How many oceans are there?

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The boundaries between these regions have evolved over time for a variety of historical, cultural, geographical, and scientific reasons."> <meta name="DC.creator" content="US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration"> <meta name="DC.date.created" scheme="ISO8601" content="2013-06-01"> <meta name="DC.language" scheme="DCTERMS.RFC1766" content="EN-US"> <meta property="og:description" content="While there is only one global ocean, the vast body of water that covers 71 percent of the Earth is geographically divided into distinct named regions. The boundaries between these regions have evolved over time for a variety of historical, cultural, geographical, and scientific reasons. 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(derived from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea#mediaviewer/File:World_ocean_map.gif)" title="There is only one global ocean" /> <div class="pad15"></div> </figure>  <div class="pad30"></div>   <p>While there is only one global ocean, the vast body of water that covers 71 percent of the Earth is geographically divided into distinct named regions. The boundaries between these regions have evolved over time for a variety of historical, cultural, geographical, and scientific reasons. </p> <p>Historically, there are four named oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic. However, most countries - including the United States - now recognize the Southern (Antarctic) as the fifth ocean. The Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian are the most commonly known. </p> <p>The Southern Ocean is the 'newest' named ocean. It is recognized by the<a href="http://geonames.usgs.gov"> U.S. Board on Geographic Names</a> as the body of water extending from the coast of Antarctica to the line of latitude at 60 degrees South. The boundaries of this ocean were proposed to<strong> </strong>the <a href="http://www.iho.int">International Hydrographic Organization</a> in 2000. However, not all countries agree on the proposed boundaries, so this has yet to be ratified by members of the IHO. The U.S. is a member of the IHO, represented by the NOS <a href="https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/" >Office of Coast Survey.</a></p>  </div> <div class="span1"></div>  <div class="span3">  <h6 class="title-divider span3"><strong>Search</strong> Our Facts<span></span></h6> <div class="input-append"> <form accept-charset="UTF-8" action="https://search.noaa.gov/search" id="search_form" style="width: 90%;"method="get">  <input type="hidden" name="dc" value="1212"> <input name="utf8" type="hidden" value="✓" /> <input id="affiliate" name="affiliate" type="hidden" value="oceanservice.noaa.gov" /> <input autocomplete="on" class="usagov-search-autocomplete" id="query" name="query" type="text" placeholder="search" style="width: 90%;"/> <span class="add-on"> <input name="commit" class="icon-search" type="submit" value="" /></span> </form> </div>  <div class="pad15"></div> <h6 class="title-divider span3">Get <strong>Social</strong> <span></span></h6> <p> <a href="https://instagram.com/noaaocean" class="zocial icon instagram" alt="Instagram logo" aria-label="Instagram logo"></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/noaaocean" class="zocial icon twitter" alt="Twitter logo" aria-label="Twitter logo"></a> <a href="https://facebook.com/usoceangov" class="zocial icon facebook" alt="Facebook logo" aria-label="Facebook logo"></a> <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/rss.html" class="zocial icon rss" alt="RSS icon" aria-label="RSS icon"></a>  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/usoceangov" class="zocial icon youtube" alt="youtube logo" aria-label="youtube" ></a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/noaa-national-ocean-service" class="zocial icon linkedin" alt="LinkedIn logo" aria-label="LinkedIn" ></a> </p> <div class="pad15"></div> <h6 class="title-divider span3">More <strong>Information</strong><span></span></h6> <div class="clear"></div> <ul class="sidebarLinks "> <li><a href="https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/" title="Office of Coast Survey">Office of Coast Survey</a></li> <li><a href="http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/foundations/nautical_charts/welcome.html" title="A history of charting America's waters" >A History of Charting America's Waters</a></li> </ul> <div class="pad15"></div>   <div class="pad15"></div> <br> <p><strong>Last updated:</strong> 06/16/24<br> <strong>Author:</strong> NOAA<br> <a href="/about/faq.html">How to cite this article</a></p> <div class="pad15"></div> <p><a href="/contact.html">Contact Us</a></p></div> <div class="pad45"></div> </div> </div> </div>    <footer role="contentinfo"> <a href="#" id="scroll-to-top"><img src="/bs4/img/Scroll-To-Top_Icon@2x.png" alt="scroll to top arrow icon" role="button" data-toggle="tooltip" data-placement="left"></a> <div id="footer-top"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="pad45"></div> <div class="span12 text-center"> <ul class="btn-link text-center">  <li> <a href="/contact.html"><button type="button" class="btn btn-large btn-primary-alt">Contact Us</button></a> </li> <li> <a href="/contact.html#feedback"><button type="button" class="btn btn-large btn-primary-alt">Report an error</button></a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="footer-main"> <div class="pad25"></div> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="span3 text-center"> <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/"><img src="/bootstrap/img/noaa_logo_circle_72x72.svg" alt="NOAA Logo" /></a> <h5 class="text-center"> <a href="https://www.noaa.gov/">Science. 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How many oceans are there?