Do You Know Your Seas And Oceans?

We may spend a lot of our leisure time navigating the seas and oceans – but how much do we really know about them. These twenty questions will test your knowledge – look for the answers below.

1. What is the difference between an ocean and a sea?
2. Which is the largest ocean on Earth and what does its name mean?
3. Which is the second largest ocean?
4. Which is the warmest ocean on Earth?
5. Where is the deepest known area of the oceans and what is is it called?
6. Which ocean contains the most islands? Any idea how many?
7. How did the Atlantic Ocean get its name?
8. What is the Pacific Ring of Fire?
9. Where is the famous Bermuda Triangle and what is it known for?
10. What is the Mid-Oceanic Ridge?
11. What and why is the saltiest sea?
12. Which sea is called the “incubator of Western civilization”?
13. Which sea is home to the world’s largest living structure and what is it?
14. Some controversy exists about the so-called Southern Ocean – what is it?
15. In the 16^th and 17^th centuries which sea was it that people were charged to enter and leave?
16. Which ancient Egyptian city was swallowed up by the Mediterranean Sea?
17. Where is there a huge underground ocean about the size of the Arctic Ocean?
18. How come sea ice is drinkable but sea water is not?
19. Which ocean was flown across by the first female pilot?
20. We talk about “sea level” but is this constant throughout the world?

The Answers

1. In terms of geography, a sea is part of the ocean partially enclosed by land. Seas are smaller than oceans and are usually located where the land and ocean meet.
2. The largest ocean is the Pacific, covering about 30% of the Earth’s surface. The name comes from the Latin Tepre Pacificum, meaning “peaceful sea”.
3. The second largest ocean is the Atlantic, covering 21% of the Earth’s surface.
4. The Indian Ocean is the warmest, with a surface temperature which sometimes touches 36.6 degrees.
5. The deepest area is the Mariana Trench located east of the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Its deepest known point is 11,000metres.
6. The Pacific Ocean contains the most number of islands – around 25,000 would you believe?
7. The name comes from Atlas of Greek mythology who was the Titan who held up the sky. The Atlantic Ocean is “the ocean of Atlas”.
8. 
   The Pacific Ring of Fire is the large number of active volcanoes surrounding the Pacific Ocean.
   The Bermuda triangle (also known as the Devil’s Triangle) is located in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean. Here an uncanny number of aircraft and ships have disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
9. It is the longest mountain ridge in the world, found underwater and connecting all the oceans of the world. The continuous mountain range is 65,000km long and the total length of the oceanic ridge system is 80,000km, with peaks higher than those of the Alps. It comprises 23% of the Earth’s total surface.
10. The Dead Sea is the saltiest because it is surrounded by a hot desert causing rapid evaporation of the sea water and leaving a high density of salt behind. Its name implies that nothing can remain alive in it.
11. The Mediterranean Sea is the “incubator of Western civilization”
12. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest living structure, located in the Coral Sea, (a marginal sea of the South Pacific Ocean) and running along the east coast of Queensland, Australia. It measures around 2,600 km and can be seen from the Moon!
13. There is controversy as to whether the Southern Ocean is actually an ocean or just part of larger oceans. It is the area of water that encircles Antarctica.
14. Two thirds of Denmark’s income was generated by charging sea goers to enter and leave the Baltic Sea and those that refused to pay were sunk.
15. The ancient Egyptian city of Heracleion was swallowed up by the Mediterranean about 1,200 years ago and was discovered in 2000. Since then a vast number of objects have been recovered, such as colossal statues, jewellery, coins and ritual objects, illustrating the cities’ beauty and glory.
16. The huge underground ocean is underneath the continent of Asia but is locked inside rocks.
17. Sea ice is drinkable because it has a tenth as much salt as sea water does – ice will not incorporate sea salt into its crystal structure.
18. Amelia Earhart was the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932.
19. No, sea levels are not the same. The Indian Ocean is 300 feet below average sea level, whereas the North Atlantic is 200 feet above average sea level. Local sea levels are affected by such things as tides, wind, atmospheric pressure, local gravitational differences, temperature, salinity, constant movement etc.

How did you do? I certainly learned a lot compiling this quiz – hope you learned some things too!