The word ‘Ocean’ comes from the Greek God ‘Oceanus’; the elder of the Titans. The Ancient Greeks and Romans believed him to be the divine personification of the sea, which they believed to be an enormous river encircling the world.
In reality, on Earth, the World Ocean is divided into seven clearly distinguished Oceans. These are, in descending order by area, the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern (Antarctic), and Arctic Oceans. Technically speaking, an Ocean is a body of saline water that makes up the planet’s hydrosphere, not to be confused with a ‘Sea’ which is usually partly or fully surrounded by land.
The Earth’s Oceans cover around 71% of the earth’s surface and 90% of the Earth’s biosphere and are integral to all forms of life on Earth, be it plant or animal based. They give homes to over 230,000 known species and many more unknown. In fact, there is thought to be as many as 2 million species living in them, as so much of the Ocean is still left unexplored.
It still remains a mystery how our Oceans came to be, but they may well have been the catalyst to the beginnings of life on Earth and they certainly continue to have a huge affect on us today, influencing weather patterns and climate.
Given these huge mind blowing facts, it’s no wonder that our Oceans have long been a source of wonder and interest to so many. We certainly find them fascinating which is why we have created our Scratch Map Oceans for those just as interested in the topography of the waters as the land surrounded by them.
Our Scratch Map Oceans is a wonderful way to discover and study the world’s oceans for yourself. An ocean map like no other, it is printed on clear acetate and features 15 co-ordinates for you to tick off as you’ve passed through them. This map of oceans also features in depth detail of the world’s oceanography such as key ocean facts and nautical flags to represent the alphabet. A stunning scratch map to personalize and keep.