The longest transoceanic routes lie in the Pacific Ocean: the central route Singapore-Panama has a length of 10.8 thousand miles, and crossings of 6-7 thousand miles without calling at intermediate ports are considered common in the Pacific Ocean. In the vast areas of the Pacific Ocean, hydrometeorological conditions are more complex than in other oceans.

From the point of view of the intensity of world shipping, three main directions can be distinguished: American-Asian, American-Australian and Asian-Australian.

The US-Asian direction is the main one and, in turn, includes the three most used routes. The route of the first, busiest shipping route runs from the ports of North America (Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles) to the Western Pacific Ocean and back from the ports of Japan, China, the Philippines (Yokohama, Shanghai, Manila) to the USA and Canada. It takes place in severe hydrometeorological conditions of a stormy seasonal region. Without calling at intermediate ports, its length is more than 4.5 thousand miles. This is the main route for deliveries to Japan and other countries of various ores, coal, grain cargoes from the USA, and from Canada coal, grain, timber and lumber, other cargoes and various semi-finished products.

The second route runs from the Panama Canal and the ports of the western coast of South America (through the Hawaiian Islands) to the ports of the Philippines, Malaysia, China, Taiwan and Japan. The central route runs from the Panama Canal to Singapore. This path passes through an area of ​​rare storms in the equatorial region.

The third, rather rarely used, route is laid from Cape Horn to the ports of Asian countries. In the southern part, its path lies in a stormy area (seasonal) with difficult hydrometeorological conditions.

The American-Australian direction connects the main ports of Australia (Sydney, Melbourne) and New Zealand (Wellington, Auckland) with various ports of the American continent along three main shipping routes: Sydney - Hawaiian Islands - ports of North America; Sydney - Panama Canal and Sydney - ports of South America (Valparaiso, Callao). Ships going to South America during a dangerous period plot a course for ports of destination within the boundaries of a seasonal region of rare storms; in the period of favorable weather conditions - bypassing the New Zealand Islands from the south and using the fair current of the westerly winds. Wool, lead, zinc and other raw materials are delivered to American ports on regular lines, and in the opposite direction, to Australia - machinery and equipment, machine tools, instruments, and various equipment.

The Asian-Australian, unlike the previous ones, has a general North-South direction and connects Australian and New Zealand ports with Japanese ones. Intensive shipping on this ocean route in the second half of the 20th century is associated with the growth of the economic and technical potential of Japan and a number of countries in Southeast Asia, the development of shipbuilding and the growth of world trade. Shipping companies in Japan and other Southeast Asian countries have organized regular cargo lines on this route for the transportation of iron ore, coal, wool and other raw materials, grain and food products from Australia to the ports of Southeast Asia and Japan.

Ocean paths run along the coast of South America, | | connecting the ports of South American countries with the Pacific and Atlantic (through the Panama Canal) US ports. The main raw material flows (iron ore and non-ferrous metal ores, saltpeter, sulfur and other minerals) are directed from the ports of the west coast of South America to the ports of the east coast of the United States, where the main US industrial base is located, through the Panama Canal.

Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Vancouver

It is rather difficult to determine which port is the largest port in the Pacific Ocean today. The problem is that there are several criteria against which to evaluate.

However, the largest of the existing ones can be called such Pacific ports as Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Vancouver. For example, Shanghai, since 2010, has been considered the world's largest port in terms of cargo turnover. The port is located near the metropolis of the same name and occupies an advantageous position, as it has open access to the sea. Thanks to the port, China communicates with 200 countries. About 99% of the country's entire foreign trade turnover is carried out through these gates. The port operates around the clock, regardless of holidays and weekends. Oil, coal, metal ore, building materials are transported through Shanghai.

Another major Pacific port is Singapore. Since 1997, the port has been considered the largest in the world in terms of tonnage of ships. Previously, this port was the largest in terms of cargo turnover, until it lost 1st place to Shanghai. Singapore is able to receive 150 ships daily and serves up to 250 lines. The berthing front of the naval base stretched for more than 3 kilometers. The total value of sea transportation of the port is 112 million tons.

Sydney vs Vancouver

Sydney is inferior to its competitors in cargo turnover, its throughput is approximately 1.8 million tons. However, this port has a mooring front about 0.6 km long. 100 berths with a depth of 3.5 meters are capable of receiving aircraft carrier-class vessels. Today, wool, coal, dairy products, grains, fruits, hides, cocoa, oil, and industrial equipment are transported through Sydney.

Vancouver is the largest port in Canada, located in the northeastern part of the Strait of Georgia. The harbor is perfectly protected from the wind and does not freeze in winter. The total length of the Vancouver berths is about 16 kilometers. The total turnover of cargo transportation is 45 million tons. Timber, grain, non-ferrous metals, paper, fish, plywood, cellulose pass through Vancouver.

Russian ports

Since Russia also has access to the Pacific Ocean, it is not surprising that there are also quite large Russian ports. One of them is Vladivostok, located in the south of the Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula. The advantage of the port is that it is quite accessible to any class of ships that exists today. True, in the period from November to March, navigation in this area is carried out with the help of icebreakers. Up to 7 million tons of cargo passes through the port annually. Railway lines pass through the territory of the port, with a total length of 21 kilometers. The length of the berths is 3.1 kilometers. The port specializes in coastal transportation to Russian ports located in the Pacific Ocean and in the east of the Arctic.

Nakhodka is a Russian seaport of federal importance. It is located in the northwestern part of the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan. It includes oil and universal sea terminals. The port's cargo turnover reaches 15 million tons. Basically, oil, metal, coal, refrigerated cargo, containers are transported through Nakhodka.

Of course, Vladivostok and Nakhodka do not compete with foreign ports located on the Pacific Ocean, such as Shanghai, Vancouver or Singapore. However, these are one of the largest ports in Russia.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest body of water in the world, with an estimated area of ​​178.62 million km2, which is several million square kilometers larger than the land area of ​​the earth and more than twice the area of ​​the Atlantic Ocean. Width Pacific Ocean from Panama to the east coast of Mindanao is 17,200 km, and the length from north to south, from the Bering Strait to Antarctica is 15,450 km. It extends from the western coasts of North and South America to the eastern coasts of Asia and Australia. From North almost completely closed by land, connecting with the Arctic Ocean by the narrow Bering Strait (minimum width 86 km). In the south, it reaches the coast of Antarctica, and in the east, its border with the Atlantic Ocean is drawn along 67 ° W. - meridian of Cape Horn; in the west border of the southern part Pacific Ocean with the Indian Ocean is drawn along 147 ° E, corresponding to the position of Southeast Cape in southern Tasmania.

Usually divided into two areas -
North and South, bordering on the equator.
Some specialists prefer to draw the boundary along the axis of the equatorial countercurrent, i.e. approximately 5°N
Formerly water area Pacific Ocean often divided into three parts:
northern, central and southern, the boundaries between which were the Northern and Southern tropics.

Separate parts of the ocean, located between islands or land ledges, have their own names. The largest water areas of the Pacific Basin include the Bering Sea in the north; the Gulf of Alaska in the northeast; Gulfs of California and Tehuantepec in the east, off the coast of Mexico; Gulf of Fonseca off the coast of El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, and somewhat to the south - the Gulf of Panama. There are only a few small bays off the west coast of South America, such as Guayaquil off the coast of Ecuador.

Coast Pacific Ocean framed by a ring of dormant or occasionally active volcanoes, known as the "Ring of Fire". Most of the coast is formed by high mountains.
In the east, the steep slopes of the mountains approach the very shore Pacific Ocean or separated from it by a narrow strip of coastal plain.

In North America, isolated depressions and passages occur in the coastal mountain ranges, but in South America the majestic Andes chain forms an almost continuous barrier along the entire length of the mainland.

In the far north and far south Pacific Ocean there are sites very similar in structure - the Alexander Archipelago (southern Alaska) and the Chonos Archipelago (off the coast of southern Chile). Both areas are characterized by numerous islands, large and small, with steep shores, fjords and fjord-like straits that form secluded bays. The rest of the Pacific coast of North and South America, despite its great length, presents only limited opportunities for navigation, since there are very few convenient natural harbors, and the coast is often separated by a mountain barrier from the interior of the mainland. In Central and South America, mountains make it difficult to communicate between west and east, isolating a narrow strip of the Pacific coast.

West Coast Pacific Ocean significantly different from the eastern; the shores of Asia have many bays and inlets, in many places forming an unbroken chain. There are numerous ledges of various sizes: from such large peninsulas as Kamchatka, Korean, Liaodong, Shandong, Leizhou bandao, Indochina, to countless capes separating small bays. Mountains are also confined to the Asian coast, but they are not very high and usually somewhat removed from the coast. In the west, many large rivers flow into the ocean: Anadyr, Penzhina, Amur, Yalujiang (Amnokkan), Huanghe, Yangtze, Xijiang, Yuanjiang (Hongkha - Red), Mekong, Chao Phraya (Menam).

Currents, tides, tsunamis

To the main currents in the northern part Pacific Ocean include the warm Kuroshio Current, or the Japanese Current, passing into the North Pacific, cold California Current; Northern Equatorial (Equatorial) current and cold Kamchatka (Kuril) current. In the southern part of the ocean, the warm East Australian and South Tradewind (Equatorial) currents stand out; cold currents of the West Winds and Peruvian. In the Northern Hemisphere, these major current systems move clockwise, while in the Southern Hemisphere they move counterclockwise.
tides in general for Pacific Ocean low; the exception is Cook Inlet in Alaska, which is famous for its exceptionally high rise in water during high tides and is second only to the Bay of Fundy in the northwest Atlantic Ocean in this respect.
When earthquakes or large landslides occur on the seabed, waves are created - tsunami. These waves cover huge distances, sometimes more than 16 thousand km. In the open ocean, they have a low height and a large extent, however, when approaching land, especially in narrow and shallow bays, their height can increase up to 50 m.

It accounts for about half of the world's fish catch (pollock, herring, salmon, cod, sea bass, etc.). Extraction of crabs, shrimps, oysters.

Through there are important sea and air communications between the countries of the Pacific basin and transit routes between the countries of the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

Major ports: Vladivostok, Nakhodka (Russia), Shanghai (China), Singapore (Singapore), Sydney (Australia), Vancouver (Canada), Los Angeles, Long Beach (USA), Huasco (Chile).
Through The international date line runs along the 180th meridian.

Story
Seafaring in pacific ocean began long before the beginning of recorded human history. However, there is evidence that the first European who saw , was the Portuguese Vasco Balboa; in 1513 the ocean opened before him from the Darien Mountains in Panama. In the history of research Pacific Ocean there are such famous names as Ferdinand Magellan, Abel Tasman, Francis Drake, Charles Darwin, Vitus Bering, James Cook and George Vancouver. Later, scientific expeditions aboard the British ship Challenger (1872–1876), and then on the ships Tuscarora, Planet, and Discovery, played an important role.
pacific ocean map

Features of the natural conditions of the general geographic and EGP of the greatest ocean of our planet form its main features as a transport link, the sea routes of which connect different countries of the world. Many world and regional shipping routes pass through the open spaces, and a large number of ports are located on the coast, which account for 26% of the cargo turnover of the ports of the capitalist countries. Pacific ports concentrate a significant part of the world's merchant fleet.

The Pacific transport basin is primarily characterized by a very large length of latitudinal transoceanic routes. They are twice as long as transatlantic ones, so using the Pacific Ocean for transit traffic is quite inconvenient.

Intensive shipping routes run mainly along both coasts of the ocean. At the same time, one of the most important lines of maritime communications runs from the North American shores to the Far Eastern shores of Asia. Through it, exchanges are carried out mainly between the two centers of imperialist rivalry in the Pacific - the United States and Japan. True, the ties between them are much less intense than between the US and Western Europe.

The most extensive network of sea routes has developed along the routes to Japan, which conducts a very lively exchange with various countries that supply various raw materials and consumers of finished Japanese products. Finally, a relatively large number of transoceanic routes are located in the southern part of the ocean, up to about 40°S, which is explained by the development of maritime communications on the east coast of Australia and New Zealand with other countries.

Trails and routes of the Pacific Ocean

In general, the Pacific Ocean is inferior to the Atlantic in terms of the density of sea routes and the volume of cargo flows, but it is ahead of it in terms of growth in traffic. The trend towards an increase in the importance of the Pacific Ocean for world trade is manifesting itself at the present time and represents its essential feature as the largest transport basin.

The economic and socio-political differences of the Pacific countries largely determine the peculiarities of the location of shipping lines, the volume and structure of cargo transportation. The network of transoceanic routes connecting the western and eastern shores of the ocean is characterized by a high density and cargo density. They are grouped along two main directions, American-Asiatic and American-Austrian.

In the first of them, three routes of different volume and intensity were formed. The busiest shipping routes here connect the Pacific ports of the USA and Canada (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver) with the ports of Japan, China, the Philippines (Yokohama, Shanghai, Manila). Despite the great length and harsh navigation conditions, a very large volume of various cargoes is transported along this route, which is explained by the high economic potential of Japan and the US Pacific regions. These states along the routes adjoining here intensively exchange with each other and with other countries. From the USA and Canada to Japan are exported: coal, timber and timber, grain, ore, various semi-finished products, etc. In the opposite direction there are various types of industrial products: steel products, pipes, cars, electrical appliances, radio products, silk, fish and fish products. The structure of US-China and US-Philippines cargo flows is characterized by the export of industrial products from the USA and the import of raw materials and agricultural (mainly rice) products to this country.

Despite good navigational conditions, shipping is less intensive on the route from the Panama Canal and the western ports of South America to Singapore and from the same starting points through the Hawaiian Islands to Yokohama and Manila. A prominent place in this route is occupied by transit traffic through the Panama Canal from the Atlantic Ocean to the ports of the eastern shores of the Indian Ocean and in the opposite direction.

The South American countries of the Pacific Ocean are characterized by a relatively low level of economic development and a small scale of external economic relations, which affects the volume and structure of cargo flows on this route. From the South American ports and Manila, mainly mining and agricultural raw materials are exported to Japan, and from this country they receive industrial products. Singapore mainly receives materials and equipment necessary to ensure the repair of ships - one of the main sectors of the economy of this port state.

Quite rarely, the route from the Strait of Magellan through the Hawaiian Islands or, bypassing them, to the ports of Asia is used. Long routes lie here, the southern sections of which are characterized by difficult navigation conditions. Along these routes, goods are mainly exchanged between the southern regions of Argentina and the Pacific countries. On the whole, the American-Asian direction concentrates the vast majority of the transoceanic routes, along which very large volumes and various structures of cargo flows pass. They reflect the large foreign trade turnover of the North Pacific countries.

The American-Australian transoceanic route connects the ports of North and South America with the ports of Australia and New Zealand. There are shipping lines from US and Canadian ports to Sydney, from the Panama Canal to Sydney, and from South American ports to Sydney. The volume and structure of shipping along these routes is largely determined by the level of development and the nature of the economy of Australia and New Zealand. Both of these countries, however, are in strong economic and political dependence on the United States and Great Britain. Australia acts on the world market as a supplier of industrial raw materials and food products, and New Zealand - as an exporter of meat and wool livestock products. In the US, they deliver lead, zinc, wool, meat, machine tools, machines and other industrial equipment go in the opposite direction. Transportation is carried out mainly by the transport fleet of the United States and Great Britain.

Shorter than the transoceanic lines, but no less tense, they run along the Asian and American shores of the Pacific Ocean, where the maritime ties of Japan and the United States with the Pacific and other countries respectively dominate. The western meridional paths form the Asiatic-Australian direction. Japanese shipping companies have organized regular lines here, along which iron ore, coal, wool and other raw materials are exported from Australia to Japan, and various manufactured goods come to Australia from Japan. In the same region of the ocean, from the Malacca Strait to the Japanese ports, there is a very busy route, along which the Middle East is transported to Japan. Among other sea routes, it stands out for its large volumes of liquid cargo transportation.

Eastern meridional routes connect South American countries (through the Panama Canal) with the Pacific and Atlantic ports of the USA and Canada. These areas are dominated by US shipments. About 1/5 of the volume of foreign trade of the Pacific ports of this country falls on the states of South America, from where iron ore, non-ferrous ores, saltpeter, sulfur and other raw materials come to the USA. Equipment for the mining industry, machinery, machine tools and other goods are transported from the USA to South American ports. In essence, this is the exchange of goods between developed and dependent countries.

In addition to the transoceanic and meridional routes in the Pacific Ocean, many relatively short routes pass near the continents and along the seas adjacent to them. Thus, busy shipping is developed in the Sea of ​​Japan, the Australo-Asian seas, near Australia and New Zealand, in the waters washing the shores of Central America, etc. The volumes and structure of cargo flows here are unstable.

A brief review of the economic activity of various countries in the Pacific Ocean reveals several of its essential features. At present, a diversified ocean economy has developed here, in which fishing, including seafood, occupies a leading place. It is followed by the transport use of the ocean. This is followed by the development of the wealth of coastal-marine placers and the extraction of "marine" oil.

North America

Valdiz - 51	Auckland - 12	Seattle - 21
Vancouver - 67	Portland - 31	Tacoma - 21
Long Beach - 63
South America
Valparaiso - 15	Huasco - 10	Esmeraldas - 16
Callao - 12
East and Southeast Asia
Kaohsiung - 139	Kelang - 89	Chiba - 169
Hong Kong - 208	Kitakyushu - 89	Tokyo - 89
Guangzhou - 168	Kobe - 79	Tianjin - 162
Kawasaki - 90	Busan - 163	Shanghai - 316
Gwangyang - 165	Singapore - 348	Shenzhen - 88
Australia
Brisbane - 17	Melbourne - 20	Port Kembla - 23
Gladstone - 60	Newcastle - 83	Hay Point - 78

3. Indian Ocean

Asia and Africa

Dammam - 11	Kolkata - 16	Richards Bay - 88
Jeddah - 16	Kandla - 21	Ras Tanura - 22
Dubai - 64	Madras - 35	Hark - 20
Durban - 24	Mumbai - 31
Australia
Dampier - 89	Port Hedland - 90	Fremantle - 23

* - the 50 largest ports by cargo turnover are indicated in italics.

Task 2. Study the geographical types of ports in the world (using the ports listed in Table 4). Present the results in the form of table 5.

Table 5

Geographic types of ports in the world

PRACTICAL WORK № 4

Exercise 1. Plot on the previously compiled map (practical work No. 3) the largest container handling ports in the world based on the data in Table 6.

Table 6

World's largest seaports for container handling, 2003

(thousand conditional twenty-pound containers*)

		Transshipment of containers			Transshipment of containers
			Algeciras
Singapore	Singapore		Yokohama
			Felixstowe	United Kingdom
Shenzhen
	Rep. Korea		Nhava Sheva (Mumbai)
Los Angeles
Rotterdam	Netherlands
	Germany
Antwerp			Valencia
	Malaysia			Sri Lanka
				Saudi Arabia
New York/New Jersey
Tanjung Pelepas	Malaysia		Melbourne	Australia
			Charleston
Bremen/Bremerhaven	Germany
Laem Chabang				Puerto Rico, USA
Gioia Tauro			Barcelona
Tianjin			Hampton Roads
Guangzhou
Tanjung Priok (Jakarta)	Indonesia
	Philippines		Tanjung Pe-rak (Surabaya)	Indonesia

* - A conventional twenty-foot container is an international unit of measurement in container transportation. Standard container: 20 feet (6.1 m) long, 8 feet (2.44 m) wide and 8.5 feet (2.59 m) high. The volume of such a container is 38.5 m³.There are also forty-foot (12.2 m) and forty-five-foot (13.7 m) ones. Most of the containers in use today are forty feet.

The volume of transshipment of containers (thousand conditional twenty-pound containers) is shown in color inside the punch indicating the volume of cargo turnover. The volume of transshipment of containers should be presented in gradations (for example): 1 - 1.0-2.0; 2 - 2.1-5.0; 3 - 5.1-10.0; 4 - 10.1-15.0; 5-more than 15.0. If the port is not marked on the map as the largest in terms of cargo turnover, but is included in the 50 largest ports for the processing of containers, then sign its name on the map with the color corresponding to the volume of transportation in the above gradations.

Task 2. To study the regional features of maritime transportation (based on the data of tables 4, 6) for the fifty largest ports in terms of cargo turnover and container transshipment volume. Use the compiled map "World Maritime Transport". To study the geography of shipping:

1) build pie charts by the volume of cargo turnover and the volume of container handling, highlighting the following regions: Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Southwest Asia, North America, Latin America, Australia. Make a conclusion.

2) compile ranked rows of the five largest ports in terms of cargo turnover and container traffic in each region. Make a conclusion, substantiating the differences in the composition of the leaders.

3) build diagrams showing the volume of cargo turnover and the volume of container handling in the context of the oceans (for the fifty largest ports). Inside the diagrams, display the volume of cargo turnover and transshipment of containers by country. Make a conclusion.

4) to rank the five largest ports in terms of cargo turnover and container handling volume in each ocean. Make a conclusion, substantiating the differences in the composition of the leaders.