The Pacific Ocean gained its name from the Latin word pacifico, which means ‘peaceful’. The North Pacific is the expanse of ocean that stretches from Japan and Russia in the west, to the western coast of North America in the east and to the equator in the south. Many smaller water bodies border the North Pacific Ocean, such as the Gulf of Alaska, the Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. It is a particularly vast expanse of water featuring multiple trenches, including the Mariana Trench which is the deepest point in any ocean on Earth at 10,971 metres in depth.
The islands of the North Pacific have formed as a result of various geological processes, with some created due to shifting tectonic plates that have broken land masses away from the mainland, others from the build up of volcanic matter, and others from the accumulation of dead coral material.
The North Pacific is home to a multitude of bird, mammal, fish, coral, invertebrate and plant species, many of which are endemic to the area. Although there is currently a high level of biodiversity in the area, there are various ecological threats facing the flora and fauna, and many species may become extinct in the near future.