The Pacific Ocean is larger than all of Earth's land combined.

The Pacific Ocean covers about 30% of the Earth's surface. This equals roughly 165 million square kilometers. All the land on Earth only covers about 148 million square kilometers. This makes the ocean larger than every island and continent put together.The ocean has an average depth of 13,000 feet. It contains the Mariana Trench, which is the deepest spot on Earth at about 36,000 feet deep. Ferdinand Magellan named it the Peaceful Sea in 1520 because the water looked calm. However, the area is very active under the surface.The Ring of Fire sits around the edges of the Pacific Ocean. This zone contains 75% of the world's active volcanoes. It is also where 90% of all earthquakes happen. These events occur because giant pieces of the Earth's crust, called tectonic plates, are constantly moving.The Pacific Ocean helps control the world's weather. Its huge volume of water stores heat from the sun. This regulates temperatures across the globe. Events like El Niño happen when the water temperature in the Pacific changes, which can cause storms or droughts far away.