Time to refresh your geography: Earth actually has five oceans, not four, as many of us were taught. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

In 2021, National Geographic officially recognized the Southern Ocean as the world’s fifth ocean. This decision ended decades of debate over the waters encircling Antarctica and, quite literally, put the Southern Ocean on the map.

Traditionally, only four oceans were recognized: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic—each defined by the continents that border them. The Southern Ocean, however, is unique: it is defined not by land, but by the powerful current that flows around Antarctica.

Historically, only four oceans were officially recognized – the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, an

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