50 Fun Ocean Facts for Kids

Teach your kids about the five oceans with these 50 fun ocean facts for kids.

When astronauts go to outer space, they are excited to look back at their home from a different point of view. They can spot their home country fairly easily, but do you know what they all say is the easiest part of our planet to see? The ocean! Over 70% of our planet’s surface is covered by the ocean and bodies of water.

This post includes information and facts for each of the five oceans – perfect for children and those seeking to expand their ocean knowledge!

The World’s Oceans

Although the world’s oceans overlap at different points, scientists have divided them into five separate bodies of water. The continents help divide them up as well.

There used to just be four official oceans: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic. In 1999, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recognized the body of water as the fifth ocean.

• Atlantic ocean

• Pacific ocean

• Indian ocean

• Arctic ocean

• Antarctic ocean

Each ocean has unique features, tides, currents, temperatures, and sea creatures. Next, you will find a collection of interesting facts about the oceans of the world.

Pacific Ocean Facts for Kids

The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest ocean on our planet!
The water of the Pacific Ocean covers 60 million square miles of the Earth’s surface! It touches the United States, the rest of North America, and China.
If you put all of the land on earth together in one big piece, the Pacific Ocean would be larger!
There are very, very strong hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean.
The Pacific Basin is called the Ring of Fire, because it has a lot of earthquakes and volcanoes.
The Mariana Trench is is near the Philippines and is the deepest spot on Earth! The deepest point of the Mariana Trench is called Challenger Deep. It goes down 36,000 feet!
Water pressure is very intense in the Mariana Trench. It also has freezing cold temperatures. Humans cannot swim down to this deep ocean floor because of this.
You will find the most coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean. This includes the Great Barrier Reef!
The Pacific Ocean has the lowest sea level.

Facts about the Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean on Earth! It covers 41 million square miles!
Scientists divide the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic and South Atlantic. This is because they each have very different ocean currents!
The Atlantic Ocean has an average depth of 11,962 feet!
The longest mountain range on Earth is found in the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean! It is called the mid-ocean ridge. This oceanic ridge is over 40,000 miles long.
The word “Atlantic” means “atlas”.
The Atlantic Ocean borders Africa, North America, South America, and Europe.
The deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean is near Puerto Rico.
The largest island in the world, Greenland, is in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Atlantic Ocean has the second largest coral reef in the world. It is along the coast of Mexico.

Indian Ocean Facts

Most of the Indian Ocean is found near tropic areas, so it has very warm water. The warmest out of all the other oceans!
The Indian Ocean is the third largest and deepest ocean.
The Indian Ocean touches Africa, Asia, and parts of Australia.
The deepest part of the Indian Ocean is the Java Trench.
The Indian Ocean is the warmest out of the five oceans.
The Indian Ocean is 5.5 times the size of the United States.
Because it is so warm, the Indian Ocean has the lowest amount of oxygen in its water. This also results in it having a lower number of marine animals and organisms than the other oceans.
The average depth of the Indian Ocean is 12,273 feet deep.
The Indian Ocean covers over 41,000 miles of coastline!

Arctic Ocean Facts

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest ocean.
The Arctic has very cold waters. It has the coldest temperatures out of all five oceans.
The Arctic Ocean is the shallowest ocean!
The North Pole is right in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.
Polar bears are actually considered to be a part of marine life! This is because they spend most of their lives exploring the frozen sea ice of the Arctic Ocean.
The Arctic Circle is a part of the Arctic Ocean where the sun does not set for an entire day.
The average water temperature on the surface of the Arctic Ocean is 28 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Arctic Ocean touches the Arctic, parts of Europe, Russia, and North America.
The Arctic Ocean is the least salty ocean!
The average depth of the Arctic Ocean is 3,953 feet.
An iceberg from the Arctic Ocean caused the Titanic to sink.

Antarctic Ocean Facts

Some people refer to the Antarctic Ocean as a new ocean.
The Antarctic Ocean surrounds Antarctica.
The Antarctic Ocean is the youngest ocean. It formed 30 million years ago.
The Antarctic Ocean is the fourth largest ocean and covers 6% of the Earth’s surface.
The average depth of the Antarctic Ocean is 10,700 feet.
Elephant seals are a common animal found in the Antarctic Ocean. They can weigh over 8,000 pounds! The giant squid lives in the Antarctic Ocean as well!
The Antarctic Ocean covers the southern hemisphere – right near the South Pole!
Most of the ports and places for ships to dock in the Antarctic Ocean are places of research. However, there are groups that come to this cold area for fun and a very cold vacation!
The Antarctic Ocean is called the Southern Ocean, South Polar Ocean, or Austral Ocean.

Now that you’ve learned some interesting ocean facts, let’s take a look at some popular ocean animals.