It’s Made Up of Many Parts
Collectively referred to as “the sea,” geographers prefer to divide it into four parts. The Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic, while bays and gulfs make up smaller regions. The International Hydrographic Organization actually has a record of over 70 separate bodies of water called seas. Though the Caspian Sea (and the Great Salt Lake) are in fact saltwater bodies that stand independently from the world’s oceans.
Tons of Water
Sorry to state the obvious but the ocean contains a lot of water. Some 320 million cubic miles (1.35 billion cubic kilometers) of water, in fact. That is roughly 97 percent of Earth’s water supply. That’s a lot of water, but of course, it’s not drinkable as it contains 3.5 percent of salt.
It’s Super Deep
Did you know it goes 9,800 feet (3,000 meters) deep? Compared to The Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean that’s nothing. It is said that in that region, the ocean floor drops down to around 36,200 feet, nearly 7 miles, below sea level.
You Can Find The Longest Mountain Chain In The World
The Mid-Oceanic Ridge is a mountain chain that extends around the globe for an astonishing 40,390 miles (65,000 kilometers). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) points out “Like the rest of the deep-ocean floor, we have explored less of the mountains of the Mid-Ocean Ridge system than the surface of Venus, Mars, or the dark side of the Moon.”
It Contains The Largest Living Structure
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef stretches for more than 1,400 miles off the northeastern coast, making it (unsurprisingly) one of the seven wonders of the natural world. That’s larger than one of the man-made wonders of the world; the Great Wall of China.