If you were able to drain the oceans of all their water, you would be able to divide the seafloor into 4 main zones:

Continental shelf: The seafloor near continents is called a continental shelf because is gently sloping and covered by shallow seas (about 200 m deep). The average width of a continental shelf is 80 km.

Continental slope: At the edge of the continental shelf, the seafloor suddenly drops to form the steeper continental slope. The continental slope is where submarine landslides and canyons are commonly found. The water depth here can reach thousands of metres.

Continental rise: The continental rise is located at the base of the continental slopes, where the seafloor becomes gentle again.

Abyssal plain: Abyssal plains are some of the deepest parts of the oceans and the flattest places in the world. They form vast expanses of flat and cold terrain that can be over 5,000 m deep. Most of them have a thin layer of sediment covering them.