Magellan Named the Pacific Ocean for Its Calm Water

The largest ocean on Earth got its name from one good day of weather. NOAA’s National Ocean Service tells the story. In 1519 the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan, in the employ of Spain, began a journey across the Atlantic to seek a western route to the Spice Islands by way of South America. After braving perilous seas and navigating through what are now known as the Straits of Magellan, his small fleet entered an unfamiliar ocean in November 1520. He called this body of water pacific, because of the calmness of the water at the time. Pacific means peaceful. The explorers were in for a surprise. NOAA notes that they thought the Spice Islands were close at hand, when in fact they had ventured into the largest ocean on Earth.