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Pacific Ocean
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The Pacific Ocean, with depth contours and submarine features
The Pacific Ocean, with depth contours and submarine features

Pacific Ocean

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Written by
Charles Henry Cotter
Senior Lecturer in Maritime Studies, University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, Cardiff. Author of The Physical Geography of the Oceans.
Charles Henry CotterAll
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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Pacific Ocean, body of salt water extending from the 60° S parallel in the south to the Arctic in the north and lying between the continents of Asia and Australia on the west and North America and South America on the east. Of the three major oceans, the Pacific is by far the largest, occupying about one-third of the surface of the globe. Its area, excluding the South China Sea, encompasses about 62.5 million square...

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