Some oceanographers do not think of the Arctic Ocean as an ocean, but simply a sea. They call it the Arctic Mediterranean Sea or the Arctic Sea. However, the International Hydrographic Organization classifies it as an ocean.
With a size much smaller than other oceans, the Arctic Ocean is declared the smallest and shallowest ocean in the world.
Most of this small ocean area is in the north polar region of the earth. Despite being called the smallest ocean, the Arctic Ocean covers an area of 14,056,000 km², with an average depth of 1,038 meters. The deepest point of the Arctic ocean is only 5,450 meters, which is quite shallow compared to other oceans.
The coastline of the Arctic Ocean stretches for 45,390 km, surrounded by mainland Eurasia, North America, Greenland, and several smaller islands around it. There are several countries directly bordering the Arctic Ocean, namely the USA, Canada, Greenland, Norway, Iceland, and Russia.
Because this ocean is located in the very cold north polar region, part of the area is covered with ice throughout the year. Even in winter, the Arctic Ocean is almost completely covered in ice. Most of the Arctic Ocean is covered by a layer of ice, for 10 months of the year. The peak occurs in March or April, where a layer of ice as thick as 20 to 50 cm will cover this ocean.