Pacific Ocean

1. Pacific Ocean Introduction                                  

Background: 

  The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans (followed
  by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic
  Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the La
  Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits. The
  decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring
  of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the
  portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south.

2. Pacific Ocean Geography:

Map references:
  World

Location: 
  body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the
  Western Hemisphere

Geographic coordinates
  0 00 N, 160 00 W

Area: 
  total: 155.557 million km
  note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East
    China Sea, Flores Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Java Sea,
    Philippine Sea, Savu Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China
    Sea, Tasman Sea, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Area comparative: 
  about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global
  surface; larger than the total land area of the world

Coastline: 
  135,663 km

Climate: 
  planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit
  remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly
  winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations;
  tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to
  October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences
  cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern
  and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean;
  the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the
  summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the
  land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow
  from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones
  (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December

Terrain: 
  surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise,
  warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the
  southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the
  northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk
  in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches
  its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern
  Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western
  Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench,
  which is the world's deepest

Elevation extremes
  lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench: -10,924 m
  highest point: sea level 0 m

Natural resources: 
  oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates,
  placer deposits, fish

Natural hazards: 
  surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity
  sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to
  tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to
  December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones
  (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and
  Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September);
  cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific,
  influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific;
  ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to
  May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard
  from June to December

Environment - current issues:
  endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals,
  turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea

Geography - note:
  the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon
  Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific
  Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted
  with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern
  Pacific Ocean

3. Pacific Ocean Economy                                       

Economy - overview:
  The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and
  particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides
  low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing
  grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel
  for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the world's fish
  catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and
  gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies
  of Australia, NZ, China, US, and Peru. The high cost of recovering
  offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices
  for oil since 1985, has slowed but not stopped new drillings.

4. Pacific Ocean Transportation                                

Ports and harbors:
  Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Kao-hsiung (Taiwan), Los Angeles (US),
  Manila (Philippines), Pusan (South Korea), San Francisco (US), Seattle
  (US), Shanghai (China), Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Vladivostok
  (Russia), Wellington (NZ), Yokohama (Japan)

Transportation - note:
  Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget
  Sound (Washington state)

6. Pacific Ocean Transnational Issues                          

Disputes - international:
  some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
