Size of the oceans: facts about the world’s oceans

The size of the oceans is quite large compared to the land mass. These oceans exist and this is how big they actually are

The size of the oceans

Oceans are generally defined as the three major oceans of the world: the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. However, there are areas within these oceans that have their own names. They are often referred to as the seven seas, which together were the most important waters for early maritime trade. These are the facts about our oceans.

• The Pacific Ocean is the world’s largest ocean. It covers an area of a good 166 million square kilometers.

• In second place is the Atlantic Ocean with an area of 84 million square kilometers.

• The third largest ocean in the world is the Indian Ocean. At 74 million square kilometers, it is only just behind the Atlantic Ocean.

• The Southern Ocean is also part of the oceans. It covers an area of a good 20 million square kilometers.

• The Arctic Ocean is somewhat smaller. This measures a good 14 million square kilometers in size.

• These figures are taken from the Statista.com website. No liability is assumed for their accuracy.

• The early maritime trade mentioned at the beginning includes the three major oceans as well as the Arctic Mediterranean (Arctic Ocean), the American Mediterranean, the Australasian Mediterranean and the European Mediterranean.

• The American Mediterranean comprises the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Together, it has a size of over 4 million square kilometers.

• The Australasian Mediterranean includes the area between Southeast Asia and Australia. It covers an area of over 9 million square kilometers. It is the largest sea on earth that is not referred to as an ocean

• The European Mediterranean is a so-called inland sea. It is colloquially referred to as the “Mediterranean Sea”. It is bordered by countries such as Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece and North African countries. It has an area of around 2.5 million square kilometers.

• The Black Sea is also an inland sea. It is separated from the Mediterranean by the Bosphorus. The Black Sea is only 400,000 square kilometers in size.