Just as interconnected landmasses have been divided into distinct nations that have changed throughout history, the world ocean has been divided into multiple oceans for various geographical, practical, and scientific reasons.

With the exception of Earth, the planets are named after Roman gods and goddesses

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are named after the messenger of the gods, the goddess of love, the god of war, the king of gods, the god of agriculture, the god of the sky, and the god of the sea, respectively. "Earth" comes from Old English and Germanic words meaning "ground."

How did Polynesian wayfinders navigate the Pacific Ocean?

Ancient Polynesian navigators used the sun, moon, stars, clouds, currents, and more to sail the seas. People of Southeast Asia began their voyages to the region now known as Polynesia in roughly 1500 BCE. They would settle a vast area of 15 million square miles, including hundreds of islands, moving from islands due to overpopulation or war. Such voyages dwindled in 1300 CE as societies became more rooted.

Mapping the route options between the Pacific and Atlantic

This map shows some of the alternative trade route options that are available to shipping companies, from overland routes that rely on railways to transport goods coast-to-coast, to Arctic Ocean passages.

The scientific name for northern lights came from two Greco-Roman gods

Although cave paintings may have depicted them millennia earlier, one of the oldest known references to auroras is a Babylonian cuneiform tablet from about 600 BCE. In 1619, Galileo Galilei named the phenomenon in the northern hemisphere "aurora borealis" after the Roman goddess of dawn—Aurora—and the Greek god of the north wind—Boreas.

Tropical cyclones are called hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones around the world

Tropical cyclones are named differently based on their region of origin due to historical traditions and cultural importance. These storms are called hurricanes in the Atlantic and northeast Pacific oceans, cyclones in the southwest Pacific and Indian oceans, and typhoons in the northwest Pacific Ocean.

American oceanographic cartographer Marie Tharp's discovery of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which supported the idea that continents move over time, was initially dismissed as 'girl talk.'

Although an estimated 99.999% of the deep ocean has not been explored, techniques such as sonar have been used to identify the deepest known point in each of Earth's five oceans.

Who was Ferdinand Magellan, and what did he do?

Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan left Spain on a trip to gather spices and circumnavigate the globe with five ships, more than 250 men, outdated maps, and a profound misunderstanding of the Pacific Ocean's width. Hear from a historian on...

A simple pictorial explanation of ocean geography

Visualizing ocean geographical features, such as a coastal zone, continental shelf and abyssal plain. This article from the US Geological Survey also provides several links to diverse ocean facts.

What's the difference between an ocean, sea, and saltwater lake?

What are the seven seas, the five oceans, and why isn't the Dead Sea considered a sea? This overview provides definitions for each.

How the months of the year got named

Curious about how the months got their names? This article from The Old Farmer's Almanac explores the origins of today’s Gregorian calendar. Based on the ancient Roman lunar calendar, the months were named after Roman gods until winter when the names changed to numerical titles. Read along to learn the significance and intentions behind labeling each lunar cycle.

Explore how 10,000 different American cities got their name.

While viral videos have claimed to show boundaries where oceans do not mix, Earth's oceans do mix, though differences in salinity, temperature, and density can cause this process to occur very slowly.

The names of the 12 months are (mostly) derived from the Romans

January is named after two-faced Janus, February stems from a festival known as Februa, March comes from the god of war, Mars, and so on. Learn the origins and see ancient statues or art for the inspiration for each name of the month.

The US Board on Geographic Names is responsible for ensuring uniform usage of geographic names within the government.

The missing continent that took 375 years to find

It took scientists 375 years to discover the eighth continent of the world, which had been hiding in plain sight all along. But mysteries still remain.

Every tropical storm is named from one of six predetermined lists maintained by the World Meteorological Organization.

El Niño, Spanish for 'the boy,' was named after Jesus Christ because the phenomenon resembled the weather changes observed around Christmastime.

Research suggests that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current—Earth's most powerful ocean current, which carries over 100 times the combined water of all of Earth's rivers—formed about 34 million years ago.

Extending from Antarctica to 60 degrees south latitude, the Southern Ocean features the Antarctic Circumpolar Current—the largest ocean current on Earth—which encircles Antarctica and creates a unique biogeographical zone.

Elephant bones likely inspired the cyclops character that appears in 'The Odyssey.'

View a map of the distribution of mineral resources on the seafloor

Polymetallic nodules are found in regions near the middle of the Pacific Ocean, along the eastern coast of South America, and along the western coast of Africa, while cobalt-rich crusts span significant portions of the Pacific tropics east of the Philippines. Polymetallic sulfide deposits occur at tectonic plate boundaries, including areas within national jurisdictions.

Explore a detailed map of Odysseus' fictional journey from 'The Odyssey.'

Mapping the shifts in ancient Greek territories

The jagged coastlines and many islands of the eastern Mediterranean peninsulas cultivated a seafaring civilization, which helped the Greeks colonize and trade in the Middle East, North Africa, and the rest of Europe. See the evolution of their territory with this quick animated map video.

Around 380 underwater cables power the Internet across the world.

On July 29, 1858, two steam-powered battleships met in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There, they connected two ends of a 4,000 kilometer (2,500 mile) long, 1.5 centimeter (0.6 inch) wide cable, linking for the first time the European and North American continents by telegraph.

Dinosaur names have shifted from ancient languages to pop culture references

Early dinosaur names used Greek and Latin roots, often just attaching “-saurus” (lizard) to another word describing a notable trait. Over time, this convention has evolved to incorporate the names of where the discovery was made, local languages, and even celebrities.

The Greeks named their dogs with short names similar to modern ones.

The top several meters of the world's oceans can hold as much thermal energy as the entire atmosphere, and their average surface temperature has increased by 0.9 degrees Celsius (1.62 degrees Fahrenheit) since the pre-industrial era.

The century of the Panama Canal

The Panama Canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through a 51-mile route that transformed global shipping when it opened in 1914. This breakdown covers how it was built, the workers behind its construction, and why its future may be challenged by climate and competition.

The theory of plate tectonics first emerged from the theory of continental drift

German meteorologist Alfred Wegener proposed that the continents were all one giant landmass in the past, which he named Pangaea. Despite geological and climate evidence suggesting continental movement, his theory was dismissed until the 1960s.

Jefferson’s Lewis and Clark expedition joined the centuries-long hunt for Northwest Passage

For centuries, leaders pursued a direct seafaring trade route from Europe to Asia. Jefferson joined this quest by sending Lewis and Clark west, though they confirmed no such practical interior route existed across the continent.

Surface ocean currents are primarily driven by wind, tides, and Earth's rotation, while deep-ocean currents are driven by differences in temperature and salt concentration that create vertical circulation.