The largest ports of the Pacific Ocean. The largest port of the Pacific Ocean name and location

North America

3. Indian Ocean

Asia and Africa

* - Italics indicate the 50 largest ports by cargo turnover.

Task 2. Study the geographical types of ports in the world (using the 4 ports listed in table). The results are presented in table 5.

Table 5

Geographical types of ports of the world

PRACTICAL WORK No. 4

Task 1. Plot the world's largest ports for container processing on the previously compiled map (practical work No. 3) based on the data in Table 6.

Table 6

World's largest seaports for container processing, 2003

(thousand conventional twenty-pound containers*)

* - Conventional twenty-foot container is an international unit of measurement in container shipping. Standard container: 20 feet (6.1 m) long, 8 feet (2.44 m) wide and 8.5 feet (2.59 m) high. The volume of such a container is 38.5 m³.There are also forty-foot (12.2 m) and forty-five-foot (13.7 m) ones. Most of the containers used today are forty-foot.

The volume of container transshipment (thousand conventional twenty-pound containers) is shown in color inside the punch, indicating the volume of cargo turnover. Present the volume of container transshipment in gradations (for example): 1 – 1.0-2.0; 2 – 2.1-5.0; 3 – 5.1-10.0; 4 – 10.1-15.0; 5-more than 15.0. If the port is not marked on the map as the largest in terms of cargo turnover, but is included in the 50 largest ports for container processing, then sign its name on the map in a color corresponding to the volume of transportation in the above gradations.

Task 2. To study the regional features of maritime transport (based on data from tables 4, 6) for the fifty largest ports in terms of cargo turnover and container transshipment volume. Use the compiled map “World Maritime Transport”. To study the geography of maritime transport:

1) build pie charts for the volume of cargo turnover and the volume of container processing, highlighting the following regions: Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Southwest Asia, North America, Latin America, Australia. Draw a conclusion.

2) compile a ranking of the five largest ports by cargo turnover and volume of container traffic in each region. Draw a conclusion, justifying the differences in the composition of leaders.

3) construct diagrams showing the volume of cargo turnover and the volume of container processing in the context of oceans (for the fifty largest ports). Inside the diagrams, display the volume of cargo turnover and container transshipment by country. Draw a conclusion.

4) compile a ranking of the five largest ports by cargo turnover and volume of container transshipment in each ocean. Draw a conclusion, justifying the differences in the composition of leaders.

The longest transoceanic routes lie in the Pacific Ocean: the central route Singapore-Panama has a length of 10.8 thousand miles, and transitions of 6 - 7 thousand miles without calling at intermediate ports are considered common in the Pacific Ocean. Over vast areas of the Pacific Ocean, hydrometeorological conditions are more complex than in other oceans.

In terms of the intensity of global shipping, three main directions can be distinguished: American-Asian, American-Australian and Asian-Australian.

The American-Asian direction is the main one and, in turn, includes the three most used routes. The route of the first, busiest shipping route runs from the ports of North America (Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles) to the western part of the Pacific Ocean and back from the ports of Japan, China, the Philippines (Yokohama, Shanghai, Manila) to the USA and Canada. It takes place in harsh hydrometeorological conditions of a stormy seasonal area. Without calling at intermediate ports, its length is more than 4.5 thousand miles. This is the main supply route to Japan and other countries for various ores, coal, grain cargo from the United States, and from Canada coal, grain, timber and lumber, other cargo and various semi-finished products.

The second route runs from the Panama Canal and the ports of the west coast of South America (via the Hawaiian Islands) to the ports of the Philippines, Malaysia, China, Taiwan and Japan. The central route runs from the Panama Canal to Singapore. This route passes through an area of ​​rare storms in the equatorial region.

The third, rather rarely used, route runs from Cape Horn to the ports of Asian countries. In the southern part, its path lies in a stormy area (seasonal) with difficult hydrometeorological conditions.

The American-Australian route connects the main ports of Australia (Sydney, Melbourne) and New Zealand (Wellington, Auckland) with various ports of the continent of America along three main shipping routes: Sydney - Hawaiian Islands - ports of North America; Sydney - Panama Canal and Sydney - ports of South America (Valparaiso, Callao). Ships sailing to South America during a dangerous period set course for destination ports within the boundaries of a seasonal area of ​​rare storms; during periods of favorable weather conditions - skirting the New Zealand Islands from the south and using the favorable current of the westerly winds. On ships of regular lines, wool, lead, zinc and other raw materials are delivered to American ports, and in the opposite direction, to Australia - machinery and equipment, machine tools, instruments, and various equipment.

The Asian-Australian route, unlike the previous ones, has a general North-South direction and connects Australian and New Zealand ports with Japanese ones. Intensive shipping on this ocean route in the second half of the 20th century is associated with the growth of the economic and technical potential of Japan and a number of countries in Southeast Asia, the development of shipbuilding and the growth of world trade. Shipping companies from Japan and other Southeast Asian countries have organized regular cargo lines on this route to transport iron ore, coal, wool and other raw materials, grain and food products from Australia to the ports of Southeast Asia and Japan.

Ocean routes run along the coast of South America,| connecting the ports of South American countries with the Pacific and Atlantic (via the Panama Canal) ports of the United States. The main flows of raw materials (iron ore and non-ferrous metal ores, saltpeter, sulfur and other minerals) are directed from the ports of the west coast of South America to the ports of the east coast of the United States, where the main industrial base of the United States is located, through the Panama Canal.

1. Describe the geographic location of the ocean.
Determine how the Pacific Ocean is located relative to the equator, the tropics, the polar circles and the prime meridian.
___
2. Determine in which direction the ocean has the greatest extent - from north to south or from west to east.

___
3. Indicate between which continents the ocean is located. Which oceans does it border on?
___
4. Which part of the ocean has the most rugged coastline.
a) Names of seas and large bays of the ocean.
b) the name of the large islands.

Atlantic Ocean 5%

internal flow 10%

2) North - Arctic Ocean 50%

Pacific Ocean 10%

Atlantic Ocean 30%

internal flow 10%

3) North - Arctic Ocean 25%

Pacific Ocean 25%

Atlantic Ocean 25%

internal flow 25%

4) North - Arctic Ocean 40%

Pacific Ocean 40%

Atlantic Ocean 10%

internal flow 10%

1 The Pacific Ocean washes the eastern shores of the continents: __
2 The Pacific Ocean washes the western shores of the continents: __
3 The Pacific Ocean is located in the hemispheres: __
4 In terms of area, this ocean is the largest on Earth. It makes up approximately _____% of the area of ​​the world's oceans
5 The greatest depth of the ocean and the deepest point of the Earth is in the ______ trench and is ____ m
6 Deep sea trenches surround the Pacific Ocean and, together with active volcanoes and earthquake areas, form an area called _______
7 Powerful sea currents along the equator from east to west are formed due to winds ______
8 In what climatic zones is the Pacific Ocean located? __
9 Name the cold currents of the Pacific Ocean __
10 In which part of the ocean are coral structures most common?
Name 3 port cities along the shores of the Pacific Ocean _____

numerical sea currents operating in the Pacific Ocean?

1) Gulf Stream 2) Brazilian 3) Guinean 4) Kuroshio.

3. Sable is an animal living in a natural area:

1) steppes 2) taiga 3) deserts 4) tundra

4. One of the main modern types of human economic activity in the tundra is:

1) logging 2) mining 3) raising livestock 4) growing grain

5. Among the listed closed lakes are:

1) Baikal 2) Victoria 3) Chad 4) Onega.

6. Which island has the maximum average annual precipitation?

1) Iceland 2) Kalimantan 3) Madagascar 4) Tasmania.

7.What mineral deposits are confined to ancient platforms?

1) oil 2) iron ores 3) copper ores 4) polymetallic ores

8.Which of the listed travelers made a great contribution to the discovery and study of Africa?

1) I. Moskvitin 2) D. Cook 3) D. Livingston 4) F. Magellan

9. Moderate maritime climate is typical for:

1) Sumatra Islands 2) Iberian Peninsula 3) Great Britain 4) Yucatan Peninsula

10.Which of the listed mountain systems is the longest?

1) Cordillera 2) Urals 3) Alps 4) Appalachians

11.Which peninsula has monsoons throughout the year?

1) Labrador 2) Alaska 3) Indochina 4) Somalia

12. Which of the following natural zones is characterized by the largest number of rodents?

1) taiga 2) tundra and forest-tundra 3) steppes 4) semi-deserts and deserts

13.Which of the listed rivers has a large number of rapids?

1) Volga 2) Amazon 3) Congo 4) Mississippi

14. A sign of a marine climate type is:

1) summer is dry and hot 2) winter is wet and warm 3) large amplitude of temperature fluctuations

15. Oak, myrtle, wild olive - representatives of the natural area:

1) equatorial forests2) hard-leaved forests3) tropical deserts 4) deciduous forests

1) Cordillera 2) Andes 3) Himalayas 4) Alps.

17.Which continent is the hottest:

1) Africa 2) Australia 3) South America 4) North America

18. Southernmost point of Africa:

1) Cape Agulhas 2) Cape of Good Hope 3) Cape Almadi 4) Cape Ras Hafun.

19. Climatic zone of Africa with pronounced seasonality: dry winter and wet summer:

1) equatorial 2) subequatorial 3) tropical 4) subtropical.

20.The saltiest sea belongs to the basin:

1) Pacific Ocean 2) Atlantic Ocean 3) Pacific Ocean 4) Arctic Ocean

Part B

1. Distribution of climate zones in Africa in order of decreasing density of the river network:

1) equatorial 2) tropical 3) subequatorial.

2. Match.

Natural zone: Climatic zone:

1. Rainforests a) subtropical

2. Savannah b) tropical

3. Deserts c) subequatorial

d) equatorial.

3. Distribute the southern continents as their area increases:

1) Antarctica 2) Africa 3) South America 4) Australia.

Part C

1. Why is the highest point in Africa - the Kilimanjaro volcano - located within the platform, and not

folded area, like on other continents?

2. Are there glaciers in Africa, and if so, in what part of the continent?

3. Why do platforms usually have plains?

1)geographical location
2) a brief history of the discovery and study of the nature of the ocean
3) Bottom topography and minerals.
4) Climate and water properties (temperature, salinity, etc.)
5) Surface currents in the ocean.
6)Organic world.
7)Zonal natural complexes and non-zonal aquatic complexes.
8) Types of human economic activity in the ocean; the largest ports.
Plzzzzz urgently needed About the Indian Ocean, please help

Magellan discovered the Pacific Ocean in the fall of 1520 and named the ocean the Pacific Ocean, “because,” as one of the participants reports, during the passage from Tierra del Fuego to the Philippine Islands, more than three months, “we never experienced the slightest storm.” In terms of the number (about 10 thousand) and total area of ​​islands (about 3.6 million km²), the Pacific Ocean ranks first among the oceans. In the northern part - Aleutian; in the western - Kuril, Sakhalin, Japanese, Philippine, Greater and Lesser Sunda, New Guinea, New Zealand, Tasmania; in the central and southern regions there are numerous small islands. The bottom topography is varied. In the east - the East Pacific Rise, in the central part there are many basins (North-Eastern, North-Western, Central, Eastern, Southern, etc.), deep-sea trenches: in the north - Aleutian, Kuril-Kamchatka, Izu-Boninsky; in the west - Mariana (with the maximum depth of the World Ocean - 11,022 m), Philippine, etc.; in the east - Central American, Peruvian, etc.

The main surface currents: in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean - warm Kuroshio, North Pacific and Alaskan and cold Californian and Kuril; in the southern part - the warm South Trade Wind and East Australian Wind and the cold Western Wind and Peruvian Wind. The water temperature on the surface at the equator is from 26 to 29 °C, in the polar regions up to −0.5 °C. Salinity 30-36.5 ‰. The Pacific Ocean accounts for about half of the world's fish catch (pollock, herring, salmon, cod, sea bass, etc.). Extraction of crabs, shrimps, oysters.

Important sea and air communications between the countries of the Pacific basin and transit routes between the countries of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans lie across the Pacific Ocean. Major ports: Vladivostok, Nakhodka (Russia), Shanghai (China), Singapore (Singapore), Sydney (Australia), Vancouver (Canada), Los Angeles, Long Beach (USA), Huasco (Chile). The International Date Line runs across the Pacific Ocean along the 180th meridian.

Plant life (except for bacteria and lower fungi) is concentrated in the upper 200th layer, in the so-called euphotic zone. Animals and bacteria inhabit the entire water column and the ocean floor. Life develops most abundantly in the shelf zone and especially near the coast at shallow depths, where the temperate zones of the ocean contain a diverse flora of brown algae and a rich fauna of mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms and other organisms. In tropical latitudes, the shallow water zone is characterized by widespread and strong development of coral reefs, and mangroves near the shore. As we move from cold zones to tropical zones, the number of species increases sharply, and the density of their distribution decreases. About 50 species of coastal algae - macrophytes are known in the Bering Strait, over 200 near the Japanese Islands, over 800 in the waters of the Malay Archipelago. In the Soviet Far Eastern seas there are about 4000 known species of animals, and in the waters of the Malay Archipelago - at least 40-50 thousand . In the cold and temperate zones of the ocean, with a relatively small number of plant and animal species, due to the mass development of some species, the total biomass increases greatly; in the tropical zones, individual forms do not receive such a sharp predominance, although the number of species is very large.

As we move away from the coasts towards the central parts of the ocean and with increasing depth, life becomes less diverse and less abundant. In general, the fauna of T. o. includes about 100 thousand species, but only 4-5% of them are found deeper than 2000 m. At depths of more than 5000 m, about 800 species of animals are known, more than 6000 m - about 500, deeper than 7000 m - slightly more than 200, and deeper than 10 thousand m - only about 20 species.

Among coastal algae - macrophytes - in temperate zones, fucus and kelp are especially notable for their abundance. In tropical latitudes they are replaced by brown algae - sargassum, green algae - caulerpa and halimeda and a number of red algae. The surface zone of the pelagic zone is characterized by the massive development of unicellular algae (phytoplankton), mainly diatoms, peridinians and coccolithophores. In zooplankton, the most important are various crustaceans and their larvae, mainly copepods (at least 1000 species) and euphausids; there is a significant admixture of radiolarians (several hundred species), coelenterates (siphonophores, jellyfish, ctenophores), eggs and larvae of fish and benthic invertebrates. In T. o. It is possible to distinguish, in addition to the littoral and sublittoral zones, a transition zone (up to 500-1000 m), bathyal, abyssal and ultra-abyssal, or a zone of deep-sea trenches (from 6-7 to 11 thousand m).

Planktonic and bottom animals provide abundant food for fish and marine mammals (nekton). The fish fauna is exceptionally rich, including at least 2000 species in tropical latitudes and about 800 in the Soviet Far Eastern seas, where there are, in addition, 35 species of marine mammals. The most commercially important fish are: anchovies, Far Eastern salmon, herring, mackerel, sardine, saury, sea bass, tuna, flounder, cod and pollock; among mammals - sperm whale, several species of minke whales, fur seal, sea otter, walrus, sea lion; from invertebrates - crabs (including Kamchatka crab), shrimp, oysters, scallops, cephalopods and much more; from plants - kelp (sea kale), agarone-anfeltia, sea grass zoster and phyllospadix. Many representatives of the fauna of the Pacific Ocean are endemic (the pelagic cephalopod nautilus, most Pacific salmon, saury, greenling fish, northern fur seal, sea lion, sea otter, and many others).

The large extent of the Pacific Ocean from North to South determines the diversity of its climates - from equatorial to subarctic in the North and Antarctic in the South. Most of the ocean surface, approximately between 40° north latitude and 42° south latitude, is located in the equatorial, tropical and subtropical climate zones. Atmospheric circulation over the Pacific Ocean is determined by the main areas of atmospheric pressure: the Aleutian low, the North Pacific, the South Pacific and the Antarctic highs. These centers of atmospheric action in their interaction determine the great constancy of northeastern winds in the North and southeastern winds of moderate strength in the South - trade winds - in the tropical and subtropical parts of the Pacific Ocean and strong westerly winds in temperate latitudes. Particularly strong winds are observed in the southern temperate latitudes, where the frequency of storms is 25-35%, in the northern temperate latitudes in winter - 30%, in summer - 5%. In the West of the tropical zone, tropical hurricanes - typhoons - are frequent from June to November. The northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean is characterized by monsoon atmospheric circulation. The average air temperature in February decreases from 26-27 °C at the equator to –20 °C in the Bering Strait and –10 °C off the coast of Antarctica. In August, the average temperature varies from 26-28 °C at the equator to 6-8 °C in the Bering Strait and to –25 °C off the coast of Antarctica. Throughout the entire Pacific Ocean, located north of 40° south latitude, there are significant differences in air temperature between the eastern and western parts of the ocean, caused by the corresponding dominance of warm or cold currents and the nature of the winds. In tropical and subtropical latitudes, the air temperature in the East is 4-8 °C lower than in the West. In the northern temperate latitudes, the opposite is true: in the East the temperature is 8-12 °C higher than in the West. The average annual cloudiness in areas of low atmospheric pressure is 60-90%. high pressure - 10-30%. The average annual precipitation at the equator is more than 3000 mm, in temperate latitudes - 1000 mm in the West. and 2000-3000 mm in the East. The least amount of precipitation (100-200 mm) falls on the eastern outskirts of subtropical areas of high atmospheric pressure; in the western parts the amount of precipitation increases to 1500-2000 mm. Fogs are typical for temperate latitudes, they are especially frequent in the Kuril Islands area.

Under the influence of atmospheric circulation developing over the Pacific Ocean, surface currents form anticyclonic gyres in subtropical and tropical latitudes and cyclonic gyres in northern temperate and southern high latitudes. In the northern part of the ocean, the circulation is formed by warm currents: the North Trade Wind - Kuroshio and the North Pacific and cold California Current. In the northern temperate latitudes, the cold Kuril Current dominates in the West, and the warm Alaska Current dominates in the East. In the southern part of the ocean, the anticyclonic circulation is formed by warm currents: the South Trade Wind, East Australian, zonal South Pacific and cold Peruvian. North of the equator, between 2-4° and 8-12° northern latitude, northern and southern circulations are separated throughout the year by the Intertrade Wind (Equatorial) Countercurrent.

The average temperature of the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean (19.37 °C) is 2 °C higher than the temperature of the waters of the Atlantic and Indian oceans, which is the result of the relatively large size of that part of the Pacific Ocean area that is located in well-warmed latitudes (over 20 kcal/cm2 per year ), and limited communication with the Arctic Ocean. The average water temperature in February varies from 26-28 °C at the equator to -0.5, -1 °C north of 58° north latitude, near the Kuril Islands and south of 67° south latitude. In August, the temperature is 25-29 °C at the equator, 5-8 °C in the Bering Strait and -0.5, -1 °C south of 60-62° south latitude. Between 40° south latitude and 40° north latitude, the temperature in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean is 3-5 °C lower than in the western part. North of 40° north latitude, the opposite is true: in the East the temperature is 4-7 °C higher than in the West. South of 40° south latitude, where zonal transport of surface water predominates, there is no difference between water temperatures in the East and West. In the Pacific Ocean there is more precipitation than evaporating water. Taking into account river flow, over 30 thousand km3 of fresh water enters here annually. Therefore, the salinity of surface waters is T. o. lower than in other oceans (average salinity is 34.58‰). The lowest salinity (30.0-31.0‰ and less) is observed in the West and East of the northern temperate latitudes and in the coastal areas of the eastern part of the ocean, the highest (35.5‰ and 36.5‰) - in the northern and southern subtropical latitudes, respectively. latitudes At the equator, water salinity decreases from 34.5‰ or less, in high latitudes - to 32.0‰ or less in the North, to 33.5‰ or less in the South.

The density of water on the surface of the Pacific Ocean increases quite uniformly from the equator to high latitudes in accordance with the general distribution of temperature and salinity: at the equator 1.0215-1.0225 g/cm3, in the North - 1.0265 g/cm3 or more, in the South - 1.0275 g/cm3 and more. The color of the water in subtropical and tropical latitudes is blue, transparency in some places is more than 50 m. In the northern temperate latitudes, the color of the water is dark blue, along the coast it is greenish, transparency is 15-25 m. In Antarctic latitudes the color of the water is greenish, transparency is up to 25 m .

Tides in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean are dominated by irregular semidiurnal (height up to 5.4 m in the Gulf of Alaska) and semidiurnal (up to 12.9 m in Penzhinskaya Bay of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk). The Solomon Islands and part of the coast of New Guinea have daily tides of up to 2.5 m. The strongest wind waves are observed between 40 and 60° south latitude, in latitudes where westerly storm winds dominate (the “roaring forties”), in the Northern Hemisphere - to the north 40° north latitude. The maximum height of wind waves in the Pacific Ocean is 15 m or more, length over 300 m. Tsunami waves are typical, especially often observed in the northern, southwestern and southeastern parts of the Pacific Ocean.

Ice in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean forms in seas with harsh winter climatic conditions (Bering, Okhotsk, Japanese, Yellow) and in bays off the coast of Hokkaido, the Kamchatka and Alaska peninsulas. In winter and spring, ice is carried by the Kuril Current to the extreme northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. Small icebergs are found in the Gulf of Alaska. In the South Pacific, ice and icebergs form off the coast of Antarctica and are carried into the open ocean by currents and winds. The northern border of floating ice in winter runs at 61-64° south latitude, in summer it shifts to 70° south latitude, icebergs at the end of summer are carried to 46-48° south latitude. Icebergs are formed mainly in the Ross Sea.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest body of water in the world, with an area estimated at 178.62 million km2, which is several million square kilometers larger than the Earth's land area and more than twice the area of ​​the Atlantic Ocean. Width Pacific Ocean from Panama to the eastern coast of Mindanao is 17,200 km, and the length from north to south, from the Bering Strait to Antarctica is 15,450 km. It extends from the western coasts of North and South America to the eastern coasts of Asia and Australia. From the north It is almost completely closed by land, connecting with the Arctic Ocean through the narrow Bering Strait (minimum width 86 km). In the south it reaches the shores of Antarctica, and in the east its border with the Atlantic Ocean is located at 67° west. – meridian of Cape Horn; in the west the border of the southern part Pacific Ocean with the Indian Ocean is carried out at 147° E, corresponding to the position of Cape South-East in the south of Tasmania.

Usually divided into two areas -
North and South, bordering on the equator.
Some experts prefer to draw the boundary along the axis of the equatorial countercurrent, i.e. approximately 5°N.
Previously the water area Pacific Ocean most often divided into three parts:
northern, central and southern, the boundaries between which were the Northern and Southern Tropics.

Individual areas of the ocean located between islands or land protrusions have their own names. The largest water areas of the Pacific basin include the Bering Sea in the north; Gulf of Alaska in the northeast; the Gulf of California and Tehuantepec in the east, off the coast of Mexico; the Gulf of Fonseca off the coast of El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua and somewhat to the south - the Gulf of Panama. There are only a few small bays off the west coast of South America, such as Guayaquil off the coast of Ecuador.

Coast Pacific Ocean framed by a ring of dormant or occasionally active volcanoes known as the “Ring of Fire.” Most of the coastline is formed by high mountains.
In the east, steep mountain slopes approach the very shore Pacific Ocean or are separated from it by a narrow strip of coastal plain.

In North America, isolated depressions and passes occur in the coastal mountain ranges, but in South America the majestic chain of the Andes forms an almost continuous barrier along the entire length of the continent.

In the far north and far south Pacific Ocean there are areas that are very similar in structure - the Alexandra Archipelago (southern Alaska) and the Chonos Archipelago (off the coast of southern Chile). Both areas are characterized by numerous islands, large and small, with steep shores, fjords and fjord-like straits that form secluded bays. The rest of the Pacific coast of North and South America, despite its great length, offers only limited opportunities for navigation, since there are very few convenient natural harbors, and the coast is often separated by a mountain barrier from the interior of the mainland. In Central and South America, mountains impede communication between west and east, isolating a narrow strip of the Pacific coast.

West Coast Pacific Ocean significantly different from the eastern one; The coasts of Asia have many bays and bays, in many places forming a continuous chain. There are numerous protrusions of different sizes: from such large peninsulas as Kamchatka, Korean, Liaodong, Shandong, Leizhoubandao, Indochina, to countless capes separating small bays. There are also mountains along the Asian coast, but they are not very high and are usually somewhat distant from the coast. In the west, many large rivers flow into the ocean: Anadyr, Penzhina, Amur, Yalujiang (Amnokkan), Yellow River, Yangtze, Xijiang, Yuanjiang (Hongha - Red), Mekong, Chao Phraya (Menam).

Currents, tides, tsunamis

To the main currents in the northern part Pacific Ocean include the warm Kuroshio Current, or Japanese Current, turning into the North Pacific, cold California Current; Northern Trade Wind (Equatorial) Current and cold Kamchatka (Kuril) Current. In the southern part of the ocean there are warm currents: the East Australian and South Passat (Equatorial); cold currents of the Western Winds and the Peruvian. In the Northern Hemisphere, these main current systems move clockwise, and in the Southern Hemisphere, counterclockwise.
Tides in general for Pacific Ocean not tall; the exception is Cook Inlet in Alaska, which is famous for its exceptionally large rise in water during high tides and is second in this regard only to the Bay of Fundy in the northwest Atlantic Ocean.
When earthquakes or large landslides occur on the seabed, waves are created - tsunami. These waves travel enormous distances, sometimes more than 16 thousand km. In the open ocean they are small in height and long in extent, but when approaching land, especially in narrow and shallow bays, their height can increase to 50 m.

Accounts for about half of the world's fish catch (pollock, herring, salmon, cod, sea bass, etc.). Extraction of crabs, shrimps, oysters.

Through There are important sea and air communications between the countries of the Pacific basin and transit routes between the countries of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Major ports: Vladivostok, Nakhodka (Russia), Shanghai (China), Singapore (Singapore), Sydney (Australia), Vancouver (Canada), Los Angeles, Long Beach (USA), Huasco (Chile).
Through The International Date Line runs along the 180th meridian.

Story
Sailing in Pacific Ocean began long before the beginning of recorded human history. However, there is information that the first European to see , there was a Portuguese Vasco Balboa; in 1513 the ocean opened before him from the Darien Mountains in Panama. In the history of research Pacific Ocean There are such famous names as Ferdinand Magellan, Abel Tasman, Francis Drake, Charles Darwin, Vitus Bering, James Cook and George Vancouver. Later, scientific expeditions on the British ship Challenger (1872–1876), and then on the ships Tuscarora, Planet and Discovery, played a major role.
pacific ocean map