The Pacific Ocean Is Wider Than the Moon

The sheer scale of our planet's largest body of water is difficult to comprehend. Stretching from the shores of Indonesia all the way to Colombia, the Pacific Ocean spans a staggering 19,800 kilometers at its widest. This distance is so vast that you could place more than five Earth Moons side-by-side to bridge the gap. Its surface area is equally impressive, covering about a third of the globe—an expanse larger than all of Earth's landmasses combined. This single body of water effectively makes our world a water planet, dwarfing the continents we call home.

This immense ocean was named 'Mar Pacífico,' or 'Peaceful Sea,' by explorer Ferdinand (Review) Magellan, who found its waters blessedly calm after a treacherous voyage. The name, however, belies the immense power churning within its basin. The Pacific is rimmed by the 'Ring of Fire,' a zone where tectonic plates collide, creating about 75% of the world's volcanoes and 90% of its earthquakes. As the planet's oldest and deepest ocean basin, it not only holds more than half of Earth's free water but also cradles its most extreme geography, from