Map of Pacific Ocean | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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.


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

Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N 160 00 W

Map reference: Political Map of the World

Area
Total: 155.557 million km²
Note: includes Bali Sea Bering Sea Bering Strait Coral Sea East China Sea Gulf of Alaska Gulf of Tonkin Philippine Sea Sea of Japan Sea of Okhotsk South China Sea Tasman Sea and other tributary water bodies
Comparative: about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; almost equal to the total land area of the world

Land boundaries

Coastline: 135,663 km

Maritime claims

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
Extremes highest point: sea level 0 m

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

Land use

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

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

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


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Population

Nationality

Ethnic groups

Languages

Religions

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate

Death rate

Net migration rate

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

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

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type

Capital

Administrative divisions

Dependent areas

Independence

National holiday

Constitution

Legal system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch

Legislative branch

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation

Diplomatic representation

Flag description

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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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 the US Australia NZ China and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985 has led to fluctuations in new drillings.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products

Industries

Industrial production growth rate

Labor force

Unemployment rate

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports

Imports

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates


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Electricity

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Bangkok Hong Kong (China) 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)


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Disputes international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs