10 Pacific Ocean Fun Facts

Wondering what could be interesting about the Pacific Ocean? As it turns out, there's a lot! This ocean breaks many records and has incredible diversity, making it a fascinating subject to explore. Here are 10 Pacific Ocean fun facts to help you learn more about this huge expanse of water! 

Pacific Ocean Fun Facts

1. The Largest Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's 5 oceans, covering over 60 million square miles, which means that it covers just over 30% of the entire earth's surface. It's so vast that it's larger than the landmass of all continents on Earth combined.

And if you've ever wondered why there are 5 oceans, find out what separates the seas.

2.  The Deepest Ocean

Not just the largest ocean, the Pacific is also the deepest ocean in the world. The deepest place on Earth is found in the Mariana Trench, a part of the ocean known as Challenger Deep. This area plunges to an incredible depth of around 11,000 meters.

3. Ring of Fire

The Pacific Ocean is often referred to as the "Ring of Fire" due to the intense tectonic activity that takes place in this area. There is a horshoe-shaped belt of tectonic plate boundaries, earthquake epicenters, and volcanoes.

Around 90% of all earthquakes occur in the Ring of Fire and 75% of Earth's volcanoes are found here.

4. A Peaceful Ocean

The word 'Pacific' means peaceful. The Pacific Ocean was given this name by the explorer Ferdinand Magellan because of how calm and peaceful the waters were when he discovered them.  

The name is pretty ironic when it's the birthplace of so many earthquakes and volcanoes!

5. Islands Galore

The Pacific Ocean is home to numerous islands, in fact it's home to most of the planet's islands. There are approximately 25,000 islands located here. 

6. Marine Biodiversity

The Pacific Ocean hosts an incredibly diverse range of marine life, from sharks and sea turtles to jellyfish and tuna. As this ocean is so vast, we have no idea how many different species live here. Of all the creatures we do know about, we've probably only scratched the surface of Pacific Ocean life.

As recently as May 2023, a new study was published containing details of around 5,000 new species discovered living in the depths of the ocean. This goes to show how little we actually know about this staggering expanse of water, and how much we still have to learn.

7. El Niño and La Niña

The Pacific Ocean plays a significant role in the Earth's climate through phenomena like El Niño and La Niña. When episodes of these climate patterns occur, they break normal conditions and affect weather patterns, not just locally, but across the globe.

8. Shrinking in Size

Whilst the Pacific Ocean is by far the world's largest ocean, it's currently shrinking by roughly 1 inch every year. This makes it highly likely that one day, it'll no longer hold the title of the biggest ocean, but that's a very long way off!

9. Point Nemo

Nestled deep within the Pacific Ocean is a point known as Point Nemo - the location recognized as being the farthest from land. Nowhere else on the planet will you be farther away from dry land than at Point Nemo! 

10. Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Unfortunately, fact number 10 on our list isn't quite so fun. The Pacific Ocean is home to the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest garbage patch in the world. This is a vast area of floating plastic debris, which has a hugely detrimental impact on marine life, our economy, and our health. 

BeCause Tees is proud to support The Ocean Cleanup, who are working to clean our oceans of plastic. 

These Pacific Ocean fun facts show that it is a marvel of nature with its vastness, diverse ecosystems, and geological wonders! As we continue to explore and study this incredible body of water, it becomes increasingly important to promote conservation efforts and sustainable practices to protect the precious life it sustains. Shop our nature designs today, including our Seas Collection, and we'll donate to ecological nonprofits, including The Ocean Cleanup.