The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on Earth, covering about one-third of the planet’s surface.
The Pacific stretches from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, between Asia and Australia on one side and the Americas on the other. It covers roughly 165 million square kilometres, making it larger than all of Earth’s land area combined. Its name comes from the Latin word pacificus, meaning “peaceful,” chosen by explorer Ferdinand Magellan after he encountered relatively calm waters during part of his 16th-century voyage.
The Pacific also contains the Mariana Trench, the deepest known oceanic trench, and many thousands of islands. It is often confused with the Atlantic because both are major transoceanic routes, but the Pacific is substantially larger and generally deeper. The Ring of Fire around its margins is known for intense volcanic and earthquake activity.