Atlantic Ocean
Introduction Atlantic Ocean
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Background: The Atlantic Ocean is the second-
largest of the world's five oceans
(after the Pacific Ocean, but larger
than the Indian Ocean, Southern
Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel
Canal (Germany), Oresund (Denmark-
Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait
of Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain), and
the St. Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US)
are important strategic access
waterways.
Geography Atlantic Ocean
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Location: body of water between Africa,
Europe, the Southern Ocean, and the
Western Hemisphere
Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 25 00 W
Map references: Political Map of the World
Area: total: 76.762 million sq km
note: includes Baltic Sea, Black
Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait,
Denmark Strait, part of the Drake
Passage, Gulf of Mexico,
Mediterranean Sea, North Sea,
Norwegian Sea, almost all of the
Scotia Sea, and other tributary
water bodies
Area - comparative: slightly less than 6.5 times the
size of the US
Coastline: 111,866 km
Climate: tropical cyclones (hurricanes)
develop off the coast of Africa near
Cape Verde and move westward into
the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can
occur from May to December, but are
most frequent from August to
November
Terrain: surface usually covered with sea ice
in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and
coastal portions of the Baltic Sea
from October to June; clockwise
warm-water gyre (broad, circular
system of currents) in the northern
Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-
water gyre in the southern Atlantic;
the ocean floor is dominated by the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-
south centerline for the entire
Atlantic basin
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Milwaukee Deep in the
Puerto Rico Trench -8,605 m
highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources: oil and gas fields, fish, marine
mammals (seals and whales), sand and
gravel aggregates, placer deposits,
polymetallic nodules, precious
stones
Natural hazards: icebergs common in Davis Strait,
Denmark Strait, and the northwestern
Atlantic Ocean from February to
August and have been spotted as far
south as Bermuda and the Madeira
Islands; ships subject to
superstructure icing in extreme
northern Atlantic from October to
May; persistent fog can be a
maritime hazard from May to
September; hurricanes (May to
December)
Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include
the manatee, seals, sea lions,
turtles, and whales; drift net
fishing is hastening the decline of
fish stocks and contributing to
international disputes; municipal
sludge pollution off eastern US,
southern Brazil, and eastern
Argentina; oil pollution in
Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake
Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and
North Sea; industrial waste and
municipal sewage pollution in Baltic
Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean
Sea
Geography - note: major chokepoints include the
Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar,
access to the Panama and Suez
Canals; strategic straits include
the Strait of Dover, Straits of
Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound
(Oresund), and Windward Passage; the
Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean
into the North Atlantic Ocean and
South Atlantic Ocean
Economy Atlantic Ocean
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Economy - overview: The Atlantic Ocean provides some of
the world's most heavily trafficked
sea routes, between and within the
Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
Other economic activity includes the
exploitation of natural resources,
e.g., fishing, the dredging of
aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and
production of crude oil and natural
gas (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico,
and North Sea).
Transportation Atlantic Ocean
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Ports and harbors: Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers
(Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium),
Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires
(Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco),
Colon (Panama), Copenhagen
(Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk
(Poland), Hamburg (Germany),
Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas
(Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre
(France), Lisbon (Portugal), London
(UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo
(Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples
(Italy), New Orleans (US), New York
(US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway),
Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio
de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam
(Netherlands), Saint Petersburg
(Russia), Stockholm (Sweden)
Transportation - note: Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway
are two important waterways;
significant domestic commercial and
recreational use of Intracoastal
Waterway on central and south
Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico
coast of US
Transnational Issues Atlantic Ocean
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Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral
states)
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