Our oceans, seas and bays are not only awesome to see but super important to the planet. The majority of the earths water is stored in its oceans, seas, and bays which make up 96.5% of the 1.36 billion tons of water. Geographically, the oceans cover 71% of the Earth’s surface. Our oceans store about 50 times more carbon than the atmosphere. If you are traveller you are going to cross a few!
While some use the terms ocean and sea interchangeably, there is a difference in the geographic definitions of those two terms. Oceans are vast bodies of water that cover over 70% of the Earth’s surface, with an average depth of 3,800 meters. By definition, a sea is a smaller part of an ocean and is typically partially contained by an area of land. Almost all seas are found in areas where the ocean and land meet.
The 5 Oceans of the World
1. Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean covering more than 30% of the Earth. This is close to half of the water on Earth. The equator divides the Pacific Ocean into two separate parts – the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean. Pacific means “peaceful” in Latin. It has the deepest trenches with an average depth of 3800m.
2. Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest and saltiest ocean in the world.
3. Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean surrounding a densely populated region. This is sometimes divided into s North and South to make 6 oceans.
4. Southern Ocean. In 2000, the Southern Ocean circling the Arctic was named the newest ocean
5. Arctic Ocean. The Arctic Ocean is the world’s smallest and shallowest, coldest, and least salty ocean.
The Top 7 Seas
The ancient Romans called the lagoons separated from the open sea near Venice the septem maria or seven seas. It looks like the “seven seas” then referred to the Indian Ocean, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Adriatic Sea, Persian Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, and the Red Sea, which were the main water bodies known at that time. Today, we have named way more than seven seas and some of them are the most stunning places on the planet. As seas are often where oceans meet the land, they are often what most travellers see. Rather than list all 50+ I have listed my favourite 7.
Mediterranean Sea: The 9th largest Sea in the world has too many highlights to mention, but I'll try anyway. The Turkish coast, The Greek islands, The Adriatic coast from Croatia to Albania, the Spanish Coast, the south of France and the Amalfi coast are just a few. Get the idea? It's my number one for beauty, sea life and history.
2. The Caribbean Sea: What can I say! The Caribbean is made up of more than 700 islands, reefs, and cays, which are organized into 30 territories including sovereign states, overseas departments, and dependencies. Many of these territories speak English, French, Spanish, or a local Creole dialect. From the large islands like Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico to the small islands which are sometimes rocks or reefs, the sea is a tropical and cultural paradise.
3.The Dead Sea: This is a 390-square-mi (1,010-squarekm) salt lake located on the borders of PALESTINE, ISRAEL, and JORDAN. It is the lowest water point in the world, and its coast, at 1,292 ft below sea level (-395 m), is the lowest dry point on Earth. You can circle the sea through Israel and Jordan (when you can) and cross the Jordan river which flows into the sea (try not to be underwhelmed with the small trickle of water).
4.The Black Sea: 7000 years ago, it was a fresh water lake until the Mediterranean Sea rose and now the two are joined near Istanbul. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine and when there isn't a war ferries cross the sea on a regular basis.
5. The Caspian Sea: Its claim to fame is that it is the world's largest inland sea. Bordering with Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, it is an amazing sea to visit for its geo-political story.
6. The Coral Sea: The 2nd largest sea in the world it runs between Australia and New Guinea. It has 25% of the world's coral species and is very undeveloped and awe-inspiring. Access can be difficult and expensive but worth it!
7.The Arabian Sea: The 4th largest sea in the world between India and Africa. It includes the India coast and stretches to Oman. The Persian Gulf and the Red Sea that run off the Arabian Sea are an adventure on their own. And of course everyone needs to sail through the Suez Canal at some point in their lives!
These are just my favourites from 50+ seas around the globe. Get out there and find your top seas.
Enjoy
Check out Worldatlas.com
They have great articles on this sort of stuff
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