Five Oceans

The world ocean is one connected body of salt water, but we give five parts different names: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern. Those names help us talk about where a ship or sea animal is.

The Pacific is the largest ocean. The Atlantic lies between the Americas and Europe and Africa. The Indian Ocean lies between Africa, Asia, and Australia. The Arctic Ocean circles the North Pole, and the Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica.

On a flat map, the Pacific often appears on both left and right edges because the map was cut at the same place on the globe. Trace it around a globe to see how its two halves connect.