Wildest Places: Pacific

The Pacific Ocean’s deep sea terrain is as varied as the land mirrored above. From hulking sea mounts to a monumental network of a barrier reefs so long it can be seen from space, the complex ecosystems of reefs are the lifeblood of the Pacific Ocean.

Of the Pacific’s 25,000 islands, roughly two-thirds are in the Coral Triangle. The Triangle is a small western Pacific pocket from Indonesia, north of the Philippines and across to the Solomon Islands.

The Great Barrier Reef, running along the coastline of northeastern Australia, is so big it can be seen from space. A chain of 3,000 individual reefs and some 900 islands, this system is bigger than the United Kingdom, Holland, and Switzerland combined.

The Pacific Ocean spans 9,500 miles of latitude across vastly varying temperatures and topography. With such far-reaching boundaries, it’s little wonder that the 25,000 islands within the Pacific Ocean are so vastly different.