What is the Pacific Rim?

The Pacific Rim, alternatively known as the Pacific Basin or the Pacific-Asia region, is a region around the Pacific Ocean. It is often defined by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, whose 21 member economies form the Pacific Rim.

These countries are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.

Rim of Fire

The term Pacific Rim is also sometimes used in the context of plate tectonics to denote the geologically active area around the Pacific Ocean. The region along the rim of the Pacific Ocean, which is roughly 40,000 kilometers long, is the location where about half of the world's volcanoes are found.

It is also along this path that about 90 percent of the world's earthquakes occur, and there is frequent volcanic and seismic activity. This horseshoe-shaped region is sometimes referred to as the "rim of fire" (or the "ring of fire").

Pacific Seafloor

Some also extend the term to the Pacific seafloor, which is the largest oceanic division on Earth.