About The Southern Ocean: The Southern Ocean surrounds Antarctica, encircled by the powerful Antarctic Circumpolar Current. It is the coldest of all the world's oceans, and was only officially recognized as its own distinct ocean by international mapmakers in the year 2000. The Newest Ocean on the Map — Mapmakers debated its existence for decades before making it official.

Location: Surrounding Antarctica Encircles the entire Antarctic continent. · Area: ~21.96 million km² (8.48 million mi²) About twice the size of the United States. · Average Depth: ~3,270 m (10,728 ft) · Deepest Point: South Sandwich Trench, ~7,432 m (24,383 ft) · Bordering Continents: Antarctica (surrounds it entirely) · Marine Life: Emperor penguins, leopard seals & krill · Notable Feature: Home to the powerful Antarctic Circumpolar Current · Water Temperature: Coldest ocean on Earth, near freezing · World Rank: Youngest officially recognized ocean