Here are 10 amazing facts about the ocean.
1.
It is said that there are approximately 20 million tons of gold lying dormant
in the world's oceans .
2. The Great Barrier Reef, the largest biological structure on Earth, stretches 1,243 miles (2,000.42 km) and can be seen from the Moon.
3. Over the past 10 years, an average of 600,000 barrels (95,392.38 kl) of crude oil have spilled from ships annually due to accidents.
4. More than 3.5 billion people depend on the ocean as their primary food source.
5.
Hundreds of millions of sharks are killed annually
for the meat and fins used in shark fin soup
. Hunters typically capture sharks, remove their fins while they are still alive, and throw them into the sea to drown or die from excessive bleeding.
6. The Arctic Ocean is almost entirely covered in sea ice during winter. Icebreakers are mainly used during the summer.
7. Mount Everest (highest point on Earth's surface: 5.49 miles) is more than 1 mile (1.609 km) shorter than the Challenger Trench (deepest point of the ocean: 6.86 miles).
The Mariana Trench is the deepest point in the world's oceans. The trench is approximately 2,550 km long. At its southern end lies the Challenger Trench, a small, groove-like valley on the ocean floor, which reaches a maximum depth of 10,911 km.
8. The longest continuous mountain range on Earth is located underwater and stretches for over 40,000 miles (64,373.76 km).
9. The average temperature in the ocean is 2ºC (approximately 39ºF).
10. More than 90% of international trade is conducted by ship, and about half of international communication is conducted via submarine cables.
