Pacific Ocean Is Larger Than All Land

The immensity of our planet's largest body of water is truly staggering. If you could gather all of Earth’s continents and islands into a single landmass, they would still fit comfortably within the Pacific Ocean's basin with room to spare. This single ocean covers nearly a third of the globe's surface. Its name was bestowed by the explorer Ferdinand (Review) Magellan in 1521, who called it "Mar Pacífico," or "Peaceful Sea," because he found its waters remarkably calm after navigating the turbulent straits of South America.

Ironically, this peaceful name belies the immense power contained within its boundaries. The Pacific is famously encircled by the "Ring of Fire," a zone where most of the world's earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. This intense geological activity is a result of plate tectonics; as the oldest of the ocean basins, the Pacific is slowly shrinking (Review) as its tectonic plates slide under surrounding continents. This same powerful process created its most extreme feature, the Mariana Trench. At nearly seven miles deep, this chasm is so profound that it could submerge Mount Everest with over a mile of water still above its peak.