For centuries, in speech and literature, writers and explorers have told tales of the "Seven Seas".
But were are these so-called seven seas?

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There are 7 oceans, covering about 71% of the world's surface. These oceans are sometimes called the Seven Seas and include the North and South Pacific, the North and South Atlantic, the Arctic, the Indian and the Southern.

The saying "sail the seven seas" generally means sail all over the world (or the known world at different times in history), traversing all the world's oceans. It is often meant to give an impression of great adventure and conquest.

In popular children's fiction, pirates often declare their mission to "sail the seven seas" in search of plunder.

More Fast Facts About The Seven Seas

The Seven Seas Through History

The ancient Romans, Hindus and Persians used the term Seven Seas to refer to important river networks of the time: for the Romans it indicated the Po river delta, for the Hindus it was the rivers of the Punjab region, and for the Persians the Oxus.

In Medieval Europe, The Seven Seas often meant the Adriatic Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.

At the same time in Arabian stories, The Seven Seas tended to include the Sea of Fars (Persian Gulf), the Sea of Larwi (Gulf of Khambhat), the Sea of Harkand (Bay of Bengal), the Sea of Kalah (Straits of Malacca), the Sea of Salahit (Singpore Strait), the Sea of Kardanj (Gulf of Thailand) and the Sea of Sanji (South China Sea).

After the discovery of the Americas, The Seven Seas was used to describe the seven largest bodies of water known to explorers of the time: the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

During the era of colonial migration and trade with the Far East, The Seven Seas sometimes referred to the bodies of water in and around the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia): the Banda Sea, the Celebes Sea, the Flores Sea, the Java Sea, the South China Sea, the Sulu Sea and the Timor Sea. The Tea Clipper ships and other trading vessels sailed through these waters when travelling between China and Europe, and if you "sailed the seven seas" around this area, it meant you had sailed to the other side of the world.

Seas of the World

The seven oceans are divided into more than 100 seas. The largest sea is the Coral Sea with an area of approximately 4 791 000 square kilometres.

The Meditteranean Sea encompasses many smaller seas, including the Adriatic, Ionian and Aegean Seas.

The Dead Sea is not a sea at all. Being entirely surrounded by land, it is actually a salt lake. The Caspian Sea is also often regarded as a lake for the same reason.

The Red Sea is unusual because it is small and almost landlocked yet its dense floor and central underwater ridge make it more like that of large oceans.