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In the early [[16th century]], Spanish explorer [[Vasco Núñez de Balboa]] crossed the [[Isthmus of Panama]] in 1513 and sighted the great "Southern Sea" which he named {{lang|es|Mar del Sur}} (in Spanish). Afterwards, the ocean's current name was coined by Portuguese explorer [[Ferdinand Magellan]] during the Spanish [[circumnavigation]] of the world in 1521, as he encountered favorable winds on reaching the ocean. He called it {{lang|pt|Mar Pacífico}}, which in Portuguese means 'peaceful sea'.<ref>{{Catholic Encyclopedia |wstitle=Ferdinand Magellan |inline=1 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Evan Andrews |title=10 Surprising Facts About Magellan's Circumnavigation of the Globe |url=https://www.history.com/news/10-surprising-facts-about-magellans-circumnavigation-of-the-globe |date=17 October 2023 |website=history.com |publisher=[[A&E Networks]] |access-date=27 September 2024}}</ref>
==
[[File:Pacific Ocean as viewed from GOES-18 on September 23, 2023.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|The Pacific Ocean, photograph taken from space by the [[GOES-18]] spacecraft in September 2023]]
Top large seas:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-marginal-seas-of-the-pacific-ocean.html|title=The Marginal Seas Of The Pacific Ocean| date=23 November 2018 |publisher=World Atlas|accessdate=April 8, 2022}}</ref>
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* [[Salish Sea]] – 18,000 km<sup>2</sup>
* [[Seram Sea]] – 12,000 km<sup>2</sup>
* [[Shelikhov Gulf]] - 1,583,000
* [[
* [[Manila Bay]] - 1,994 km<sup>2</sup>
* [[Tayabas Bay]] - 2,500 km<sup>2</sup>
* [[Visayan Sea]] - 10,000 km<sup>2</sup>
{{div col end}}
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In 2021, the [[Discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant|discharge of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant]] into the Pacific Ocean over a course of 30 years was approved by the Japanese Cabinet. The Cabinet concluded the radioactive water would have been diluted to drinkable standard.<ref name="BBC 20210413">{{cite news|title=Fukushima: Japan approves releasing wastewater into ocean|newspaper=[[BBC]]|date=2021-04-13|last=|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56728068}}</ref> Apart from dumping, [[Leakage of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant|leakage of tritium into the Pacific]] was estimated to be between 20 and 40 trillion [[becquerel|Bq]]s from 2011 to 2013, according to the Fukushima plant.<ref name="Scientific American 20130813">{{cite news|title=Radioactive Water Leaks from Fukushima: What We Know|newspaper=[[Scientific American]]|date=2013-08-13|last=Hsu|first=Jeremy|url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/radioactive-water-leaks-from-fukushima/}}</ref>
===Deep
An emerging threat for the Pacific Ocean is the development of [[deep-sea mining]].
Deep-sea mining is aimed at extracting [[manganese nodules]] that contain minerals such as magnesium, nickel, copper, zinc and cobalt. The largest deposits of these are found in the Pacific Ocean between Mexico and Hawaii in the [[Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone]].<ref>[https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2017/12/the-clarion-clipperton-zone 'PEW - The Clarion-Clipperton Zone - Valuable minerals and many unusual species can be found on the eastern Pacific Ocean seafloor']</ref>
Deep-sea mining for manganese nodules appears to have drastic consequences for the ocean. It disrupts deep-sea ecosystems and may cause irreversible damage to fragile marine habitats.<ref name="Halfar2007">{{cite journal |archive-date=2021-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210621020717/https://science.sciencemag.org/content/316/5827/987.full |author=Jochen Halfar, Rodney M. Fujita |date=2007 |doi=10.1126/science.1138289 |issue=5827 |journal=Science |pages=987 |title=Danger of Deep-Sea Mining |url=https://science.sciencemag.org/content/316/5827/987.full |volume=316}}<!-- auto-translated from Dutch by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> Sediment stirring and chemical pollution threaten various marine animals. In addition, the mining process can lead to greenhouse gas emissions and promote further climate change. Preventing deep-sea mining is therefore important to ensure the long-term health of the ocean.<ref>{{
== Major ports and harbors ==
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