Ocean Facts: Did you know?
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Oceans cover about 70% of the Earth's surface Seas are smaller parts of the oceans. The largest seas are the South China Sea, the Caribbean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.

 It is estimated that there are between
500, 000 and 5,000,000 marine species not yet discovered.
 98% of the ocean floor has not yet been explored.
The deepest point of the ocean is called the Mariana Trench, 10.9 km deep. To compare: Mount Everest is 8.8 km high.

 90% of all the earth's volcanic activity occurs under the ocean.

Salt in the oceans and seas comes from rocks that have been eroded (broken and worn down) by the wind and water. Chemicals from the rocks dissolve in the water and make it salty. Tides are caused by gravity, or the pull of the Earth towards the moon. The force of gravity pulls the oceans towards the direction of the moon.
4 million tons of fish is harvested each year from the
ocean.
 The highest tides in the world occur in the Bay of Fundy, in Canada. At times the difference between high tide and low tide is the height of a three storey building.
The oceans are blue because the colour of the sky is reflected off the surface of the water. Waves on the surface of the oceans are caused by the energy of the wind.

Tsunamis however, are caused by underwater earthquakes or volcanoes.

The underwater mountain range known as the Mid-Ocean Ridge stretches 74,000 km, which is 4 times the length of the Andes, Rockies and Himalayas combined.

The oceans by size
Pacific Ocean
179 679 000 sq.kilometres
Atlantic Ocean
92 373 000 sq.kilometres 
Indian Ocean
73 917 000 sq.kilometres
Arctic Ocean
14 090 000 sq.kilometres

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Thomas, R. & Sydenham, S.
Ocean Facts [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au 2009

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