Pacific Ocean is the largest body of water in the world. The ocean covers about 66 million square miles (171 million square kilometers). That area represents over 45 percent of the total area of all the oceans and about one-third of Earth's total surface area. Thousands of islands lie in the Pacific Ocean. They range from island nations, such as Japan and New Zealand, to the hundreds of small, scattered islands in the central and southern Pacific. The Pacific Ocean is a source of many natural resources, including seafood, petroleum, and minerals.