Easy like Sunday morning – The Hindu

1 / 10 |
In 1520, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan was sailing around the world when he encountered a very rough passage in Chile. The strait was later named after him. On the other hand, the calm conditions led him to name it the ‘Peaceful Sea’. Translated from Latin, how do we know this huge body of water now?

2 / 10 |
The last ocean to be officially named was this one in 1999. It is the only ocean to surround a continent. Its name references the fact that it is exactly opposite to the place from which one could see the ‘Great Bear’ constellation. Which ocean is this?

Answer : The Antarctic (Southern) Ocean

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3 / 10 |
This entire area was completely dry 5 million years ago. One small strait opened up, and it allowed the Atlantic Ocean to come pouring in at a rate 1,000 times that of the Amazon. It got completely filled in two years and became the vital water body linking Africa, Asia and Europe. Which waterbody is this?

4 / 10 |
The mountain with the highest dry prominence (total height) is Mauna Kea with 30,610 ft as opposed to Mt. Everest’s 20,032 ft. It is usually missing from lists because only 13,803 ft of it rises out of the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Over which tourist destination does it loom?

5 / 10 |
Ancient map makers, when drawing up uncharted areas, used to inscribe in Latin ‘his suit dracones’. This referred to the fact that these areas were unexplored and hence potential dangers could await. Almost all oceans had the inscription on them, which led to the sailors’ myths of cryptids in these areas. What did sailors believe were in these waters?

6 / 10 |
The Somniosidae are ‘sleeper sharks’ that are slow-moving sharks which can reach over 20 feet and live up to 400 years. They achieve this longevity because of their slow metabolism, swimming in the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean. What is their name, a reference to the largest island in the world where they are found?

7 / 10 |
In 1992, a Cargo container on the way to the US from China overturned in the North Pacific and dumped its contents. This was 28,000 toys known as ‘Friendly Floatees’, which over the years have washed ashore in Hawaii, Alaska and Japan. What item is this that oceanographers are tracking to learn about ocean currents?

8 / 10 |
Paul William Walker was passionate about marine biology. He was a part of the National Geographic’s Expedition great white to tag and track Great White Sharks in the Pacific Ocean. Walker was, however, more famous for acting in a series of movies about street racing. Where would one have seen him onscreen?

9 / 10 |
There are more than 3 trillion trees in the world, and people usually think they are responsible for producing most of the oxygen on Earth. The fact is that more than half comes from the ocean. What tiny organisms are these which are eaten by everything from shrimp to whales?

10 / 10 |
The Deepsea Challenger is a submersible which, on March 26, 2012, reached the bottom of the deepest point on Earth. Located in the Pacific Ocean, the point ‘Challenger Deep’ is 11 km deep. Who was the pilot, a film director known for water-themed movies?