Introduction
The article Seas and Oceans of the World present the list of Major Seas and Oceans and their deepest points observed across the World. This article plays a prominent role in GA/GK preparation in many competitive exams such as UPSC, SSC, NDA, CDS, Railways etc.
Oceans
Sea is body of salt water that is surrounded by land on all or most sides, or that is part of one of the oceans. That’s why we mostly see the Seas are partially or fully enclosed seas. Eg. Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal etc.
Ocean is the vast body of salt water that covers almost three-fourth of the earth’s surface. but, as for the geographical divisions of this body, generally names were assigned like the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic and Arctic oceans.
The following table lists the Seas and Oceans of the World, according to area and average depth, including the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Arctic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Bering Sea, and more.
| Name | Area (Sq. KM) | Average Depth | Greatest Known | Greatest Depth (Place) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feet | Meters | Feet | Meters | |||
| Pacific Ocean | 155,557,000 | 13,215 | 4,028 | 36,198 | 11,033 | Mariana Trench |
| Atlantic Ocean | 76,762,000 | 12,880 | 3,926 | 30,246 | 9,219 | Puerto Rico Trench |
| Indian Ocean | 68,556,000 | 13,002 | 3,963 | 24,460 | 7,455 | Sunda Trench |
| Southern Ocean1 | 20,327,000 | 13,100–16,400 | 4,000–5,000 | 23,736 | 7,235 | South Sandwich Trench |
| Arctic Ocean | 14,056,000 | 3,953 | 1,205 | 18,456 | 5,625 | 77°45’N; 175°W |
| Mediterranean Sea2 | 2,965,800 | 4,688 | 1,429 | 15,197 | 4,632 | Off Cape Matapan, Greece |
| Caribbean Sea | 2,718,200 | 8,685 | 2,647 | 22,788 | 6,946 | Off Cayman Islands |
| South China Sea | 2,319,000 | 5,419 | 1,652 | 16,456 | 5,016 | West of Luzon |
| Bering Sea | 2,291,900 | 5,075 | 1,547 | 15,659 | 4,773 | Off Buldir Island |
| Gulf of Mexico | 1,592,800 | 4,874 | 1,486 | 12,425 | 3,787 | Sigsbee Deep |
| Okhotsk Sea | 1,589,700 | 2,749 | 838 | 12,001 | 3,658 | 146°10’E; 46°50’N |
| East China Sea | 1,249,200 | 617 | 188 | 9,126 | 2,782 | 25°16’N; 125°E |
| Hudson Bay | 1,232,300 | 420 | 128 | 600 | 183 | Near entrance |
| Japan Sea | 1,007,800 | 4,429 | 1,350 | 12,276 | 3,742 | Central Basin |
| Andaman Sea | 797,700 | 2,854 | 870 | 12,392 | 3,777 | Off Car Nicobar Island |
| North Sea | 575,200 | 308 | 94 | 2,165 | 660 | Skagerrak |
| Red Sea | 438,000 | 1,611 | 491 | 7,254 | 2,211 | Off Port Sudan |
| Baltic Sea | 422,200 | 180 | 55 | 1,380 | 421 | Off Gotland |