Strictly speaking, there is only one ocean, the great body of salt water, which altogether covers about 72 % of the Earth's surface and surrounds the planet's great landmasses. But in more familiar terms, the one Great Ocean is divided into four principal parts, each of them known as an ocean. The Pacific covers about
18,13,00,000 sq. km. and is by far the
largest ocean, containing about 46% of the Earth's water.
The Atlantic is the second largest ocean,
containing about 23% of the world's
water. It is much narrower and only half
the size of the Pacific, covering about
8,22,17,000 sq. km. The Indian is the third-
largest ocean. Slightly smaller than the Atlantic, it covers about 7,34,26,500 sq. km. and holds 20% of the
world's water. The Arctic, laying within the Arctic Circle and
surrounding the North Pole, is the smallest ocean, with an area of
about 1,39,86,000 sq. km. containing 4% of the world's water. The
Great Southern or Antarctic Ocean, which circles Antarctica, is not
officially an ocean, but an extension of the southern portions of the
Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans.