The Largest Ocean Basin On Earth

Looking out to sea from a mirador on Colombia’s western coast, you might wonder how wide the ocean is and which one is the largest.

In practice, the ocean is one vast body of water that is connected all over the world, commonly known as the Global Ocean.

Ocean waters move around the globe, regulating the global climate and preserving the balance of marine ecosystems.

Humans have divided the ocean into five recognized ocean basins based on cultural, geographical, and historical factors: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Ocean basins.

These bodies of water encompass over 71% of the Earth’s surface and contain more than 97% of the planet’s total water.

This article will look at the world’s largest ocean basin. Find out all about it, and then look at the rest of the ocean basins!

What is the Largest Ocean Basin On Earth?

The Pacific Ocean basin is by far the largest, covering over 63 million square miles and containing more than half of the world’s free water. The Pacific basin could accommodate all of the world’s continents.

The Pacific Ocean is the oldest of the world’s ocean basins. Its oldest rocks date back roughly 200 million years. The Pacific basin is known as the “Ring of Fire” because of the strong earthquake and volcanic activity that occurs along areas of tectonic plate subduction (when one tectonic plate is thrust beneath another).

The second largest basin is the Atlantic, followed by the Indian Ocean basin, the Southern Ocean basin, and finally the Arctic Ocean basin.

How large is the Indian Ocean basin?

The Indian Ocean basin varies from the Atlantic and Pacific basins in that it is landlocked in the Northern Hemisphere, with no access to Arctic waters.

It is located between the Eastern coast of Africa and spans all the way to Tasmania; in the west, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean basin at Cape Agulhas, at the southern tip of Africa, and its limit continues along the 20° E meridian.

The limits of the Indian Ocean basin are less clear in the east: they are commonly recognised to run from Southeast Cape, in the southern part of Tasmania, along the 147° E meridian, while the northern border is set from Cape Londonderry in Australia, crossing the Timor Sea to the southern shores of Java, and then across the Sunda Strait. Another of its lines is frequently traced over the Singapore Strait.

It reaches the recognized northern limits of the Southern Ocean basin in the south, which are located at latitude 60° S.

The Indian Ocean basin is the world’s third-largest ocean, covering approximately 70,560,000 square kilometers (27,243,000 square miles). It covers over 20% of the Earth’s land surface. It could fit the United States 5.5 times!

It stretches about 1,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) between Western Australia and Africa’s eastern coast.

The average depth of the Indian Ocean basin is 3,741 meters (12,274 ft).

The Java Trench, also known as the Sunda Trench, is located 7,450 meters (24,442 feet) off the southern coast of the Indonesian island of Java.

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