Who made the first crewed dive to the Challenger Deep in 1960?

Jacques Cousteau and Émile Gagnan

James Cameron and Victor Vescovo

Oceans and Seas Quiz: Places, People and Key Facts

This oceans and seas quiz dives from the Pacific and the Mariana Trench to the Dead Sea, the Sargasso Sea and the explorers who mapped the waves. Ten questions on places, people and key facts.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Size
What is the largest ocean?
Depth
The deepest known point in the ocean is in which trench?
People
Who made the first crewed dive to the Challenger Deep in 1960?
Oceans
Which ocean was officially recognized by National Geographic in 2021?
Seas
Which sea has no coastline?
Salt
Which body of water is so salty that people float easily?
Size
What is the smallest of the five oceans?
People
Which explorer led the first expedition to sail around the world, completed in 1522?
Seas
Which sea lies between Europe and Africa?
Coverage
Roughly what share of Earth's surface is covered by oceans?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What is the largest ocean?
Answer: Pacific Ocean
The Pacific covers about a third of Earth's surface, more than all the land combined.
Q2: The deepest known point in the ocean is in which trench?
Answer: Mariana Trench
The Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is nearly 11,000 meters deep.
Q3: Who made the first crewed dive to the Challenger Deep in 1960?
Answer: Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh
Piccard and Walsh reached the bottom in the bathyscaphe Trieste. James Cameron made the first solo dive in 2012.
Q4: Which ocean was officially recognized by National Geographic in 2021?
Answer: Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica and is defined by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
Q5: Which sea has no coastline?
Answer: Sargasso Sea
The Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic is bounded by ocean currents, not land. It is famous for floating sargassum seaweed.
Q6: Which body of water is so salty that people float easily?
Answer: The Dead Sea
The Dead Sea's water is about 34 percent salt. Its shore is the lowest land on Earth, more than 430 meters below sea level.
Q7: What is the smallest of the five oceans?
Answer: Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean is also the shallowest ocean. Much of it is covered by sea ice for most of the year.
Q8: Which explorer led the first expedition to sail around the world, completed in 1522?
Answer: Ferdinand Magellan
Magellan died in the Philippines in 1521. Juan Sebastián Elcano completed the voyage in 1522 with one surviving ship.
Q9: Which sea lies between Europe and Africa?
Answer: Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean connects to the Atlantic through the Strait of Gibraltar, only about 14 kilometers wide.
Q10: Roughly what share of Earth's surface is covered by oceans?
Answer: About 71 percent
Oceans hold about 97 percent of Earth's water and produce a large share of the oxygen we breathe.

Oceans And Seas Quiz – One Connected World Ocean

Earth's oceans are all connected, so oceanographers often speak of one global ocean divided into five basins: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic. Seas are smaller areas, usually partly enclosed by land, such as the Mediterranean or the Caribbean.

Most of the ocean remains unexplored. Scientists have mapped the seafloor in high detail for only about a quarter of its area. Deep-sea expeditions keep finding new species around hydrothermal vents, seamounts and trenches.

What This Quiz Teaches

Students and ocean lovers can use this quiz to learn the basics of the world ocean and its seas.

Which ocean is largest and smallest
Where the deepest point is
Who first reached the Challenger Deep
Why the Sargasso Sea has no coast
Why people float in the Dead Sea

Did You Know?

The Atlantic Ocean is widening by a few centimeters each year.
The Pacific's name comes from Magellan, who found it peaceful.
The Red Sea is one of the saltiest seas connected to the ocean.
Sound travels about four times faster in seawater than in air.
The Caspian Sea is actually the world's largest lake.