7 ocean vs land scale facts
Part of:
Convex Seascape SurveyLearn more about how big the ocean is compared to land.
NASA
The ocean covers 71% of the planet's surface.
It may be more appropriate to call Planet Earth, Planet Ocean. The total area of the ocean is 361 million sq km, with the total area of land at 149 million sq km.
Wikipedia / Carsten nebel
The deepest ocean trench is deeper than the highest mountain is high.
The deepest point in the ocean is the Challenger Deep in the Marianas Trench at 10,994 m. The highest point on land is Mount Everest at 8,848 m. So, if you 'placed' Mt Everest at the bottom of the Challenger Deep, its summit would still be over a mile below the surface.
NASA
The largest ocean is bigger than all the land on the planet.
The largest ocean is the Pacific Ocean and covers 165 million sq km of the planet's surface. All the land on the planet covers 149 million sq km.
NASA
The largest country is larger than the smallest ocean.
The smallest ocean is the Arctic Ocean with an area of 14.1 million sq km. The largest country is Russia at 17.1 million sq km. However, the next two countries are smaller than the Arctic Ocean, with Canada at 10.0 million sq km, and China with an area of 9.7 million sq km.
Wikipedia / Davide Restivo
Over 96% of the water on the planet is in the ocean.
Over 96% of water on the planet is in the ocean. About 2% water is ice, found in the polar regions and in glaciers. The remaining 1% is freshwater found in lakes, rivers, and underground.
Wikipedia / sgbirch
The longest mountain chain on the planet is in the ocean.
The longest mountain chain on the planet is the mid-ocean ridge, stretching an incredible 65,000 km along the ocean floor across all five of the world’s oceans. The longest mountain chain on land is the Andes at 6,920 km long.
NOAA
The ocean is on average deeper than the land is higher.
The average height of land above sea level is 840 m (2,756 ft). The average depth of the ocean is 3,795 m (12,451 ft).