The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) determines the boundaries between the world’s five oceans, although there is no complete consensus from countries.
The intersection of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans at the Beagle Strait in Tierra del Fuego, Chile. Image:Dea
There are five oceans on Earth, all interconnected to form a continuous body of water. Previously, there were only 4 oceans: the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. In 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization decided to add a new ocean around the least inhabited continent, Antarctica, based on evidence that this body of water has a distinct ecosystem and unique impact on climate. global. The Southern Ocean became the 5th ocean on Earth and ranked 4th in size, according to Amusing Planet. Like national borders, the boundaries of the five oceans are clearly defined by the International Hydrographic Organization, although not everyone agrees on them.
The largest ocean is the Pacific Ocean, which extends from the Southern Ocean to the Arctic Ocean. Its eastern boundary runs along the North American and South American coastal regions, eventually meeting the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Horn along a line extending from Tierra del Fuego to the Southern Ocean. The western boundary is determined by the East Indies Islands, the Philippine Sea, the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk in the northern half and the Australian coastal area in the southern half. The Pacific Ocean meets the Indian Ocean at the Southeast Cape, Tasmania’s southernmost point.
The Atlantic Ocean, the second largest ocean in the world, extends from the Southern Ocean between the Americas, Africa and Europe to the Arctic Ocean. It meets the Pacific Ocean at Cape Horn and the Indian Ocean at Cape Agulhas, southern Africa.
The Indian Ocean, the third ocean in size, extends north from the Southern Ocean to India, the Arabian Peninsula and Southeast Asia. In the west, it follows the African coast until it meets the Atlantic Ocean at Cape Agulhas. To the east, the Indian Ocean meets the Pacific Ocean near Tasmania.
The boundaries of the Arctic Ocean are more complicated because the land here is not continuous. The Arctic Ocean covers the North Pole, bordering North America in the Western Hemisphere and Scandinavia and Siberia in the Eastern Hemisphere. It meets the Atlantic Ocean near Greenland and Iceland, and the Pacific Ocean at the Bering Strait.
The Southern Ocean has the clearest boundaries. It is a perfect circle surrounding Antarctica at 60 degrees south latitude. However, not every country agrees with this proposed boundary, so it has not yet been approved by IHO members.