, F. Magellan entered the ocean and crossed it from Tierra del Fuego to the Philippine Islands in 3 months and 20 days. Throughout this voyage, calm weather prevailed, and Magellan gave the ocean the name Pacific.

Indian Ocean - from India. The ancient Indian name Sindhus is from the name of the river Sindhu (modern Indus). From him came the ancient Persian Hindu, then the ancient Greek and Latin India and Russian India; similar names are found in other European languages.

The Arctic Ocean - this name was given to the ocean in the 20s of the XIX century. It was proposed by a Russian researcher, Admiral F.P. Litke. In 1935, by the Decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR, this name was adopted as mandatory. Foreign countries use their national names for this ocean.

The origin of the oceans on Earth is still unknown. However, we know that about 360 million square kilometers of salt water covers our planet. It is divided into several major oceans and smaller seas.

Oceans cover approximately 71% of the Earth's surface and 90% of its biosphere. They contain 97% of the Earth's water, and oceanographers say that only 5% of the ocean depths have been explored.

The world ocean is the main component of the Earth's hydrosphere, therefore it is an integral part of life, forms part of the carbon cycle and globally affects climate and weather conditions. The ocean is home to 230,000 known animal species, and possibly over two million underwater species, as most of them are unexplored.

How many oceans on Earth: 5 or 4

I wonder, actually, how many oceans are there in the world? For many years, only 4 were officially recognized, but in the spring of 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization established the Southern Ocean and defined its boundaries.

The oceans (from the ancient Greek Ὠκεανός, Okeanos) make up most of the planet's hydrosphere. In descending order by area, there are:

  1. Quiet.
  2. Atlantic.
  3. Indian.
  4. Southern (Antarctic).
  5. Arctic Oceans (Arctic).

global ocean on earth

Although several separate oceans are usually described, a global, interconnected body of salt water is sometimes referred to as the World Ocean. The concept of a continuous body of water with relatively free exchange between its parts is fundamental to oceanography.

The major oceanic spaces, listed below in descending order of area and volume, are partly determined by continents, various archipelagos, and other criteria.

Oceans that exist, their location

Quiet, the largest, extends north from the Southern Ocean to the North. It spans the gap between Australia, Asia and America and meets the Atlantic just south of South America at Cape Horn. Pacific - separates Asia and Oceania from North and South America. Area 168,723,000 km².

Atlantic, the second largest, stretches from the Southern Ocean between America, Africa and Europe to the Arctic. It meets the Indian Ocean south of Africa at Cape Agulhas. Atlantic - separates America from Europe and Africa. Area 85,133,000 km².

Indian, the third largest, extends north from the Southern Ocean to India, between Africa and Australia. It merges into the Pacific expanses in the east, not far from Australia. Indian - washes southern Asia and separates Africa and Australia. Area 70,560,000 km².

Arctic the ocean is the smallest of the five. It joins the Atlantic near Greenland and Iceland and the Pacific Ocean at the Bering Strait and spans the North Pole, touching North America in the Western Hemisphere, Scandinavia and Siberia in the Eastern Hemisphere. Almost all of it is covered with sea ice, the extent of which varies depending on the season. Arctic - covers most of the Arctic and washes North America and Eurasia. The area is 15,000 km². They are bordered by small adjacent bodies of water, such as seas, bays and straits.

Southern- surrounds Antarctica, where the Antarctic circumpolar flow prevails. This maritime space has only recently been identified as a separate oceanic unit, which is located south of sixty degrees south latitude and is partially covered by sea ice, the size of which depends on the season. Southern - sometimes seen as an extension of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans that surrounds Antarctica. Area 21,000 km².

Physical properties

  1. The total mass of the hydrosphere is about 1.4 quintillion metric tons, which is about 0.023% of the Earth's total mass. Less than 3% - fresh water; the rest is salt water.
  2. The ocean area is about 361.9 million square kilometers and covers about 70.9% of the Earth's surface, and the volume of water is about 1.335 billion cubic kilometers.
  3. The average depth is about 3,688 meters and the maximum depth is 10,994 meters in the Mariana Trench. Almost half of the world's sea waters are over 3,000 meters deep. Huge spaces below 200 meters deep cover about 66% of the Earth's surface.
  4. The bluish color of the water is a constituent of several contributing agents. Among them are dissolved organic matter and chlorophyll. Sailors and other sailors have reported that ocean waters often emit a visible glow that extends for miles at night.

oceanic zones

Oceanographers divide the ocean into different vertical zones determined by physical and biological conditions. The pelagic zone includes all zones and can be divided into other areas, divided by depth and illumination.

The photic zone includes surfaces down to a depth of 200 m; it is an area where photosynthesis takes place and is therefore highly biodiverse.

Because plants require photosynthesis, life found deeper than the photon zone must either rely on material descending from above or find another energy source. Hydrothermal vents are the main source of energy in the so-called aphotic zone (more than 200 m deep). The pelagic part of the photon zone is known as the epipelagic.

Climate

Cold deep water rises and warms in the equatorial zone, while thermal water sinks and cools near Greenland in the North Atlantic and near Antarctica in the South Atlantic.

Ocean currents strongly influence the Earth's climate, transferring heat from the tropics to the polar regions. By transferring warm or cold air and precipitation to coastal regions, winds can carry it inland.

Many of the world's goods are moved by ship between the world's seaports. Ocean waters are also the main source of raw materials for the fishing industry.

The ocean is the largest of all existing bodies of water on Earth or a continuous water shell of the planet, it makes up most of the entire hydrosphere of the Earth. The oceans occupy more than 70% of the entire surface of the planet Earth. These reservoirs have some features, for example, they are a habitat for many living beings, and also have a whole system of current regulation. All planetary shells constantly interact with the largest reservoirs of the Earth.


Until recently, the World Ocean had four oceans, but in 2000 a fifth ocean was identified, which geologists called the Southern Ocean. This article is intended to talk about all 5 oceans, their features, animals and plants for which these waters are habitat.


This ocean is the largest on the planet, its area is more than 165 million square kilometers. This water area exceeds the area of ​​all land. It merges with the Southern Ocean in the south, and in the north with the Arctic Ocean. Australia, North and South America, and Africa are washed by this ocean. In addition, there are also the islands of the Pacific archipelago.

The coast of the Pacific Ocean is framed by a whole “ring” of volcanoes. This ring is called "fiery". This is due to the fact that volcanic eruptions, as well as strong earthquakes, most often occur in the fiery zone.

The floor of the Pacific Ocean is constantly changing, as tectonic plates collide with each other, and sometimes “crawl” under each other, thereby creating storms and hurricanes. Therefore, the name “Pacific” is completely unjustified, it is the most restless ocean. Sometimes magma comes out from under the earth's crust, resulting in the formation of underwater volcanoes. Such a process can lead to the appearance of seamounts and islands.

Covers approximately 360,000,000 km² and is generally divided into several major oceans and smaller seas, with oceans covering approximately 71% of the Earth's surface and 90% of the Earth's biosphere.

They contain 97% of the Earth's water, and oceanographers claim that only 5% of the ocean depths have been explored.

In contact with

Since the world's oceans are the main component of the Earth's hydrosphere, they are an integral part of life, form part of the carbon cycle, and influence climate and weather patterns. It is also home to 230,000 known animal species, but since most of them are unexplored, the number of underwater species is probably much higher, perhaps over two million.

The origin of the oceans on Earth is still unknown.

How many oceans on earth: 5 or 4

How many oceans are there in the world? For many years, only 4 were officially recognized, and then in the spring of 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization established the Southern Ocean and defined its limits.

It is interesting to know: what continents exist on planet Earth?

The oceans (from the ancient Greek Ὠκεανός, Okeanos) make up most of the planet's hydrosphere. In descending order by area, there are:

  • Quiet.
  • Atlantic.
  • Indian.
  • Southern (Antarctic).
  • Arctic Oceans (Arctic).

Earth's global ocean

Although several separate oceans are usually described, the global, interconnected body of salt water is sometimes referred to as the World Ocean. TO the concept of continuous water with relatively free exchange between its parts is fundamental to oceanography.

The major oceanic spaces, listed below in descending order of area and volume, are partly determined by continents, various archipelagos, and other criteria.

What are the oceans, their location

Quiet, the largest, extends north from the Southern Ocean to the North. It spans the gap between Australia, Asia and America and meets the Atlantic just south of South America at Cape Horn.

The Atlantic, the second largest, stretches from the Southern Ocean between America, Africa and Europe to the Arctic. It meets the Indian Ocean south of Africa at Cape Agulhas.

Indian, the third largest, extends north from the Southern Ocean to India, between Africa and Australia. It flows into the Pacific expanses in the east, near Australia.

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the five. It joins the Atlantic near Greenland and Iceland and the Pacific Ocean at the Bering Strait and spans the North Pole, touching North America in the Western Hemisphere, Scandinavia and Siberia in the Eastern Hemisphere. Almost all of it is covered with sea ice, the extent of which varies depending on the season.

Southern - surrounds Antarctica, where the Antarctic circumpolar flow prevails. This maritime space has only recently been identified as a separate oceanic unit, which is located south of sixty degrees south latitude and is partially covered by sea ice, the size of which depends on the season.

They are bordered by small adjoining reservoirs. such as seas, bays and straits.

Physical properties

The total mass of the hydrosphere is about 1.4 quintillion metric tons, which is about 0.023% of the Earth's total mass. Less than 3% - fresh water; the rest is salt water. The ocean area is about 361.9 million square kilometers and covers about 70.9% of the Earth's surface, and the volume of water is about 1.335 billion cubic kilometers. The average depth is about 3,688 meters and the maximum depth is 10,994 meters in the Mariana Trench. Almost half of the world's sea waters are over 3,000 meters deep. Huge spaces below 200 meters deep cover about 66% of the Earth's surface.

The bluish color of the water is a constituent of several contributing agents. Among them are dissolved organic matter and chlorophyll. Sailors and other sailors have reported that ocean waters often emit a visible glow that extends for miles at night.

oceanic zones

Oceanographers divide the ocean into different vertical zones determined by physical and biological conditions. Pelagic zone includes all zones and can be divided into other areas, divided by depth and illumination.

The photic zone includes surfaces down to a depth of 200 m; it is an area where photosynthesis takes place and is therefore highly biodiverse.

Because plants require photosynthesis, life found deeper than the photon zone must either rely on material descending from above or find another energy source. Hydrothermal vents are the main source of energy in the so-called aphotic zone (more than 200 m deep). The pelagic part of the photon zone is known as the epipelagic.

Climate

Cold deep water rises and warms in the equatorial zone, while thermal water sinks and cools near Greenland in the North Atlantic and near Antarctica in the South Atlantic.

Ocean currents strongly influence the Earth's climate, transferring heat from the tropics to the polar regions. By transferring warm or cold air and precipitation to coastal regions, winds can carry it inland.

Conclusion

Many of the world's goods are moved by ship between the world's seaports. Ocean waters are also the main source of raw materials for the fishing industry. you can find out from the link.

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