Pacific Ocean Facts for Kids

A Map of the Pacific Ocean
  • Ocean Name: Pacific Ocean
  • Location: Between the Americas and Asia, Australasia
  • Average Depth: 13,024 feet
  • Total Surface Area: 65.1 million mi2
  • Total Coastline: 84,297 miles
  • Total Volume of Water: 160.7 million mi3

21 Pacific Ocean Facts for Kids

  1. The Pacific Ocean is one of the world’s five oceans.
  2. The Pacific Ocean is between the Americas, Asia and Australasia.
  3. The total volume of the Pacific Ocean is 160.7 million mi3 of water.
  4. The Pacific Ocean contains 50.1% of all the world’s ocean water.
  5. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of all five oceans.
  6. The total surface area of the Pacific Ocean is 65.1 million mi2.
  7. The average depth of the Pacific Ocean is 13,024 feet.
  8. The deepest part of the Pacific Ocean is 36,037 feet in the Mariana Trench.
  9. The deepest part of the Pacific Ocean is known as Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench.
  10. The Pacific Ocean is the deepest ocean in the world.
  11. The total coastline of the Pacific Ocean is 84,297 miles.
  12. The Pacific Ocean has the most coastline of all the five major oceans.
  13. The average surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean varies greatly by location and time of year.
  14. The surface temperature of the Pacific Ocean can vary between 29.5 and 86 °F.
  15. There are an estimated 25,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean.
  16. The largest island in the Pacific Ocean is New Guinea, which covers 303,380 mi2.
  17. A strong tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean can be called a hurricane or a typhoon.
  18. The Pacific Ocean is an important economic source of salmon, tuna, herring and snapper.
  19. Water pollution is an issue in the Pacific Ocean. There is gyre of garbage in the Pacific Ocean known as the Great Pacific garbage patch. Estimates claim this garbage patch covers between 270,000 and 5.8 million mi2.
  20. The Pacific Ocean was a major theater during World War 2. The United States of America and the Empire of Japan fought many major naval battles in the Pacific Ocean.
  21. The first map of the Pacific Ocean was published by Brabantian cartographer Abraham Ortelius in 1589.

Additional Resources on the Pacific Ocean