Pacific > Atlantic > Indian > Southern > Arctic
Explanation
The global ocean is divided into five major basins. The classification and ranking of these oceans are based on their total surface area.- Pacific Ocean: It is the largest ocean, covering approximately 168 million square kilometers, which is larger than all of Earth's land area combined.
- Atlantic Ocean: It is the second-largest ocean, covering about 85 million square kilometers.
- Indian Ocean: It is the third-largest ocean, covering approximately 70 million square kilometers.
- Southern Ocean: Also known as the Antarctic Ocean, it is the fourth-largest, comprising the waters south of 60°S latitude (approx. 21 million square kilometers).
- Arctic Ocean: It is the smallest and shallowest of the five major oceans, covering about 15 million square kilometers.
Key Takeaway: The correct descending order of oceans by size is Pacific > Atlantic > Indian > Southern > Arctic. The mnemonic "PAISA" is often used to remember this sequence.