Editing Pacific Ocean (section)

== Human history ==
People reached the western Pacific tens of thousands of years ago. Early sea crossings allowed settlement of Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands at times when lower sea levels reduced the distances between landmasses. Austronesian-speaking navigators later crossed the western and central Pacific using knowledge of winds, stars and ocean swells. They settled islands across Melanesia and Micronesia before reaching the remote island groups of Polynesia.

European knowledge of the eastern Pacific expanded after [[Vasco Núñez de Balboa]] crossed the Isthmus of Panama in 1513. In 1520, the expedition led by [[Ferdinand Magellan]] entered the ocean through the [[Strait of Magellan]]. Magellan called it ''Mar Pacífico'' after encountering calm conditions during the first part of the crossing. European states later mapped Pacific coasts and claimed islands across the basin. Colonial ports became centres for trade and naval supply. During the 19th century, steamships and improved navigation increased regular movement between the Americas, Asia and Oceania.

The Pacific became a principal theatre of the [[Second World War]]. Japan expanded across East Asia and the western Pacific before fighting the Allied powers in a series of naval and island campaigns. The war ended in 1945 after Japan's surrender.