Shape and Size - The Pacific Ocean along with its marginal seas occupies about 1/3 of the earth's surface. It looks like a triangle whose vertex is situated in the north in the Bering Strait while its base lies on the edges of the Antarctica continent in the south.
Its length as measured from Bering Strait in the north to Cape Adare in the south is 14,880 km. Its length along the Equator is about 16,000 km. Its average depth is 5,000 meters but the average depth of the floor is 5,000 meters.
Islands - There are about 20,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. Among the submerged Islands. Aleutian, British Columbia, etc., are well known. There are also some Island Arcs, which is volcanic and have an arc form. New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan, etc. Some scattered islands like cook Island. Society Island, Polynesian Island, etc., are like dots in the ocean.
Islands in the south-west have been divided into the following three categories:
(I) Melanesia. Solomon Island, Vanuatu (New Hebrides), Fiji, etc.
(II) Micronesia. Carolines, Marshall, Gilbert, Alice and other islands.
(Ill) Polynesia. Line, Cook, Society and Tuamotu Islands.
The Hawaii islands are famous in the North Pacific Ocean. The northeast ocean appears to be a big mass of water.
Marginal seas. Such seas are mostly found in the western part of the ocean. Here the marginal seas are deep but narrow. Bering, Okhotsk, Japan, China, Sulu, Celebes and other seas are well known. The number is much less in the west and the seas are shallow. Some of the well known seas are California and Aleutian Seas.
Continental Shelf. The western shelf is broad as compared to that in the east. The eastern shelf is about 80 km. broad while the width in the west ranges from 150 to 1500 km. The Japan Sea, the Yellow sea, etc., stand over the shelf.
Submarine Ridges. More submarine ridges are found in the east than in the west-Albatross plateau is one such ridge. Albatross is 4,000 meters deep and its length is 1500 km. Hawaii ridge, Marcuo. Neeker, etc., are other ridges suitable for mention.
Ocean Basins. Famous basins are Aleutian, Philippines, Carolina, Fiji, south-cast Pacific basin, etc.
The Deeps and the Trenches. The famous trenches are Aleutian, Keurile, Mariana, Togo-Kermadec, Chile, etc.
The deepest deep in Mariana trench is 28,018 meters deep. Cape Johnson (26,665 meters) in Philippines trench, Vityez (26,360 meters) in Keurile trench, Aldrich (23,407 Meters) in Togo Kermadec etc., is some of the important deeps in Pacific Ocean.
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Ocean Basins. Famous basins are Aleutian, Philippines, Carolina, Fiji, south-cast Pacific basin, etc.