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1. WordNet® 3.0 (2006)
Atlantic Ocean
    n 1: the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on
         the west from Europe and Africa on the east [syn:
         Atlantic, Atlantic Ocean]

2. CIA World Factbook 2002
Atlantic Ocean

   Introduction Atlantic Ocean
   ---------------------------
                            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
   ------------------------
                              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
   ----------------------
                    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
   -----------------------------
                     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
   -----------------------------------
              Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral
                                        states)
  
                                       



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