Arctic Ocean

The smallest and shallowest ocean, blanketed in sea ice/Oceans & Seas

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceans, covering about 14.06 million square kilometers around the North Pole. Its average depth is 1,205 m, with a maximum depth of 5,550 m in the Molloy Deep (Fram Strait). Much of the ocean is covered by sea ice year-round, though the extent has been declining dramatically due to climate change. Five countries (Russia, Canada, Norway, Denmark/Greenland, and the US) border the Arctic Ocean, and it contains the geographic North Pole.