How did the four oceans get their names?
2 of the oceans, Indian and Arctic, are named simply based on geography. India sticks out into the Indian Ocean, and India was where the first European explorers to sail the Indian Ocean were looking for. The Artic Ocean sits on top of the Earth in the Arctic region. As for the Pacific, it was named “Mare Pacificum” (Peaceful Sea) by Ferdinand Magellan for it’s calm appearance relative to the Straits of Magellan by Tierra del Fuego, which he had just come through. The Atlantic’s name refers to the Atlas of Greek mythology, making the Atlantic the “Sea of Atlas”. The oldest known mention of this name is contained in The Histories of Herodotus around 450 BC.
